Review: Armada ARV/W 94

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The ARV 94/ARW 94 was a new addition for Armada last season, and it has instantly become a staple of parks across the globe. And with good reason. It’s one of those skis we have been waiting to spend time on, so both our staff and our testers were hyped when Armada HQ sent this one over to our test.

Groomers & Resort Skiing:

The narrowest of the ARV/Ws we had at our test, the 94 is definitely the best hard snow ski of the bunch. The 106 is a pretty good resort ski, but it isn’t very ice-friendly. The 94 is definitely more of a hard snow option (there is also a 100 that sits in the middle but has a softer flex and is more for buttery style park skiing in our view). The 94 turns very cleanly on groomed snow, holding an edge well and delivering plenty of "on piste" performance. It has a fairly average turn radius and it isn’t the most energetic or engaging ski to turn, but it is very dependable. In more mixed snow or moving between icy patches and softer snow, it felt more composed than most other freestyle skis at the test.

Powder & Mixed Conditions:

At only 94mm underfoot, the ARV/ARW 94 is not much of a powder ski, and nor should it be. That said, the profile of the ski was relatively happy skiing some small dustings of fresh snow, and these would probably hold their own on most snow days in the east. If you basically want a park ski that you could occasionally take off-trail, they’d do the job. They are too soft and narrow for much crud performance but that comes with the territory.

Park & Jibbing:

Fundamentally, the ARV 94 is a park ski and more of a traditional one than much of Armada’s offering. They are pretty solid underfoot with slightly softer tips and tails. They are more of a ski that can be buttered than one that naturally lends itself to that kind of skiing (the 106 is the butteriest ARV). They are more at home on bigger features and skiing fast. Our testers loved them on jumps and bigger rail options, with the stable landing platform regularly remarked on. As such, they are also a lot of fun for sending side hits and especially handling those with flatter landings.

Conclusion:

The ARV/ARW 94 fairly directly replaces the 96 of prior years. It's one of the most stable platforms Armada offers for park/mountain skiing and it’s a very dependable resort ski. Ultimately our testers found the 106 more fun overall, but the 94 a much more solid driver.

Related: Review: Line Chronic 94