ARMADA's 21-22 recommended skis | Professional reviews and ratings

Armada has a wide range of players, from park skiers to backcountry skiers.
The brand was established in 2002 in California, USA by skiers such as Tanner Hall and the late JP Eau Claire who were active with the rise of free skiing.

Because park skiing is the origin of the brand, many of the riders are still active in the park or are from the park.
Riders who are active in the backcountry are not only skiing down the mountain, but also specialize in a ski style that mixes jumps and tricks. At the time, they were mainly focused on men's park skis, but now they offer a wide range of lineups, such as the slip-focused "Dicrivity" and the unisex "ARW," to entertain free skiers.

With the lineup increasing, there must be many people who don't know how to choose, or are wondering which one suits them. So, this time, I would like to introduce three recommended books selected by the editorial department.

1_ ARV 116 JJ UL

This board is an evolutionary model of the JJ that was created in 2010 to fulfill the desire of riders who wanted to be able to perform tricks in the backcountry just like in the park and move freely. In the first place, the ARV JJ is a rocker fat ski, but it has a finish that overturns the concept of a rocker in that it is easy to slide on the slopes and has excellent running performance. It was accepted not only by riders but also by general skiers and boasted explosive popularity.

ARV 116 JJ UL which is the evolution model. UL means "ultra light", and the word "ultra light" literally means light.

The material used for manufacturing is not much different from the ARV JJ, but the rocker is shallower, the camber part is extended, and the outline is finely adjusted. As a result, the point of contact with the snow has become longer, making it easier to slide in various scenes and easier to handle for people of a wide range of levels.

And by thinning the core material, we have achieved a surprising weight reduction of about 500g per leg. It is about 20% lighter than the normal JJ. However, the sidewall underfoot is strongly reinforced. Instead of making it lighter overall, the part where force is applied is a sturdy design. I would like to add that this improvement would not be possible without Armada's high technical capabilities.

The ARV JJ was originally designed to enable park-like movement even in powder, so the swing weight is light even in fresh snow, and it is effective in small turns.
In addition, the top is made thin so that it is light, so one of the features is that the tip of the board floats when it receives powder. It became the board which adapted to the touring because it became light.
It is suitable for walking and climbing without impairing the gliding performance, so it can be recommended for tour beginners. It is such a versatile rocker ski that expands the situation of skiing if you have one.

Eigo Higuchi's ARV 116 JJ UL review and rating

"The ride quality is just the best. Once you ride it in powder, you can't let it go. I'm using a 185 cm, but I can't feel the length even in places like tree runs that require detailed operation. You can fly around like a park board, and the long effective edge makes for a stable landing. Carving is fun and you can do many things with this one.”

2_EDOLLO

Edollo is the successor to Henrik Harlow's signature model "Aldente" that appeared in the 14th season.
EDOLLO comes from Henrik's nickname. Henrik from Sweden is now one of the leading skaters of the Armada brand.

What kind of skier is Henrik Harlow?

While competing for gold medals in Big Air Slopestyle at the Olympics and X GAMES in competition, he continues to energetically create video works. It is a unique presence in the ski world that incorporates elements of street culture into its ski style, such as the style of wrapping a bandana around a large size wear, while maintaining high technical skills.

Henrik's signature model Edollo was introduced in the 15th season with a name change from Ardente.

The length of the sidewall is designed to be 50% of the length of the entire board, and although it was a board with a soft flex, the sidewall was changed to 75 to match the situation where it is used hard, such as participating in competitions and shooting on the street. It was stretched to 100% and improved into a sturdy board. Along with this, the flex and torsion became stronger, and it became a board that can slide powerfully even on slopes and uncompacted snow.

Nevertheless, the nose rocker is adopted so that Henrik's specialty, nose butter tricks, can be easily performed. The camber from the foot to the tail provides a high sense of stability when jumping and landing. It is a ski that has high running performance not only for slopes and uncompacted snow slopes, but also for tricks in the park, backcountry and jumping.

Also, I would like to pay attention to graphics this season. Until now, EDOLLO has stuck to the design of flashy illustrations with a yokai motif, but this year it has a simple design reminiscent of the Tanner Hall signature model in the early days of Armada.

The Beijing Olympics will also be held this season, and it will be a competitive year for Henrik. Together with Tanner Hall, who is his teacher and a good big brother, he has a strong desire to perform on the big stage once every four years.

Yoshiya Urata's EDOLLO Reviews and Ratings

"Although it is a park board, it has excellent performance for normal skiing, so I use it for free running as a pre-season warm-up, and the center width is 98mm, so I use it for powder days and spring parks. Features It's a rocker ski with a wide top, which makes it easy to do tricks on the nose.The feeling of operation and riding feel.The board itself is also light, so I like that I can do tricks smoothly with the jib and kicker.Not only on the slopes. It's used on rough terrain and natural terrain, so the wide and stable board gives me the impression that it's easy to control even at high speed."

3_BDOG

The BDOG is the signature model of Canadian skier Phil Casabon, who is also a veteran Armada rider. Like Henrik, BDOG is Phil's nickname. Henrik and I are on good terms like brothers, and have created a number of video works as a unit called "B&E".

What kind of skier is Phil Casabon?

In contrast to Henrik, who also participates in competitions, Phil is particular about exploring his own skiing style and expressing it in videos and photographs. It is no exaggeration to say that his commitment has expanded the possibilities of freeskiing by devising various new tricks that are not bound by existing concepts from original skiing. Like Henrik, he is unique in the ski world.

Armada's softest flex board with rocker in the nose and tail. The specifications are optimized for fills that repeatedly perform ground tricks such as butter tricks. The sidewall is shorter than EDOLLO, making it a ski that is relatively easy for anyone to handle. At the same time, a tough poplar ash core is used as the core material so that it can withstand the weight of the nose press and tail press that puts the entire weight on the board.

And the biggest feature of BDOG is that the nose and tail have the same flex and almost the same shape.
Normally skis tend to slide forward, so the tail is cambered and gently tapered to reduce drag, but Phil's board is different. The tail has a rounded Tsuchinoko-like shape like the nose so that it can slide, jump, and perform ground tricks in the switch as well as in the regular stance. This BDOG is a board that is lightweight and has a soft flex so that it is easy to handle with a small turn and you can freely manipulate fine tricks.
If you're an introduction to freeskiing, or want to learn a lot of ground tricks like butters and ollies, this board is the right choice.

"Basically, it's a board that I ride from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. I use it on the slopes and on the streets. As long as it's not deep snow, I can ski in a variety of places with just one BDOG. It
board with a soft flex , It's a board that can be ridden all-round from shallow powder to rough terrain and hard bars.Especially in the park, the appeal of the board is clearly visible in the jib and the terrain.It is easy to do prestricks on the terrain, and the sturdy board makes it easy to ride in the jib.・It can withstand impacts even when you are out.

Kento Isokawa's B DOG Reviews and Ratings

"Basically, it's a board that I ride from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. I use it on the slopes as well as on the street. As long as it's not deep snow, I can ski in a variety of places with just one BDOG. The
flex is soft, but It's a board that can be ridden all-round, from shallow powder to rough terrain and hard terrain.In the park, the board's appeal is clearly evident, especially in jibs and terrain.It's easy to do prestricks on terrain, and it's a sturdy board, so it can be used inside a jib. It can withstand impacts even when you are out.