Curious About Carving but Still Love the Bumps? Elan Developed a Ski That Can Do Both

While I’ve learned to never judge a book by its cover, or a ski by its topsheet, when I first picked up Elan’s Ripstick 102, I’d be lying if I said that I thought it looked cool. But within just a few turns on it, I knew I wouldn’t want to stop skiing it. 

Built with input from freeskiing legend Glen Plake, the Ripstick series has been a part of Slovenian brand Elan’s lineup for the better part of a decade now, but it’s quietly flown under the radar for many skiers. That’s a bit of a bummer, because these are quite possibly some of the most approachable and fun directional all-mountain skis I’ve ever been on.

Elan’s Ripstick 102 is an absolute sleeper agent in the crowded all-mountain category, impressively blending attributes of hard-snow specific skis and off-piste chargers, all in a shockingly low weight. The fairly traditional-looking shape harbors some subtle design features (the skis are asymmetrically rockered, more on that below), and while it’s marketed as a resort ski, it can easily do double duty in the backcountry thanks to its weight, versatile shape, and flat tail with skin clip cutouts.

View the 3 images of this gallery on the
original article

2027 Elan Ripstick 102 Specs

• Size skied: 168cm, 182cm
• Lengths available: 161cm, 168cm, 175cm, 182cm, 189cm
• Sidecut: 138mm – 102mm – 118mm (182cm)
• Radius: 18.8m (182cm)
• Profile: Amphibio Rocker
• Weight: 1720g (182cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

On the surface, Elan’s Ripstick 102 looks like your run-of-the-mill directional all-mountain ski. Call it a dad ski if you will. Dig a little deeper, however, and the shape hides some really cool and unique design features. The squared-off tips pair an extended taper with long and low rocker lines in the front half of the ski that, upon closer inspection, reveal themselves to be asymmetric. Huh, you might ask? Elan builds in their “Amphibio Technology,” which brings the inside edge contact point a little closer to the front of the ski than the outside to improve edge grip and prevent your skis from crossing. Yes, that means that there are left- and right-specific skis, and no, you won’t die if you switch them. 

The ski tails are mostly flat, with a slight upturn and taper points very close to the end of the ski. 

Diving into the flex, the Ripstick 102 falls on the softer end of the spectrum, but thanks to carbon rods built into the core, the ski feels incredibly energetic, with a snappy rebound and really impressive amounts of pop. That means it won’t plow as well as a heavier ski with loads of metal, but will allow you to ski much more actively.

Inside, Elan really leans into using creative materials, with Flax fibers near the tip to prevent vibration, as well as carbon rods and unidirectional carbon bands in the core to fine-tune torsional stability and keep the weight down.

On-Snow Performance

Let’s put it this way: When it comes to creating a fun and versatile all-mountain ski, Elan absolutely understood the assignment with the Ripstick 102. While the ski isn’t really a looker—well, that depends on your taste—the performance of the ski speaks for itself. This one really outpaces its competitors when it comes to both ripping groomers and cruising through soft chop, windbuff, and other off-piste conditions you might find at most resorts. 

The first word I’d use to describe the ski is “responsive,” followed by “forgiving.” Interestingly, I’ve found that these two attributes don’t typically go together in a ski, but somehow, it works on the Ripstick. The Ripstick 102 feels impressively nimble, with edge grip akin to a much heavier and stiffer ski. Generally, skis this light and soft won’t grip firm snow as well at high speeds, but I found the Ripstick to not just provide a true “on-rails” feeling on firm groomers, but also feature the responsiveness of an expensive sports car or a skinny carving ski. 

“I tested this ski on pretty firm re-frozen groomers in flat light. I loved that I could ski hard and trust it. All the runs felt the same. It was like Groundhog Day at Targhee,” one tester said.

Take it off piste, however, and the vibe changes dramatically. Gone is that more serious “on-rails” feeling, replaced by a loose, pivot-y and slashy feeling that still holds up at speed. 

“I found that the Ripstick had this ‘goofy’ or ‘silly’ energy to it that I really liked,” another tester said. “It encourages you to mix up your turn shapes, make hop turns, and throw slashes wherever you see fit.”

What about that asymmetric Amphibio Technology? It’s not just mumbo-jumbo. The left and right skis feature different rocker profiles for the inside and outside edges of each, making each ski track slightly differently when on edge. That lets you drive the downhill ski and have your inside ski just follow along. On snow, that allows the skis to make really predictable and powerful turns without feeling hooky or weird, especially in variable snow.

Comparisons

Mid-100-waisted freeride skis are a dime a dozen these days, so there’s plenty to draw a comparison to with the Elan Ripstick 102. We’ll stick with two skis you’ll probably recognize: the Salomon QST 100 and the Dynastar M-Free 100.

Compared to the Salomon QST 100, we’re dealing with a REALLY similar vibe here. Both are incredibly easy to ski on hardpack and in variable snow, making them excellent choices for a variety of ability levels, from intermediate skiers looking to cruise around the mountain to expert skiers looking for a fun and versatile everyday ski. Where does Elan win? Off-piste, particularly in deeper snow.

Looking at the Dynastar M-Free 100, these skis share similar shapes and intentions, but the Dynastar feels much more “serious.” The Elan is a bit lighter, softer flexing, and fun at slow speed, whereas the M-Free 100 better caters to more aggressive skiers.

To note, Elan’s Ripstick 102 is also available in a stiffer and slightly heavier Black Edition (essentially a Glen Plake pro-model ski) that adds some additional carbon into the construction to beef up the ski. 

What Type of Skier Is the Elan Ripstick 102 Best For? 

Invite a bunch of millennial and zillenial skiers to a gear test, and odds are good they’ll lust over the brands with a bit more “freeskiing” cache. We came of age during the apex of noodle-y and rockered fat skis, after all, so our tastes were cemented young. Elan, on the other hand, has that less exciting “dad ski” energy.

You know what, though? The Ripstick 102s were a hit. They’re buttoned up but also plenty lively, satisfying our testers who tended to prefer jibbier skis. Their great-for-their-width groomer performance is good enough that they could even be considered a gateway drug: once you try the Ripsticks, you might find yourself lusting after some even narrower carvers. 

That’s all to say that plenty of skiers would get along with the Ripstick 102s, from carving curious former freeriders to, yes, dads who prefer that their all-mountains can also rail a turn on-piste. 

It’s not a freestyle ski by any means, but it’s extremely poppy and energetic while offering a very forgiving ride off-piste, excelling in windbuff, dust-on-crust, and otherwise questionable conditions.

Looking for a reliable ski to rip Mammoth windbuff, steep north-facing Grand Targhee chalk, or cruise around the Colorado high country days after a storm? This one fits the bill.