Featured Image: Matt Power
General Characteristics:
– Mostly sub-100-mm waist widths
– Ultra-durable materials to stand up to the abuse of park skiing
– Designed for those who spend all their time lapping the terrain park
1. Armada Edollo
At the forefront of freestyle skiing, Henrik Harlaut’s signature twigs are back on shelves heading into 2019. Dubbed the Edollo, these skis are “so buttery, I felt my arteries clogging,” explained Russell Wontor. That’s no surprise given their namesake’s signature style of skiing. A wider, 98 mm platform, updated flex pattern with a softer tail and ultra-thick steel edges and base construction make these park skis durable, playful, poppy and sturdy, simultaneously. All in all, these are a pair of “butterlicious skis that want to be pressed hard and often, and can still hang on the groomers,” said veteran tester Adrian Bouthot.
2. J Skis Allplay
Aptly named, the Allplay—from legendary ski builder Jason Levinthal—turns the entire mountain into a dreamland of jib-worthy terrain. These skis transition from carving on-piste to stomping landings in the park in a heartbeat. Here, J-Lev uses a pre-stretched carbon that offers lightweight strengthening and spring, while a maple wood core and sandwich sidewalls ensure you’re receiving an ideal combination of responsiveness, pop and torsional rigidity. “If you want to jib, surf and slide across a mountain face or in the terrain park, these are the skis for you,” confirmed online editor Sam Taggart. Go ahead, play all day on the Allplay.
3. Line Tom Wallisch Pro
One of the biggest names in the history of skiing, Tom Wallisch knows what he wants out of his skis: a durable, relatively stiff yet playful set of boards to stand up to the longest urban kink rails and the biggest terrain park features. “I really like the flex on this ski, and the way it skis through rails… a reliable ski from Line,” noted park tester Aidan Sheahan. “Great stiffness for hitting jumps but still playful on the rails,” said Sam Zahner. The latest TW Pro features a symmetrical flex pattern for simple switch skiing, a five-point radius for easy carving and effortless maneuvers and a wood core consisting of two full-length maple stringers surrounded by aspen for increased strength and durability.
4. Armada ARV 86
The completely redesigned Armada ARV 86 is constructed so you can press, butter and smear everything in sight, knowing you can hold an edge when necessary. The ski utilizes a combination of ash and poplar wood in the core; an updated, slightly wider nose and tail; and rockered tips and tails combined with camber underfoot. FREESKIER’s Gunter Jones described it as a “fun ski with nice pop, easy to maneuver and throw around, and holds an edge really well.” Complemented by stunning top-sheet graphics by MadSteez, these killer planks from Armada are sure to please any trick-oriented skier who clicks into ’em.
5. K2 Sight
Topping the charts in last year’s park category, the K2 Sight is back for another year of dominance. The K2 Sight was a crowd-pleaser thanks to a playful, poppy aspen wood core reinforced by a triaxial braided carbon insert for extra stiffness and explosiveness. Its symmetrical flex makes switch skiing a breeze, too. The Sight is an ideal option for the skier looking to boost out of the pipe one run, hit rails the next then weave through the trees at the end of the day. Park testing veteran Tae Westcott couldn’t help but notice that it had “the perfect swing weight,” while Aidan Sheahan commented that it’s a “smaller and quicker ski from K2—and it held a great edge, which made takeoffs fun and reliable.”
6. Fischer Nightstick
“Burley and poppy. Can rip it anywhere in the park,” said tester Mo Mitchell about the Fischer Nightstick. “Very stable, strong flexing ski, great for big hits,” added Russell Wonter. Fischer’s Nightstick is built with the biggest booters and the iciest, tallest halfpipe walls in mind. The ski offers a symmetrical shape for easy riding both forward and switch, allowing you to truly expand your bag of tricks. A sandwich sidewall construction, complemented by a full camber design ensures maximum energy transmission. Inside, poplar wood allows for weight savings, spring and dampening, while beech wood and a sheet of metal add to the ski’s torsional rigidity.
7. Line Honey Badger
As everyone knows, the Honey Badger is the most fearless animal in all of the animal kingdom. Well, these skis live up to that reputation, and won’t back down to any jump or jib in the park. Line employs an ultra-durable, ultra-lightweight construction that lets whoever is riding them tap, slide and boost anywhere they damn please. Trust that the ski’s layer of fiberglass woven in four directions across the top of the bamboo core, as well as pre-stretched carbon running down the center of the it, will provide the lightweight strengthening necessary to achieve your wildest dream tricks. “Stiff in the tails and flexy in the tips,” noted Aidan Sheahan. “It has a lightweight construction and skis well in the pipe—all around great ski!”
8. HEAD Frame Wall
A repeat offender in our annual best park ski rankings, HEAD’s Frame Wall is back in action in 2019, offering its riders a “fun, traditional park ski that holds a good edge for carving and is stiff and supportive,” according to Aidan Sheahan. Renowned for its rigidity and resilience, this ski utilizes a one-of-a-kind sidewall that covers the top sheet’s perimeter to reduce dings and delamination. Meanwhile, a sandwich construction, traditional camber and slight rocker in the tip and tail boost stability, deftness and confidence. In regard to the Frame Wall’s versatility, tester Drew Ingardia noted that it “loves to carve into turns and it was stable at high speeds.”
9. Völkl Revolt 86
Whether you hot lap the park every day or enjoy hitting the streets at night, the Revolt 86 is built to your liking. Utilizing the quality-driven mindset that’s made it a stand out ski manufacturer since its inception in 1923, Völkl created the Revolt 86 to be a workhorse: stiff, poppy and durable. A full camber profile with dense ash wood underfoot and carbon stringers that run the length of the ski give the Revolt incredible torsional rigidity without added weight. Poplar in the rest of the core boosts the ski’s energy and pop. To round it out, the ski’s near symmetrical tip and tail dimensions cater to those who enjoy switch takeoffs and landings.
