The Ripstick has a new topsheet this season and a much friendlier price point. Previously $900, this ski now rings in right around $750. See the latest incarnation in the photo above.
December 2018 This Product
Elan Ripstick 116 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $850 List $552.49 at Evo | $899 List | $799 List $599.25 at Evo | $749 List | $900 List Check Price at Backcountry |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This surfy ski is fully dialed in the powder and energetic on the groomers | Powerful, burly powder ski that is strong enough to handle the unexpected | This ski floats well enough for freeride and holds steady on big-mountain lines | Tears through big-mountain lines and smashes through chop as well as it floats | The Pescado is well-named, these planks float and slash like a surfboard |
| Rating Categories | Elan Ripstick 116 | Nordica Enforcer Pro | Moment Wildcat | Volkl Confession | Line Pescado |
| Float (25%) | |||||
| Stability at Speed (20%) | |||||
| Playfulness (20%) | |||||
| Crud (20%) | |||||
| Carving (10%) | |||||
| Versatility (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Elan Ripstick 116 | Nordica Enforcer Pro | Moment Wildcat | Volkl Confession | Line Pescado |
| Waist Width (mm) | 116 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 125 |
| Rocker | Amphibio | Tip and tail rocker | Mustache rocker | Tip and tail rocker | Tip Early Rise-Camber-Tail Early Rise |
| Available Lengths (cm) | 185, 193 | 191 | 174, 184, 190 | 179, 186, 193 | 180 |
| Shape | 143-116-132 mm | 143-115-132 mm | 141-116-131 mm | 144-117-133 mm | 158-125-147 mm |
| Radius (m) | 20.3 m | 21.5 m | 25 m | 21.2 m | 19 m |
| Weight Per Pair | 8.8 lbs | 10.3 lbs | 9.45 lbs | 9.92 lbs | 8.6 lbs |
| Core Material | Wood (tubelite) | Poplar, beech, balsa | Wood (aspen, pine) | Wood, titanal bands (torsional multilayer) | Wood |
| Tested length (cm) | 185 | 191 | 184 | 179 | 180 |
Our testers had mixed reviews of the Ripstick 116. Regarded as both "light and plinky" and "beefy enough to stomp", it's clear that funky design yields nuanced performance standards. Additionally, we were skeptical of this skis construction. Foam is widely regarded as a chintzy core material. That said, the Ripstick was subject to the same criteria for testing and stood up to the challenge fairly well. The variable user experience is perhaps explained by a steeper learning curve due to the ski's asymmetrical construction.
Even though it isn't the widest ski available, the Ripstick 116 has commendable float abilities in all kinds of fresh snow. The lightweight wood core and rockered outside edge let the skier float with minimal effort while the gradually tapered shovel caters to a wide variety of turn shapes in powder. A quick swing weight and short sidecut radius make it a nimble option for those tight, surfy hero turns. This model offered high performance in the float metric, on par with the Moment Wildcat. The Line Pescado and DPS Alchemist Lotus 124 are even better.
On groomers, the Ripstick is considerably easier to turn at speed and is both predictable and smooth. However, when taken off-piste, the same rules don't apply. Fused with elastofoam, the Vaportip Inserts seemed to lack the necessary backbone to avoid deflection when skiing hard across the fall line. Models with metal reinforcement or carbon stringers seemed to perform better than the Ripstick in this metric. This contender scored slightly below average in this metric. Models like the Nordica Enforcer Pro and Volkl Confession were top scorers, taking the cake for stability at speed.
Even though this is a directionally focused, carve-friendly powder ski, it still managed to put a grin on our testers faces. The traditional camber and stiff tails of the Ripstick give it a poppy acceleration out of each turn, but it's not so stiff that you can't butter out the finish of an arc. It's not a stunt-noodle, but this pair of planks is downright fun to ski.
It's outperformed by the Moment Wildcat.
The tip deflection we noticed when letting the Ripstick run was also evident when skiing through bumps. While capable of cruising over soft, sluffy leftovers, our testing proved that Ripstick was less reliable on re-frozen bumps or hard contours. Again, we'd attribute this to the lack of structural reinforcements. If you're looking for a pair that will plow through the crud, we would recommend the Volk Confession or Nordica Enforcer Pro.
With camber running from tip to tail on the inside, this ski had the longest effective edge in the lineup. In this case, the dedicated downhill edge of the Amphibio design was instrumental to downhill carving performance. The Ripstick was quick edge-to-edge, responsive when laid over, and had energetic rebound out of each turn. Both on and off-piste, this ski was one of the more aggressive carvers. The Volkl Confession performed similarly.
The dual-edged Amphibio Technology is great for skiing both freshies and hardpack without much compromise. But the Ripstick was challenged by many of the crummy conditions found anywhere between beautiful blower and manicured surfaces. Due to its inability to manage chop with finesse, we found this to be an overall less versatile ski.
The Ripstick is best suited to lift-access powder skiing when you expect to encounter mostly soft, untracked snow. The tails were obviously designed for climbing skin compatibility, though we'd expect many backcountry skiers to be happier on a more tour-friendly setup.
Gram for gram, there are better overall performers in the powder ski category. And seeing that the price is above average, a budget-conscious ski bum would get better bang for their buck elsewhere.
There is no doubt about it — the Ripstick can certainly rip. Its large sweet spot and intuitive turn shapes made it a very comfortable ride on both groomed surfaces and deep snow. It was preferred by testers who liked a solid inside edge and more aggressive turn shapes—but also enjoyed by intermediate skiers. Whether soft and deep or firm and steep, the Ripstick will stand up and deliver.
