2025 Armada ARV 100

The 2025 Armada ARV 100 takes a step beyond where it was last year, and for the most part, we think that’s a good thing. Skiers will love the added sturdiness, the slightly more palatable graphics, and the overall composure that this ski brings to the ~100 mm twin tip division. While most certainly firmly entrenched in the freeride scene, there’s a lot of all-mountain notes here as well, making the new ARV 100 a prime contender for a single ski for creative and playful skiers that like to have adventures, fun, and creativity along the way. Business-like skiers will still likely opt for the Declivities of the ski world, and that’s okay. ARV has always been about playfulness, tricks, and the pure spirit of skiing, and the new 100 takes it to the next level.

For 2025, Armada made the move from caruba to poplar in the core, and this seems to make sense. In the Declivities, or other skis that use caruba in the core, there’s normally an additive material to make it sturdier. Declivity uses metal, Head Kore skis use carbon as sandwich laminates, but ARV last year had just caruba. It worked as a light, flickable ski, but it kind of needed some oomph. The swap to poplar makes sense for this ski and gives it a bit of power back, especially on firmer snow and in more aggressive skiing including park and freestyle. We still get the W3dgewall technology that incorporates the sidewall into the pressing process—that works great and will be even better when used with the poplar core. Armada uses an Ash insert in the binding zone to mitigate pullouts and boost the underfoot stability in a carved turn. In the 179, the ski hits 1700 grams, which is still on the light side for such a strong performer.

The shape and profile of the ARV 100 has stayed the same since last year, as that is certainly one of the bright spots of this ski. It’s got a totally natural feel to it and is capable and willing of making a variety of turn shapes and styles with ease. With measurements of 128/100/120, this ski is moving towards the more symmetrical side of the spectrum while still containing some directional chops for carving and smearing. We see an 18-meter turn radius in the 179, and that aligns well with other skis in this range. As a twin tip, it’s impossible to deny the freestyle capabilities, as the ARV 100 functions very well in the park. Switch skiing is also a breeze, and with the symmetrical flex, the ski can butter and press easily on the feet of skilled skiers. There’s some rounded taper here as well, and that only aids with soft snow performance as it smooths out any unwanted chunks or crud.

This new ARV 100 checks a lot of boxes for a lot of skiers. There are those out there that are looking for a go-anywhere and do-anything type of ski and this is it. We’ve had some high-end skiers on this thing this past year and they loved it. Certainly, there’s a limitation in carving performance on true ice, but that doesn’t diminish the overall fun and adventure that can be achieved on this ski. Whether you’re a dedicated park skier or are looking for something fun and amenable to trees, bumps, powder, and moderate carving, the new ARV 100 is a highly efficient ski for intermediates through expert ranges. The move to poplar has proven to be a good one, and the new graphics of the ski make it totally eye catching without being outrageous. Armada has a surefire winner with the new ARV 100.