Elan Ripstick 88 Black Edition — Review

The Elan Ripstick 88 Black Edition is the premium, carbon-heavy variant of the standard Ripstick 88. The shape and 130-90-108 sidecut at 182cm are unchanged, but the core lay-up is reworked around Elan's Carbon Deck and Quad Rod technologies — six discrete pieces of carbon arranged for added stiffness, pop and damping without resorting to metal. The result is a freeride-leaning all-mountain ski with all the lightness of the base Ripstick 88 plus measurably more snap and edge-hold.

The Black Edition keeps the Ripstick 88's defining quality — being light, agile and forgiving for the waist — and pushes the precision and energy higher. The Carbon Deck stiffens the underfoot zone enough to drive a deliberate carve on firm groomers without going stiff, and the Quad Rod arrangement around the binding visibly dampens chatter on harder snow. Off-piste, the same Amphibio asymmetric profile (rockered outside edge, cambered inside) still floats through soft pockets and turns into chop without effort, but the added carbon makes the platform feel less floppy when pushed harder. At ~1600g per ski in the 182, it stays tour-compatible.

The Ripstick 88 Black Edition uses a Tubelite wood core (poplar/paulownia) with Carbon Deck Technology — six carbon pieces in total: two sidewall rods running the length of the ski for energy, two additional rods around the binding zone (Quad Rod Tech) to reduce noise and add pop, and two unidirectional carbon strips beneath the core plus a tapered plate above it. Sintered base, no titanal. The asymmetric Amphibio Rocker / Camber / Rocker profile is the same as the base model. Verified specs at 182cm: 130-90-108 sidecut, 16.8m radius, 1600g per ski. The full length range is 154 / 161 / 168 / 175 / 182 / 189cm, with radii stepping 12.8 / 13.8 / 14.8 / 15.8 / 16.8 / 17.8m.

Best for the advanced all-mountain skier who liked the base Ripstick 88's lightness but wanted more edge precision and rebound. Compared to the Elan Ripstick 88 it adds noticeable underfoot stiffness and damping with the same weight profile; against the Nordica Enforcer 88 it is far lighter and more touring-capable but gives up some hard-snow lock-in; and next to the Head Kore 88 Ti it carries a similar light-weight ethos with a more pronounced asymmetric edge feel from the Amphibio profile.

Pros

• Carbon Deck and Quad Rod tech sharpen edge precision and pop over the base Ripstick 88.
• ~1600g at 182cm keeps the ski touring-capable.
• Wide length range (154–189cm) covers most adult skiers.
• Amphibio asymmetric profile makes turn initiation intuitive on hard snow.
• Versatile from firm groomers to soft chop without changing tools.

Cons

• No metal in the build still costs some lock-in versus a heavier titanal freerider at speed.
• 88mm waist limits true deep-snow days.
• Premium price relative to the base Ripstick 88.
• Asymmetric design requires dedicated left/right skis (no swapping).
• Not a dedicated touring ski despite the weight.

Verdict: A clean upgrade path over the standard Ripstick 88 — same shape and weight class with audible gains in precision and rebound from the Carbon Deck lay-up. The right pick if you already know you want a Ripstick 88 and can justify the carbon-tier price.