Elan is Back in Black... again

[locknload]

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Yes, I think the black is pretty cool looking. I considered maybe the current green because some reviewers state these the 2020 black are pretty close to the current green ones but slightly stiffer and damper. For me, for maybe 50 bucks more? I opted to pull the trigger on the "cool" looking black ones. Cant wait to try them in a few more days still

I'm with you, Larry. I'm not sure you will ever not like looking down at those things especially as you enjoy skiing them. Ski Essentials are great and their reviews. A lot of comparisons to the Enforcer 104 Free at least for the wider Ripstick black...and there are a lot of similarities between the skis. I have the 104 Free and absolutely love them so I really don't need a similar pair but, man, are they cool and the playful nature of them sounds fun too.

 

[justaute]

The 2022 Ripstick 96 BE 188/184 is ready for Snowbird/Alta tomorrow. Just got the bindings mounted by 7even Skis in SLC.

 

[Larry]

The 2022 Ripstick 96 BE 188/184 is ready for Snowbird/Alta tomorrow. Just got the bindings mounted by 7even Skis in SLC. View attachment 131602

Awesome, I just got my 174/173 waxed tonight. Finally get to ski them on Monday

 

[tazdevl]

The 2022 Ripstick 96 BE 188/184 is ready for Snowbird/Alta tomorrow. Just got the bindings mounted by 7even Skis in SLC. View attachment 131602

So jealous. Elan needs to push out stumpy sizes so I can snag the 96 and 106 Blacks.

 

[justaute]

Awesome, I just got my 174/173 waxed tonight. Finally get to ski them on Monday

Well, @Larry , my R96BE did a fantastic job at Snowbird/Alta yesterday. In the early morning, when the snow was still hard/icy, the R96BE held its edge quite well down steeps given its waist size. Then, after some softening, it surfed pretty well. And, given my 6'1"/210lbs size, the R96BE did not feel too soft, I pushed it quite a bit on steeps and it did its job....a job very well done.

 

[Larry]

Well, @Larry , my R96BE did a fantastic job at Snowbird/Alta yesterday. In the early morning, when the snow was still hard/icy, the R96BE held its edges quite well down steeps given its waist size. Then, after some softening, it surfed pretty well. And, given my 6'1"/210lbs size, the R96BE did not feel too soft, I pushed it quite a bit on steeps and it did its job....a job very well done.

Thanks for the review. I was going to post my thoughts too. I just finished day 1 at Mammoth.

I have almost the exact same take as you!!
It was very hard packed in the morning on some runs. They help an edge ok for their width. Nothing great but not bad.

It took me basically NO time to dial them in. These skis are very easy to ski from the get go. These do feel like an 88 Carver but the handled the soft slushy stuff too with ease.

Like most people say that these do rip very easy but plenty of balance. I did notice tip chatter but nothing that would cause me any concern.

Overall, awesome skis and like many people say; they are just plain FUN to ski

 

[Larry]

Skied day 2 on these skis. I've only skied about 10 modern(shaped) skis but I can easily say these are the best skis I've ever been on.

For such a light weight ski, these things are so easy and fun to ski. Maybe not the greatest at one thing but a jack of trades for most types of skiing.

Again, this is for the 2020 black version.

 

[Evan's Dad]

Thanks for the feedback! What other skis do you own and how do they compare? What kind of terrain did you ski with them and what were they best at? Thanks again!

 

[Fleece82]

Skied day 2 on these skis. I've only skied about 10 modern(shaped) skis but I can easily say these are the best skis I've ever been on.

For such a light weight ski, these things are so easy and fun to ski. Maybe not the greatest at one thing but a jack of trades for most types of skiing.

Again, this is for the 2020 black version.

You should ski the 2022! 2020's with a hefty dose of testosterone! Esp in the carving and edge grip dept!

 

[Larry]

Thanks for the feedback! What other skis do you own and how do they compare? What kind of terrain did you ski with them and what were they best at? Thanks again!

I've only skied a few different skis but the closest skis I have to the RS is my blizzard bushwacker which is 88 wide.

On hard packed
BB: 8
RS: 7

On carving(turning)
BB: 8
RS: 10

On soft snow/crud
BB: 8
RS: 9

On pure speed
BB: 8
RS: 9

Tips flapping
BB: 9
RS: 8

Pure fun to ski
BB: 8
RS: 10

On basing this on 2 days of skiing the RS. They ski ok on very icy conditions but I didnt buy them to be a pure Carver. I actually bought a line sick day 95 3 years ago which I was hoping would be the RS but they're not. I would give the LSD 95 1 point less than BB except for carving which would be 2 points less point than the RS.

The RS are just fun to ski. I made a good pur chase w/o even demoing them..

 

[Larry]

You should ski the 2022! 2020's with a hefty dose of testosterone! Esp in the carving and edge grip dept!

I was deciding between the two. I dont need a pure Carver so I wasnt sure if a stiffer ski was needed for me. I'm barely 150 so I wanted a ski that was slightly stiff but have enough flex for my light weight frame.

So far, I'm pretty happy with the 2020 version

 

[East Coast Scott]

You should ski the 2022! 2020's with a hefty dose of testosterone! Esp in the carving and edge grip dept!

Do you feel the new 2022 version is stiffer than the past years? I weigh around 230lbs so I want something fun but not too soft for my weight. I have the Volkl RTM 81 and Head Kore 99 which are both a stiff ski. I'm looking for a playful ski in the mid 80's but I can still carve on. I don't carve at very high speeds. I had my mind made up on the Enforcer 88 or Kendo 88 but now not so sure.

 

[Fleece82]

Do you feel the new 2022 version is stiffer than the past years? I weigh around 230lbs so I want something fun but not too soft for my weight. I have the Völkl RTM 81 and Head Kore 99 which are both a stiff ski. I'm looking for a playful ski in the mid 80's but I can still carve on. I don't carve at very high speeds. I had my mind made up on the Enforcer 88 or Kendo 88 but now not so sure.

The 2022 is stiffer but in the right places. Still very flexible. Much more flexible than the Kore series which are really stiff. I could barely hand flex a Kore where hand flexing the RS Black is not a problem. I enjoyed skiing the Kore but the RS black is better in all areas. Esp carving, edge grip, flexibility and overall fun factor.

Elan worked their magic. They have added the carbon on the 2022 in a way that allows it to really take its carving ability to another level but remain flexible for all mountain fun! It's truly and amazing ski for a do it all east coast ski IMO. Don't regret the purchase at all!

At your weight, not sure height. I think the 180/188 would be a great option unless u are truly charging as hard as possible at bear league racer speeds. The review on ski essentials addresses this exact question of their ability to handle larger skiers and aggressive skiing.

As a reference I'm 5'11 195lbs. I ski aggressive and hit speeds in the 50's regularly when trails are open. Never once did I feel like I came close to over powering these skis.

 

[East Coast Scott]

The 2022 is stiffer but in the right places. Still very flexible. Much more flexible than the Kore series which are really stiff. I could barely hand flex a Kore where hand flexing the RS Black is not a problem. I enjoyed skiing the Kore but the RS black is better in all areas. Esp carving, edge grip, flexibility and overall fun factor.

Elan worked their magic. They have added the carbon on the 2022 in a way that allows it to really take its carving ability to another level but remain flexible for all mountain fun! It's truly and amazing ski for a do it all east coast ski IMO. Don't regret the purchase at all!

At your weight, not sure height. I think the 180/188 would be a great option unless u are truly charging as hard as possible at bear league racer speeds. The review on ski essentials addresses this exact question of their ability to handle larger skiers and aggressive skiing.

As a reference I'm 5'11 195lbs. I ski aggressive and hit speeds in the 50's regularly when trails are open. Never once did I feel like I came close to over powering these skis.

Thanks for your reply. I see they don't offer a black edition in the 88, maybe they will in the future. It looks like the 2022 edition they did add some extra carbon fiber on the inside edges. I'll be curious to see what skiessentials say when they test the 2022 Ripstick 88. Thanks again.

Edit: I guess the 2021 Ripstick has the carbon reinforcement also, maybe some sites are calling it a 2021 and some a 2022? Looks like the same ski.

 

[Fleece82]

Th

Thanks for your reply. I see they don't offer a black edition in the 88, maybe they will in the future. It looks like the 2022 edition they did add some extra carbon fiber on the inside edges. I'll be curious to see what skiessentials say when they test the 2022 Ripstick 88. Thanks again.

Edit: I guess the 2021 Ripstick has the carbon reinforcement also, maybe some sites are calling it a 2021 and some a 2022? Looks like the same ski.

The 21 ripstick is essentially the 2020 black edition. The 2022 black edition has additional carbon "tubes". Ski essentials review goes in depth with the difference/addition. Would love to see them do a Wingman black edition. That would be a frontside ripper!

 

[tazdevl]

Thanks for your reply. I see they don't offer a black edition in the 88, maybe they will in the future. It looks like the 2022 edition they did add some extra carbon fiber on the inside edges. I'll be curious to see what skiessentials say when they test the 2022 Ripstick 88. Thanks again.

Edit: I guess the 2021 Ripstick has the carbon reinforcement also, maybe some sites are calling it a 2021 and some a 2022? Looks like the same ski.

afaik, the 2022 88 is unchanged from the 2021. I have the 2021 88. Spent 90% of my time on it this season in CO and it served me well. Wide shovel provides a surprising amount of float for a narrower (western) ski, great edge grip, stable at speed for me (175lbs), quick edge to edge, just a lot of fun. Probably one of the most fun skis I’ve ever owned.

My only complaint is the Elan edges seem to rust up faster than any other ski I’ve owned and the top sheet scratches stupid easy. I’ve sent a couple emails in and hope to see some changes there next (next) season.

No 88 black. They’ve never done one. Dimensionally if you look at the difference between the 88 and 96, especially in the shorter sizes, there isn’t much diff between the skis. Though if they did, 88 and 106 black, skipping the 96, would be a great quiver combo depending on where you lived.

Skiessentials has YT video and written reviews of the 2021 88, 2022 96 and 106 black up, which includes some hand flexing. Worth a few mins of your time to check out imo.

 

[In2h2o]

I can't speak to the Black 96 but @elemmac and I both got on the Black Wildcat and were blown away by it.

@Trica curious what size you and @elemmac demo'd for the Black Wildcat - and thoughts on its potential also for light off piste/ tree duty ....