Help Needed: Anyone ski the Elan Ripsticks?

[Tennessee]

Well I’m in the market for new skis. I’m planning to demo asap when the season starts but I’ve been researching a bit. Does anyone here ski the Elan Ripstick? I just noticed the new Elan Ripstick 94 W Black Edition being reviewed and I’m definitely intrigued. “Precise” and “lively” sounds like just what I’m looking for. Apparently there has been an Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition for men for at least two years so thinking that I might be able to find those used. This might be the only ski I have researched that I might buy without demoing… the Fischer Ranger sounds pretty awesome though too. Anyone have any first hand experience they could share? Thanks in advance!

P.S. for those who don’t know me I ski the 2018 Volkl Kenja (170 cm) and the Nordica Nemesis right now (so like a stiff stable ski) and I ski patrolled for 27 years. Osteoarthritis has arrived unfortunately so I’m looking to downgrade to a bit more forgiving ski setup but can’t stand floppy skis, lol.

 

[SnowHot]

I've skied several Ripsticks, 88, 94Black.
I've also skied the entire Fischer Ranger line up.
I spent a bunch of time on the Ranger 96 last winter.

Both the Ripstick and Ranger are versatile, however between the two I felt the Ranger 96 is a little more versatile and a great crud buster.

 

[Basil]

I own the 2018 Ripstick 86W, 166cm. I bought it at closeout in 2019 in a bit of panic when I realized my old skis had non-indemnified bindings. It was a very uncharacteristically hasty decision! I'm not sure how that version compares to the current Ripsticks. I liked them and they were actually good for where I was at the time, which was getting my ski legs back on and teaching my kids on the bunny slopes (i.e. not high speed), lots of demoing pizzas. They are notably light. Light when carrying them, light when on the chairlift, and light when turning.

They are definitely not the stiffest skis, but they can hold a decent edge for their weight. I've never skied a Kenja, but I bet they are very different. Honestly, I'm thinking of replacing them with something with a bit more heft like a Santa Ana, but again, the Ripsticks I own may be a different ski than what is available now.

I also own the Ranger 102, 169 cm, that I purchased last year. With the additional weight/length and a bit more stiffness, I found they handled better in chop/crud, and obviously better in deeper, softer snow. They can still hold an edge on hard pack, and are maneuverable enough to make quick snappy little turns. They are definitely my "powder ski" since I mostly ski East coast, but still found plenty of use for them last year.

 

[Knitjenious]

I ski the Ripstick 88, purchased the 2023 model last year. I did demo a pair of the 86 wide Ripsticks (obviously a vouple years old at the time) on the same day as the newer 88 wide Ripstick, and the newer version was definitely bouncier out of a carve. Something in the carbon construction perhaps? I love my Ripsticks and find them confidence building and fun! I am 5'7", a heavier intermediate skier, and have the men's 172 cm.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I have the Ripstick 94 2020 model year---I find them lively and fun. If you like stiff skis, I wouldn't characterize them as stiff. Relatively light weight, I don't find them to be skis that want to bust through piles of crud--more up and over them. They hold a pretty decent edge on hardpack, but I mostly love them in spring conditions when the snow is wet and bumps up. I am not familiar with the Black Edition though, so not sure how it compares.

 

[Tennessee]

Thanks everyone. I guess I should look at the Ranger a bit closer — and probably just wait and try to demo everything. They have a demo day at Sugar in early December so I’ll hope for good snow for that. Nothing beats a demo that’s for sure!

 

[SnowHot]

I ski the Ripstick 88, purchased the 2023 model last year. I did demo a pair of the 86 wide Ripsticks (obviously a vouple years old at the time) on the same day as the newer 88 wide Ripstick, and the newer version was definitely bouncier out of a carve. Something in the carbon construction perhaps? I love my Ripsticks and find them confidence building and fun! I am 5'7", a heavier intermediate skier, and have the men's 172 cm.

For sure.
The newer construction has more personality. I definitely like it better than the previous Ripstick, which IMHO lacked personality.

 

[Posse Mama]

Well I’m in the market for new skis. I’m planning to demo asap when the season starts but I’ve been researching a bit. Does anyone here ski the Elan Ripstick? I just noticed the new Elan Ripstick 94 W Black Edition being reviewed and I’m definitely intrigued. “Precise” and “lively” sounds like just what I’m looking for. Apparently there has been an Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition for men for at least two years so thinking that I might be able to find those used. This might be the only ski I have researched that I might buy without demoing… the Fischer Ranger sounds pretty awesome though too. Anyone have any first hand experience they could share? Thanks in advance!

P.S. for those who don’t know me I ski the 2018 Volkl Kenja (170 cm) and the Nordica Nemesis right now (so like a stiff stable ski) and I ski patrolled for 27 years. Osteoarthritis has arrived unfortunately so I’m looking to downgrade to a bit more forgiving ski setup but can’t stand floppy skis, lol.

I demoed the Black ripstick 88. I loved them for the pop. I am skiing in the east and found them playful in the hardpack, crud and on the untracked edges. They are on my wish list. I am currently skiing the K2 89TI Mindbender that is similar but not as poppy when loaded in the belly of the turn. Both are some width underfoot with a lower turning radius.

 

[Iwannaski]

I ski the Ripstick 88, purchased the 2023 model last year. I did demo a pair of the 86 wide Ripsticks (obviously a vouple years old at the time) on the same day as the newer 88 wide Ripstick, and the newer version was definitely bouncier out of a carve. Something in the carbon construction perhaps? I love my Ripsticks and find them confidence building and fun! I am 5'7", a heavier intermediate skier, and have the men's 172 cm.

@Knitjenious, am thinking of demo’ing this year… do you still like your Ripsticks? I think you and I have a similar build and similar anxieties (LOL) so thought it might make sense to look to your experience. B/c of our geography, the way I have to demo is hope that our local store has the skis and demo them for a day at a time.

My daughter will need adult skis next year, and I was thinking she would LOVE my Earharts, but they have discontinued the Earhart, so I have to decide if there are skis I find that I like more, and then she’ll get my old skis, OR I guess I could get her skis … but all this analysis requires that I start thinking NOW.

 

[Knitjenious]

@Knitjenious, am thinking of demo’ing this year… do you still like your Ripsticks? I think you and I have a similar build and similar anxieties (LOL) so thought it might make sense to look to your experience. B/c of our geography, the way I have to demo is hope that our local store has the skis and demo them for a day at a time.

My daughter will need adult skis next year, and I was thinking she would LOVE my Earharts, but they have discontinued the Earhart, so I have to decide if there are skis I find that I like more, and then she’ll get my old skis, OR I guess I could get her skis … but all this analysis requires that I start thinking NOW.

I do still very much like my Ripsticks! I had my mounted with Marker bindings. I have the men's 172, but the women’s comes in a 170. (The difference is really negligible.) If I were in your shoes, I would totally be looking to try the Volkl Blaze 86 as well -- it seems to be the magic ski lately!

 

[TNtoTaos]

Thanks everyone. I guess I should look at the Ranger a bit closer — and probably just wait and try to demo everything. They have a demo day at Sugar in early December so I’ll hope for good snow for that. Nothing beats a demo that’s for sure!

So, did you decide on a ski? Tell us about your demo day (or did you miss that when you were sick?).

 

[Tennessee]

Hi @TNtoTaos. Hope you’re enjoying Taos already! I went up to Sugar for the demo days but it was raining and conditions were not good. Surprise surprise I would have done it anyway if there had been more skis my size to try — but they didn’t have much to choose from. I had taken the Volkl Blaze skis I bought on sale with me and just decided to go for it and get those mounted with the bindings from my old Kenjas. I have skied them twice and think they will work quite well for me. Right now I’m in Jekyll Island enjoying bike riding every day. It’s nice here! Got cold with a hard freeze last night but it’s been pretty good weather up until now. I’m staying until 2/7 and then plan to ski back home at Beech in February to see how it goes. Hope you’re having a great Winter!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Happy Ripstick 88w here. They're a few years old, so the model may have changed? I originally demo'd the first edition of the 94w, which I didn't want to give back. However, 94 being a bit wide for eastern hardpack, I purchased the 88 without a demo. Very nice ski, versatile.

 

[hennessk]

I have the Ripstick 94W black edition. They are versatile and damper than the non-black edition. Compared to the non-black 88s, they have a little less pop out of each turn, but they chatter less at speed.

 

[mintzcole]

When looking for new skis this year I demo'd a lot. I ended up purchasing Salomon Stance 84w. I did demo the ripsticks in 88 and the Fischer Rangers in 90. The ripsticks were a ton of fun but a bit too soft for me. I felt like I was getting thrown around a bit more than I would like. The Rangers were a great ski. Lots of fun and stable. Relatively easy to turn and get up on edge. They just felt a bit wide to me. Try them both out. They're both great skis!