Review: 2027 Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition
There’s skis that literally everyone talks about, and then there’s skis that quietly fly under the radar but offer wildly good performance for the discerning skier. Elan’s Ripstick line definitely falls into the latter category, and the Slovenian ski manufacturer even offers a higher-performance version of the line under the Black Edition moniker. Think of it like the RS-series version of a 4-door Audi family sedan—same body, same sleeper styling, but a much more powerful engine and better handling.
The Ripstick 96 Black Edition is exactly that: a sleeper amongst a crowded field of high-performance all-mountain skis. It’s on-piste performance is very European (read: excellent), but it packs a punch in cut-up snow, bumps, and steep terrain. The Black Edition version gets extra carbon, some added stiffness, and retains the brand’s signature Amphibio Rocker technology.
Max Ritter
2027 Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition Specs
- Size skied: 175cm, 182cm
- Lengths available: 161cm, 168cm, 175cm, 182cm, 189cm
- Sidecut: 133mm – 96mm – 114mm
- Radius: 17.8m (182cm)
- Profile: Amphibio Rocker
- Weight: 1640 (182cm)
Shape, Flex and Construction
Like all of Elan’s Ripsticks, the Ripstick 96 Black Edition relies heavily on carbon fiber inside to create a very unique ride quality. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Elan has figured it out when it comes to using loads of carbon fiber in a ski. For years, it was a tradeoff between saving weight and introducing unwanted amounts of chatter into a ski. Here, Elan uses their “Carbon Deck” tech, meaning a combo of carbon tubes in the core and uni-directional carbon layers underfoot. Up front, there’s a sheet of flax fiber to additionally quiet things down. That all adds up to very light ski, but not one that just gets tossed around. The Black Edition simply adds more of the carbon layer for some added stiffness and little extra muscle.
The directional shape features squared-off tips and tails, a touch of tip rocker and a slightly turned up tail. That’s paired with a medium/short 17.8-meter turn radius and a fairly stiff but very round flex—meaning the tips and tails are a bit softer and smoothly transition to a very stiff flex underfoot.
Finally, Elan’s Amphibio tech is worth mentioning. In a nutshell, it’s a special rocker profile where the inside and outside edges of the ski follow slightly different rocker profiles, meaning that there is, in fact, a dedicated left and right ski. That might throw some skiers off, but it’s technology that works quite well. It allows your outside ski to track a slightly wider turn when on edge, preventing your tips from crossing and making turns feel even more natural, especially at high speeds.
Izzy Lidsky
On-Snow Performance
The first word that comes to mind when describing the Ripstick 96 Black Edition is “energetic,” followed by “smooth.” The funny thing is, those don’t often go together. When a ski gets too damp, it’s really smooth—but that comes at the cost of a lively, energetic ride feel. Somehow, Elan manages to capture both in this ski.
On piste, the Ripstick 96 Black Edition feels like a finely-tuned race car. The responsiveness is impressive, with loads of rebound out of a turn that pushes you directly into the next one. It’s fun to really push into the sidecut of these, knowing they’ll spring back and set you up perfectly for the following turn.
In bumps and more technical terrain, that energy translates to being able to load the ski’s tails through compressions and bounce over uneven snow. Tester Liz Schwab says, “Once I figured it out, it’s a blast of a ski! Super quick edge to edge.”
The narrower waist width quickly finds its limit in deeper snow, but for those 2-5 inch mornings that quickly turn into a chopped-up mess, the Ripstick 96 Black Edition can definitely hang.
Comparisons
Two skis stand out that the Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition reminds me of. First is perhaps one of the most popular all-mountain skis of the year, the Salomon QST 100. On snow, these ski VERY similarly, though they are quite different on the inside. Where Elan leans heavily into carbon construction, Salomon goes with the tried-and-true wood core with damping fibers/cork to quiet things down. Two means to the same end: a quiet ski that excels at all speeds on groomers, and is damp enough to be very fun off-piste. The Elan takes the win in all-out groomer performance, where the QST 100 offers a touch more versatility.
On the other hand, Stöckli’s Stormrider 95 might share a similar waist-width, but these are very different animals. The Stöckli is a race ski disguised as an all-mountain ski, with heavy metal construction and a super-stiff flex. It will make folks looking for high-speed precision on firm snow much happier, but the Elan is way more versatile and fun in a variety of conditions.
Izzy Lidsky
What type of skier is the 2027 Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition best for?
Elan’s Ripstick 96 Black Edition is a ski that makes a lot of sense for a wider variety of skiers than most. Sure, it might not have the sex appeal of some bigger brands, but the super-energetic on-piste performance will cater to everyone from ten-day-a-year vacation skiers to hard-charging resort locals looking for a daily driver. In the words of ski patroller and tester Liz Schwab: “This will make everyone from ex-racers to ski school instructors happy. It has a rental reputation, but what a bummer to miss this ski.”
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