Armada Ski Reviews

It is no mystery that Armada has created a name for themselves as the premier freestyle ski company within the skiing community. If the meaning of the word Armada, which literally means “armed forces” doesn’t convince you maybe the company’s arsenal of pro riders will. The team boasts names such as Tanner Hall, JP Auclair and Jacob Wester to name a few.

Okay, so they have some big names riding for them but what is it about Armada Skis that make them so damn killer? Armada has a few construction characteristics which have really given them a one up in the ski industry and helped to make their product truly unique. To start, some of Armada’s skis come with what Armada calls the AR 50 sidewall which can be found on all mountain park skis such as the AR7. The AR 50 sidewall is a vertical sidewall located under the boot sole which extends towards the tip and tail of the ski, giving the ski more girth where the majority of pressure and weight is applied to the ski. Before reaching the ends of the ski, the vertical sidewall tapers into a cap construction. This helps cut down on swing weight, perfect for throwing spins. The T-Hall is another Armada ski which is more park oriented but still contains AR 50 construction.

Armada also has a few skis in their lineup which have been inspired by World Cup race skis. The Pipe Cleaner is one of these skis which contain characteristics of a race ski such as a full vertical sidewall, classic camber and a race base. The full vertical sidewall adds to the torsional rigidity of the ski which means it will prevail on hard pack conditions and in the half pipe, hence its name. The Pipe Cleaner also uses a classic race base which means the base needs more maintenance but will result in higher speeds, a serious plus when pumping the transition can mean so much in terms of amplitude in the half pipe. Armada uses another base for their park oriented skis called the S7 base. This base is more porous and will initially need a lot more wax than the race base but will withstand the impact of rails over time. Armada makes a ski similarly constructed to the Pipe Cleaner called the ARV. The ARV is 10mm wider underfoot and just a touch softer but contains those same World Cup inspired construction aspects.

Freestyle skis have the characteristic of being soft and forgiving but this does not mean a skier has to sacrifice stability and energy. Armada runs Carbon stringers lengthwise in their skis to achieve the stability and energy today’s freestyle skiers demand. The addition of these stingers helps to broaden the sweet spot for landing and also adds to the pop (energy) within the ski.

Set your sails and Prepare for battle, step up your freestyle game and snatch up the Armada which best suites your arsenal today.

Armada Ski Reviews aka Bottom Line: Legendary freestyle construction.