Elan Ripstick tour 88 — Review

The Ripstick tour 88 is the narrow chassis in Elan's lightweight ski-touring lineup, sitting under the Tour 94 and Tour 104. It pairs an 88 mm waist with a TubeLite Woodcore, 360° sidewall and Amphibio asymmetrical profile. With a single-ski weight of roughly 1,210 g at 156/163 cm and 1,270 g at 170/177/184 cm, it is built for human-powered days where every gram matters and the descent still has to feel like a real ski.

At 88 mm under foot with a 16.8 m radius at 170 cm, the Ripstick tour 88 favors firm and mixed snow. The cambered inside edge tracks confidently on icy traverses and skinned-up groomers, while the rockered outside edge keeps initial pivots light when you are tired at the end of a long tour. Turn shapes range from short slalom-style cuts to mid-radius arcs, and the Amphibio geometry rewards riders who can engage left and right edges decisively. In wind-affected variable snow it stays predictable, although the narrow waist asks for active fore-aft balance in deeper sections.

Elan builds the Tour 88 around a TubeLite Woodcore — two carbon tubes embedded into a laminated wood core, oriented along the sidecut arc to add torsional stability without adding weight. The 360° sidewall wraps unbraided carbon-fibre strips along the edges, and a sintered high-speed gliding base sits underneath. A Carbon Bridge rod in the tip dampens vibration, and a small titanal binding reinforcement plate gives a stable mounting zone without turning the ski into a heavy resort plank. Lengths run 156, 163, 170, 177 and 184 cm with tip/waist/tail of 127–129 / 88 / 105–109 mm and turn radii from 14.8 to 18.8 m.

The Tour 88 suits intermediate-to-advanced tourers who spend most of their time on firm snow, spring corn or refrozen alpine surfaces and want a versatile chassis for moderate-width days. Compared to the Head Crux 87 it has a more rocker-forward feel thanks to Amphibio, where the Crux carves a touch more directly. Against the Nordica Santa ana 88 unlimited it is noticeably lighter and more touring-biased rather than fifty-fifty. Riders considering the wider Elan Ripstick tour 104 should pick this 88 if powder days are rare and the ski mostly sees firm-snow traverses and steep skin tracks.

Pros

• Low single-ski weight makes long ascents and bigger objectives less punishing.
• Amphibio profile delivers a planted feel on firm snow uncommon at this weight class.
• Five lengths cover a wide skier range, including smaller and taller tourers.
• TubeLite Woodcore and 360° sidewall give torsional stability without resort-ski mass.

Cons

• 88 mm waist is limited in deeper, untracked snow.
• Lightweight chassis trades some damping for grams when speeds climb on hard chop.
• Demands committed edging to get the best from the asymmetric profile.
• Touring-tuned flex is not the choice for resort-only days.

Verdict: A purpose-built lightweight touring ski for skiers who prioritise the up but still want a confident, edgeable descent on firm and mixed snow.