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2021 Augment All Mountain 88 Ti

SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
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Philpug: Of the premium 88mm skis, the AM88 is the most traditional in shape with its rounded tip and almost full camber flex. Turn radius in our reference 179 is also one of the only skis in the category that is over 20 m ... and it feels every bit of that. The AM88 has some seriously long legs and can run. The only limitation I have found with any Augment I have skied is the skier -- that's not because you will out-ski them, they just have one of the highest entry requirements as far as input.

Is the AM88 for everyone? Will it hold your hand as you get your ski legs under you? No. The AM88 is a thoroughbred, and extremely rewarding when you are on your A-game and paying attention.

Insider tip: Like other Augments, err on the side of a higher flex number; ie, a 10 flex, which they refer to as “flimsy,” is about as stiff as say a Brahma or Kendo, hardly flimsy.​
Tricia: I first got on the AM 88 at Solitude, and even though its flex is rated at a 7 (soft), there was nothing wimpy about it. The 88mm width is the sweet spot of the women's all-mountain category, and while this is not a women's-specific ski, the flex is meant for a small or medium-sized person and thus is right for a lot of female skiers.

Without having a chance to check the tune, Phil mounted these up and we hit Solitude with some other Pugskiers. Much to my delight, the tune was the type of perfection you'd expect from Augment. The ski is strong enough to slice through crud, nimble enough to inspire a few jaunts in the moguls, and proper enough to respond when asked to make tracks on the groomers -- all of this with one of the smoothest feelings you can imagine. There are many skis in this category that ski pretty darn well, but few with this pedigree.

Insider tip: Check out the different flex options to suit your needs perfectly.​
Andy Mink: From my audio notes: "Fantastic. So, so smooth and you can go faster than you probably should." The AM88 makes long, luxurious (should that word even be in a ski review?), flowing turns on hard and soft groomers. It is supple and engaging in bumps with a bit of rise in the tip. It is easy to slide the tail when you need or want a shorter-than-advertised turn radius. Without any fresh snow (or any that even resembled what might have once been fresh), the 88 just ate up everything thrown its way with a quiet, silky confidence.

As with other Augment offerings, the AM88 is offered in a variety of flexes from 10 (soft but not really) to 1 (2x4? Ironman?). I skied the 10 and honestly couldn't see going below an 8 or 7 unless you're just a beast skier. This ski needs to be piloted by someone who has enough skill to appreciate what it offers and can fully understand what the premium price brings to the table.

Insider tip: For the pure carving junky, try the AM77. Every. Bit. As. Good. But narrower.​
Wade Holiday: FEEL. This word is such a key to differences in skis, and this ski has an exceptional feel! Just plain wow. No bells and whistles and marketing angles, just a very high quality blend of materials, craftsmanship, and solid understanding of how a ski works to create this thing of beauty. It had the best feel of any ski I’ve been on in a while. It will do anything asked of it: too much fun in the hard bumps, most calm of all at speeds beyond what I usually ski, and absolutely no surprises. The shape is pretty traditional, and with the 21m radius, minimal rise, and a standard tail, you have to bend it into shapes and ski it more traditionally.

Insider tip: The length felt true; compared to my reference skis, I liked the binding one click forward​
Admin tip: this was the most demanded ski of our test fleet, everyone wanted to be on it. These are skiers that can ski anything. That should tell you something.​
 
Awards
Who is it for?
Connoisseurs of fine products, traditionalists, people who like skis that always listen and don’t have their own agenda. This is an 88mm ski for racers, ex and current.
Who is it not for?
Those who want to be seen on a premium ski. Your money is better spent elsewhere. Those looking for newest marketing trends or trying to save a buck.
Skier ability
  1. Expert
Ski category
  1. Frontside
  2. All Mountain
Ski attributes
  1. Groomers
  2. Trees
Segment
  1. Men
  2. Women

Specifications

right ad
Available sizes
163, 171, 179, 187
Dimensions
126.5-88-112
Radius
21m@179cm
Rocker profile
  1. Full camber
Construction design
  1. New graphics
Binding options
  1. Flat
  2. System

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
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Nov 12, 2015
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Skied the 187 in an 8 flex... better zip up yer big boy pants. Can't begin to imagine a 5 or less flex unless I were aksel svindal, and I'm most certainly not. I'd love to try the 179 in a 7 or 8.
 

AlpedHuez

Chasing that Odermatt form
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Mar 4, 2020
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Oakland/Tahoe expat in London
Skied the 187 in an 8 flex... better zip up yer big boy pants. Can't begin to imagine a 5 or less flex unless I were aksel svindal, and I'm most certainly not. I'd love to try the 179 in a 7 or 8.
The UK rep got me a 179 5 flex which I haven't had the chance to take out yet. Anticipating something like turning my Brahmas up to 11 or 12.
 

scb

Booting up
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Feb 20, 2021
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38
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NYC
currently skiing on various stöckli Stormriders. 95s are my favorites. Also enjoyed the Laser AR when I tried them this year.

Intrigued by these. Love the SR95 because it just powers through whatever I give it at whatever speed I want. Seems like this is a Stormrider on steroids?

edit: what's the different between this and the "regular" AM88? I don't see both on their website
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Long Term Update: I got back on the AM88s after not skiing them for a about a year. I reread my initial review (see above) and it surprised me that I came up with the same phrases today. Silky. Luxurious. Flowing. I skied them in trees and beautiful soft bumps today, along with super groomers and it continued to impress with how it does so much, so well, and remains so planted, smooth, and damp. The tip on the 8 flex is soft enough to flex into the bumps without being wimpy on the groomers. The tail, while fairly flat, still slips through all but the tightest of gaps between bumps.

As @Philpug noted above, this ski rewards advanced and expert skiers who bring their A game. While it can be skied slowly and easily, it really comes alive as the MPH rise. It doesn't pull you into a turn like, say, a Renoun Z90 as much as it guides you into the turn and requests you just keep adding to the angle. In the bumps and trees it is easy to release the tails or tips as needed to negotiate the terrain.

I mentioned in my review of the AM98 that I thought I might prefer the AM88 as a daily driver in the Tahoe region. Today confirmed that thought. It's not necessarily that the AM88 is "better" than its wider stablemate, it's that my preference runs towards a narrower ski when I know there will be 50-50 or more groomer to off-piste and that's what I usually see. The beauty of the 88 is it has outstanding chops on both on and off-piste conditions, at least as long as the snow isn't too deep. I'd like to try that too but I'm not holding my breath seeing as how we're running out of snow season and entering the "hope it sticks around for a while" season.
IMG_6069.jpg

Not at critical edge angle yet but working on it!
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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Long term update: Like @Andy Mink's review above, I had not been on the AM 88 since February of 2020. The Augment AM 88 Ti that I skied on Sunday was a similar flex to the ski I was on last season. As noted in my original review, the tune and base structure out of the box is stellar. You can tell that @Augment Skis takes pride in their product.
imagejpeg_0-8.jpg

I had been skiing the AM 77 Ti for a bit so the radius of the 88 took me a run or two to get used to but then I shifted gears, realizing it has a bit bigger TR (18.5m @171 cm which is the length I was skiing), it also likes it when you show up and it rewards you when you engage it with confidence. After I took my warm up run, I found out that the speed limit of this ski is much faster than my personal speed limit, and it loves loves loves to chew up the off piste stashes and even encouraged me to ski one of Mt Rose's Chutes for my last run of the day which is usually when my legs are tired and seeking a groomer.
This is most definitely one of the best 88mm waisted skis on the market.

Words I'd use to describe this ski are smooth, confident, powerful, responsive, and smooth. Oops, did I say smooth twice?
 

markojp

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You getting new boots too? :popcorn: :beercheer:

(Just joking.... good luck Mike! )
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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My am77's arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing if this will be the ski for my exam in 2 weeks...
I'm pretty confident that you'll be pleased.
There are not many skis that I say can be skied out of the box but every Augment we've pulled out of the box have skied well.
 

scb

Booting up
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NYC
what's the difference between the am-88 and the am-88 ti? I don't see both on the Augment North America site
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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what's the difference between the am-88 and the am-88 ti? I don't see both on the Augment North America site
Just the Ti here for the states.
 

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