Gear Reviews

2024-2025 Armada ARV 100 Review

Bring it back to the roots.

The Armada ARV and ARW family are staples in the all-mountain freestyle category. Armada set out to make freestyle skis that have the versatility to ski the whole mountain. Over the years, they’ve gotten progressively stiffer and more refined for all-mountain conditions. This year, Armada revamps the narrower models and releases three new skis, the ARV 100, 94, and 88. Each one slightly tuned for different conditions, the new models turn the focus back on freestyle fun.

annabelle c skis the armada arv 100
Annabelle C. slashing up a groomer in the afternoon. | Photo: Casey Day

Armada ARV 100 Review: Field Notes

We skied the ARV family first at our Powder7 Ski Test at the end of March. Conditions were bonafide all-mountain with refrozen trails in the morning, some soft snow from overnight, and slushy bumps. The perfect conditions to put this ski through the ringer. We collected loads of feedback from other staffers and testers, so you’ll see those comments throughout the review.

armada arv 100 review
2024-2025 Armada ARV 100 graphics

The new ARV 100 (and ARW 100, which share an identical construction in different graphics) comes with a new shape and construction. The flex is fairly soft, with a pretty consistent flex throughout the midsection of the ski, with softer tips and tails. The tip and tail feature a fairly symmetrical twin-tip shape (with rocker that’s deep, but not too deep) along with a very healthy amount of splay. There’s a good amount of taper, but not quite as dramatic as the Salomon QST 98 or DPS Kaizen 100. On paper, that adds up to a great shape that’s very balanced. In theory, maneuverable, with tails that are very easy to release.

The big story with these ARV skis is w3dgewall. Just like it sounds, w3dgewall replaces a traditional bar-style sidewall with a wedge shape. By wedging the sidewall into the core of the ski, you get increased strength, durability, and edge hold at a fraction of the weight. That means this ski is easier to swing around in the air, through tight terrain, and feels more lively.

A new update with the 24/25 model is Armada swapped the caruba core for a poplar one, which gives it a little more “oomph” and a more consistent flex without adding too much weight.

Side profile of the Armada ARV 100.

Groomers

This is where the w3dgewall tech really shines. This ski carves so well for the width and weight. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a good carver in its own right. It feels quite quick underfoot for a 100mm ski and never felt hooky. The edge hold feels predictable and reliable even on firmer snow. The moderated rocker really helps with this edge hold. You don’t feel the ski wash out beneath you on turns, and you have plenty of camber underfoot to lock into the snow beneath you. Considering everything else that this ski does well (more on that below), the carving capabilities are impressive.

Something I really enjoyed was the ride’s consistency between snow conditions. This was really noticeable at the end of the day, when parts of the trails were skied up and some areas had small patches of snow. You could transition seamlessly from crusty, firm patches, to softer drifted patches without blinking an eye.

It certainly doesn’t have the power or dampness of a ski with metal in it. But, that’s not what you’re looking for in a ski like this, is it? If you love to tackle the fall line and ski with an aggressive, directional style, you probably won’t find quite enough support with this ski. But, if skiing groomers is about party laps with the pals, skiing switch, and finding all the kickers you can while still feeling confident, this will suit you well.

Kyra: For a lighterweight playful ski, it was totally stable. It held a solid edge while still being pivot-y and fun!

ARV 100 in bumps for review
I enjoyed taking some nice, swivel turns through bumps and trees on the ARV 100. | Photo: Casey Day

Bumps and Trees

As you might expect, this ski is very fun in bumps. It’s quick, responsive, and easy to whip around. The intuitive turning we found on trail translates easily off trail. The ski feels light in the air and encourages a playful and dynamic approach to skiing bumps and trees. You can handily transfer bumps, or take tight zipper lines. But, just like on trail, the ARV 100 feels stable and confidence inspiring even when snow is questionable or you pick up speed. I loved how I could blend quick snappy pivots with longer, faster turns. This ski gives you the ability to quickly change a line and play with turn shapes.

This ski rips tight tree lines and helps you feel like you can dial up the speed, while feeling confident you can take a fast turn when you need to. The softer flex also makes this ski comfortable at slower speeds. Perfect if you’re more cautious off trail, or if you’re still building confidence and newer to this terrain.

I really liked the width in this terrain. The ski’s shape and construction feels snappy and responsive for the width, but the extra platform provides extra support and stability when dealing with variable snow in the trees or bumps.

This ski doesn’t feel quite as damp and planted as the Salomon QST 98 mentioned above, but it does feel more centered and more pivot-y. It’s also not quite as charge-y as the new Line Chronic 101, but has more energy and liveliness. The caruba wood core is incredibly poppy, and easy to press and butter.

Sara: Playful and energetic in the trees and bumps. The tails are super soft and provide a lot of bounce and pop in tight places or off of kickers

Mixed Snow and Powder

Where the narrower ARVs have a more specific focus on all-mountain freestyle, the ARV 100 gives you more versatility for other snow conditions. So how does it hold up? Well. Very well. We found some nice wind buff and soft snow patches on this ski, and I came away really stoked. The nice taper provides impressive float for 100mm. It makes the most out of the 2-4 inches you find doing some powder hunting or the quick storm that comes through.

Again, the shape does a really nice job of not feeling hooky in changing snow conditions. This felt really confidence-inspiring in some of these off trail sections that had variable snow. Skiing through wind buff and through some sections that were deeper to some sections that might be scrape-y was much smoother than I expected. For a ski this lively, it really finds its stride when you ski it dynamically and bop between turns, but it doesn’t require you to slow down or take a million turns. It won’t feel the dampest and planted if you rip at a super high speed in a straight line, but it doesn’t do anything unexpected either.

Sam W.: It’s an easygoing ski that will charge on groomers and in chop if you want them to, but doesn’t require it! If you think you don’t like playful skis (like me) this is a good one to try! It will surprise you!

Sam W. blasts through some soft wind buff with Loveland Ski Area in the background. | Photo: Casey Day

Downside?

This year brings many skis to the “all-mountain freestyle category”. The new Elan Playmaker 101 and Line Chronic 101 are new additions this year. Along with other resident skis like the Salomon QST 98, Dynastar M Free 99, and Atomic Bent 100. This ski doubles down on the freestyle, and with that comes some sacrifices. The lightweight construction won’t push through heavy chop and crud as well as something with a bit more weight and heft.

Its centered mount point and shape also don’t lend themselves naturally to directional, more aggressive ski styles. Where the old ARV 96 could handle a more charge-y skier, this model won’t be as happy at high speeds in straight lines. That said, it does handle bigger turns well, it just won’t feel as bomb proof as something like the Line Blade Optic 96.

Armada ARV 100 Review: Bottom Line

The Armada ARV 100 is a masterclass in balancing freestyle fun with all-mountain chops. It’s not going to charge through heavy snow like a ski with metal, but it handles it impressively well for how much it opens up in the air and how poppy it is. It’s easy to swing around in the air and features a nice flex for butters and presses. To boot, it’s lively and poppy across the whole mountain. This ski is ideal for playful skiers who love something nimble and intuitive.

Comments

Similar Posts

© Powder7 2009-2024