2025 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition

For 2025, the entire Ripstick line gets re-vamped, and one of the skis we’re most excited about is the new Ripstick 102 Black Edition. For the past few seasons, the 106 Black Edition was a tester and staff favorite as it blended the lightweight energy of the normal Ripstick 106 with a damp metal-like feel due to the extra carbon rods. As a result, this ski added power and stability to the 106 without adding much weight. The new 102 Black Edition takes a page from that book and adds agility and quickness due to the narrower waist. We found that skiers looking for a fun, playful, and easy to use ski with a high-performance ceiling will absolutely love this new 102 for soft snow and variable conditions and terrain.

Carbon Deck and Carbon Frame are the big stories when it comes to construction. By using carbon in different ways, the 102 Black Edition sets itself apart from the competition when it comes to lighter weight and higher mobility. Starting with a wood core made from poplar and paulownia, the skis get two strips of unidirectional carbon under the core. The longer one goes on the inside edge while the shorter one is on the outside. Since the skis are asymmetrical in build, the engineers can take more liberties in the construction process. Within the core, we get Elan’s Quad Rod technology, featuring two longer carbon tubes set in to the core along the edges and two in the central portion, one in the forebody and one aft of the binding zone. These tubes do a lot of the lifting when it comes to strengthening the overall feel and character of the ski. That said, there’s not a whole lot of lifting to do, as these skis hit the scale at 1720 grams per ski in the 182 cm length. For a higher-performing 102, that’s pretty impressive.

From a shaping perspective, we get the new 102 mm waist, as that adds versatility and on-trail performance over the 106, while staying truer to the soft snow roots than the narrower 96. There’s some overlap here, but mostly skiers should be able to find their ride easily. The 182 creates an 18.8-meter turn radius, but because of the flexible shovel, skiers can hook into that shape easily. It feels like it wants to be turnier because of the flex. In softer snow, the shape adds to the mix, making the ski feel very mobile and agile. On firmer snow, it’s still not quite enough of a ski to hold a pure edge, but that’s not what these skis are meant for. Regarding this, tester Bob St.Pierre notes that “This ski excels in bumps and trees for its width. I don't find a lot of on-trail success here, especially if the snow is firm and the skier is fast.” At 102, and with some flex, lighter skiers will have an easier time finding the stability. Jake Webber also notes that the firm snow isn’t quite the 102 Black Edition’s forte, stating that this ski works “great on anything except ice. It’s maneuverable with a large sweet spot. Highly responsive and still stable with some speed in the crud.” We’ve found that unless you’re layering a lot of carbon together, like in Head Kore 99, it’s tough to make non-metal skis perform as well on ice and hard pack.

Skiers can be of varying degrees of ability to enjoy the new Ripstick 102 Black Edition. Progressing intermediates looking to make the leap to a wider ski that won’t saddle them with demand will settle in quite nicely here. Heavier and more aggressive experts may want to look to a sturdier and thicker ski to accommodate their size and ask of a ski, but that’s a small portion of the skiing population. Overall, this new 102 is a very accessible ski for those looking to mix the trees and bumps with soft snow and crud. Other than hard groomers and ice, these skis will handle it all.