2027 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition

With a slight graphic change (but still Black), the 2027 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition is a great choice for advanced and expert skiers who are looking for a light, fun, and easy to use freeride ski that has wonderful pep and energy. These skis have a great blend of width and sophistication that makes them incredibly fun in softer snow, technical terrain, and mixed conditions.

These skis use a Tubelite wood core consisting of poplar and paulownia. There are sections milled out along the sidewalls which are replaced with Elan’s carbon rods. In the Black Edition, we get two extra carbon rods in the forebody and through the aft section of the ski for added power. Elan also uses two strips of uni directional carbon under the core and one amphibio-shaped laminate on top of the core, giving more power to the inside edge of the ski. In the 182, the ski sits on the scale at a stated weight of 1720 g/ski, which is not a whole lot for a ski with this much volume. In addition, the shovels are still on the flexible side, allowing easy entry into turns and fantastic flotation in light and dry snow. Tester Matt Stromecki calls it: “Incredibly light weight which boosts their maneuverability, but they are not the smoothest or most stable, especially when conditions are less than ideal. The tips are incredibly soft flexing, so they get bounced around a lot. However, because of that softness, turn initiation was very easy and overall provided a very forgiving character. If you want to float, and don't want to work hard, these are great!”

At 102 mm underfoot, these skis have a preference for softer snow, but still provide decent energy and grip when things get firm. The 182 has a slightly longer turn radius than other skis in this range at 18.8-meters, but it’s incredibly easy to make it go shorter than that. The amphibio rocker profile is the big story here as the asymmetry in profile creates a smooth and predictable feel when transitioning in and out of turns. We got some great feedback from Sam Reed who notes that “These love a tight turn - great energy out of a short radius carve. They don't especially love anything with a longer radius, and stability at speed left a little to be desired. These would be a great woods ski - maneuverable, poppy, and good float for powder pockets. I don't think they're the best groomer ski unless you're exclusively carving super tight, so they're not as versatile as I'd want out of a ski like this. “

Here in Vermont, 102 is a bit on the wide side for all-mountain versatility, but we do think that if you ski in an area in which snow is softer more often than not, the 102 Black Edition can easily handle most days. It’s also a great choice for skiers who are looking for their first wider ski to play around on and be adventurous with. Since it’s not overly demanding, even in this Black Edition build, an intermediate can find good success here while an experienced expert will still enjoy the light mobility of the ski.