2025 Elan Ripstick 88

Skiers who are looking to do it all with the least amount of effort should take a long square look at the 2025 Elan Ripstick 88. We do not mean that in a bad way, rather, it’s incredibly impressive how much this ski can do. For years, the Ripstick 96 Black Edition was one of our favorites, but when we hopped back on the Ripstick 88 this past year, it became quite clear that there’s a lot to like about this ski as well. Mainly, how does a ski with this much flex and this little weight provide so much energy and fun? That’s the main question and we hope to be able to answer it with our testing. At the end of the day, the main answer comes down to the carbon tubes. These little rods of carbon do so much of the heavy lifting, incorporating energy and pop into the mix of grip and versatility. As an 88 (now 90 mm underfoot), these skis have the capacity to go from on trail to off in the blink of an eye.

From a construction standpoint, the main differences are in the wood core. While the older version of the ski used vapor tips in the forebody, this new one continues the poplar and paulownia wood to the very end. In fact, the new Ripstick uses a flax weave in lieu of the vapor tips, so there’s more material up front in terms of wood. They did, however, seem to thin the core profile a bit, to keep the weight to a minimum and allow for proper flex in the tips. The new 88 is still feather-light, hitting 1600 grams per ski in the 182 cm length. That’s pretty darn light. We won’t tell anyone they can’t tour on this ski due to the weight, even though there are more specific tour skis within Ripstick’s line. A big fan of the outgoing Ripstick 88, tester Bob St.Pierre states that “The new 88 doesn't feel as turny or carvy as the old one, especially in longer turns. This is a big benefit for those that appreciate mobility and energy in their shorter carves. It's incredibly responsive and easy to turn to go along with endless all-mountain versatility.” That type of versatility is hard to come by at this weight—these skis are so incredibly simple to maneuver.

By bumping up the waist width to 90 mm, they didn’t really change the whole shape of the ski, rather, it’s more like a bit more surface area to stand on. The taper is brought down in the shovel to make for a wider tip that is more drifty and playful. The older shovel was more spoony and liked to hook into the turns a bit more. Now we get better flotation as well as an easier turning character. Due to the shape and profile, Bob notes that the new 88 is best when used in “Bumps, trees, and groomers are right in this ski's zone. It's incredibly quick, so getting from turn to turn is a snap. On the groomers, it's still a bit better when the snow is softer, but there's some decent torsional stiffness here that makes it grip pretty well for how light it is.” We keep coming back to weight, but shape has a lot to do with agility as well, with a shorter turn radius and an easy-to-use personality. Those things add up to a ski that’s super nimble and quick. Amphibio Rocker profile also adds to the allure, featuring more rocker on the outer edges and more camber along the insides.

There’s a lot of skiers who will benefit from the new shape and style of the 2025 Elan Ripstick 88. These skis have such a large sweet spot. It’s harder to find someone who this ski won’t work for versus someone that it will. This appeal is very broad, from progressing beginners to lighter and less aggressive experts. Even those that are accomplished, skilled, and strong will find something to like here. They are incredibly easy to use and very friendly in a variety of snow conditions and terrain.