New Women's 2022 Armada 160cm Declivity 88 Skis Without Bindings (SY1569)

160cm sidecut: 128/88/110 radius: 16m This one will sneak right up on you. The use of carbon instead of metal over the past few years has not only gotten more popular, but also more effective. Ski companies have simply gotten better and more sophisticated in their use of the stiff and light material, and Armada has caught right up. The Armada Declivity 88 C is a twin of the women’s Reliance 88 C, and this thing is about as quick and energetic as they come. There are a lot of strong, metal-laminated skis in the 88 mm waist width, and while that’s an important section of skis to be sure, there aren’t a lot of top performers in this shape without metal, so the Declivity 88 C is stepping into a strong position to differentiate itself and offer something different than a Kendo, Brahma, or Enforcer may be able to. Built with a caruba wood core and carbon stringers that run the length of the ski, the Armada Declivity 88 C has a surprising about of power and energy to it, at a light weight, and with an appropriate amount of versatility built in. In the 176 cm length, the skis generate a 17.2-meter turn radius, so these mid-range carvers have the ability to be both held in an arc as well as thrown sideways. It’s this type of behavior that will really make the 88 C stand out amongst its peers. Our testers felt pretty darn good about this ski, with many of them noting being pleasantly surprised at the performance level.