Elan Ripstick 102 W Skis

The Ripstick 102 W’s (with the “W” standing for women) is an advanced/expert all-mountain ski in a width well-suited to the west coast softer powder conditions found here in British Columbia. Two additional women’s widths are available in the Elan Ripstick line-up, the 94 and 88—both weigh less than the 102’s and offer a little more adaptability and forgiveness on hardpack resort conditions. For this review, the Ripstick 102 W were paired with Marker Kingpin 10 bindings so I could get a feel for them on the up as well as the down and report on how these gals measured up as a 50/50 resort/backcountry ski, or possibly a quiver of one ski that wouldn’t leave me feeling compromised either in-or out-of-bounds. 

At the heart of the Ripstick’s design is Elan’s TNT Technology, a combo of Tubelite Woodcore construction and Vapor Tip Inserts that make for an internally light, powerful and stable construction. (More on this below in the features section)

Where the Ripsticks get really sexy (and innovative) is in their shape, which uses Elan’s Amphibio technology to integrate unique rocker and camber profiles into each ski.

The Amphibio essentially means you will have dedicated left and right ski, fortunately, these are marked on the ski just above the TNT logo as their difference in shape is subtle and not obvious at a glance.

Moderate camber underfoot gives the 102’s some snap and playfulness from edge to edge.

A fat ski up front, the tips of the Ripstick 102’s measure 143mm wide, eliminating the possibility of submarining while surfing deep pow.

Minimal rocker on the tail with just a slight flare up and a skin notch makes these skis well adapted to ski touring.

• TNT Technology
• Tubelite Woodcore
• Vapor Tip Reinforcement
• Amphibio profile  
• SST Sidewall construction
• Fibreglass reinforcement

Some technologies the Ripstick 102's utilize, which you should be familiar with:

TNT Technology
This is the short way of describing the Tubelite Woodcore construction with Vapor Tip Inserts, read on.

Tubelite Woodcore
A lightweight laminated wood core is spliced with two super light 5mm carbon tubes which run the rocker-to-rocker length of the ski articulating with the arc of the sidecut. As well as reducing the weight of the core these rigid tubes increase torsional stability. 

Vapor Tip Reinforcement
Lightweight composite Vaportip inserts are inserted into the tips of all Ripstick skis to improve stability, reduces the swing weight of the ski and dampens vibration for a smoother ride on hardpack.

SST Sidewall construction
Vertically oriented ABS sidewall material above the edges of the ski increase torsional rigidity helps direct power from the ski to snow, which means faster edge-to-edge turns.

Amphibio Profile
Elan’s Amphibio profile consists of a cambered inside edge and a rockered outside edge making for dedicated left and right skis. The camber on the inside brings precision, edge grip, and stability, while the rocker on the outside brings the love with the ease of turning and smooth transitions. 

Elan’s Ripstick 102 W is not the only ski in the all-mountain 50/50 category that I have recently had the privilege of testing. This season I also reviewed and enjoyed the much-lauded Head Kore 105 skis. In comparison, I found the Elan Ripstick 102 W way more playful and better adapted to backcountry adventure. Whilst not the stiffest ski of their class, the Ripstick 102’s have enough mojo that you can ski aggressively if you want to. What I love about them is that they are low drama—snappy and energetic, yes—but never hard work except perhaps in crud where most skis on the lighter end of the scale such as these tend to get thrown around a little. 

The Ripstick 102’s are in their element in soft snow and powder conditions where their broad waste, rocker geometry, and wide shovel tips allow you to float and surf. With their dynamic shape, you can pick a deliberate line and then change it on a dime. They’re also light enough to easily pop off features and turns. And here is the kicker, none of this means that they suck on groomers or hardpack. On the contrary, on a firm smooth surface, they are really confident on edge and they quickly initiate and hold a big or small carving turn well. For all these reasons I can confidently say that I would use the Ripstick 102 W (with an appropriate binding) as a one quiver 50/50 ski, and an affordable one at that! There is a disclaimer however, they won’t be the ideal one quiver for everyone, as some like a lighter ski for the backcountry so they can be über efficient, but this means you’ll likely have to give up a proportionate amount of performance as well.

The uptrack? I was surprised that they didn’t feel heavier given their dimensions, I am 174cm tall and I was skiing the 170cm length which measures in at 143/105/120—that’s a wide ski. Sure the width does compromise some efficiency but given the quality of skiing, I am willing to sacrifice a little on the up-track for quality of powder surfing on the way down. A lighter binding would help reduce weight or perhaps the Ripstick 94s could be worth a peek if you were keen to shave off a few hundred grams and give up a bit of float in pow. For multi-day traverses or lots of climbing, I would definitely prefer a lighter ski but I’m just not willing to give up the performance and fun that is found in the women’s Ripstick 102’s.