2023 Liberty Evolv 90

As one of the wider cruisers out there, the Liberty Evolv 90 strikes a nice balance between smooth and stable skiing while remaining versatile for softer snow. The shape and profile, combined with the construction, certainly give this ski an interesting and unique feel, allowing advanced and expert skiers the ability to make their own determination about what this thing actually is. There’s a lot of skis in the 88-90 mm underfoot range, and it’s amazing to see how some of them lean to the front side while others are squarely all-mountain. The Evolv 90 has a strong, yet not burly build, thanks to the blend of bamboo, poplar, carbon, and three vertical metal struts. This build is totally unique in the all-mountain world, and it gives the ski its unmistakable sound (or lack thereof). These things are quiet. The 179 cm length produces an 18.5-meter turn radius and weighs 1860 grams per ski.

On the 179, Marcus Shakun calls it “short.” This is not surprising given that Marcus is about 6’5” and has a lot of leverage. He gave it high scores of 4 out of 5 for overall impression, versatility, torsional stiffness, edge hold, quickness, maneuverability, and stability. 3’s went for flotation, playfulness, and forgiveness. This spread of scores is normally what we see for these ~90 mm all-mountain skis, and that rings true for the Evolv 90 as well in Marcus’ estimation. He notes its strength in “All-mountain performance. Advance expert skier that is athletic. One that can really drive a ski. Liberty had really hit it with the ski you can rip the groomers in the a.m. and ski the rest of the mountain in the afternoon. It doesn’t lack performance in any of those areas. Not overly quick edge to edge, but holds a nice medium radius turn. Super stable at all speeds. Weakness maybe that it’s kinda burly and not forgiving.” A lot of skiers may underestimate the power of these skis, especially in the tail and due to the build. Not a lot of rocker back there.

Another tall skier on the shorter 179, Bob St.Pierre notes that he “likes the 186 a whole lot more, but this ski is true to size, perhaps a bit long due to effective edge and lack of rocker.” That long effective edge is what produces scores of 4 out of 5 for stability. Bob had all 4’s on this ski except for a few 3’s for flotation and forgiveness. This shows the stronger nature of the ski, and its more front-side lean. “I'm constantly impressed with the Evolv line, regardless of width. This 90 is composed, clean, quiet, and smooth. The bamboo adds a lot of silence to the mix, and it's interesting combining with the vertical metal struts to make it powerful and fun. When you lean into a carved turn with this ski, it really comes alive.”

Whether you never leave the groomers or not, the 2023 Liberty Evolv 90 is an intriguing option for a lot of advanced and expert skiers. The unique nature and sound of this ski make it stand out from other lines like the Kendo or Enforcer 88, but they still have roughly the same application. If you spend most of your time on groomers, but want something with a wider platform and more stability, the Evolv 90 should surely be on the list.