Wherever you go, on every slope, you find fairly good skiers with big mountain skis. The narrative is that a 100 millimeter ski or even wider is allround and works in all conditions. And as everyone looks for the powder seen in social media or in a fancy table-top ski magazine. The wider, the better, seams to be the trick. We think different, and put up an 88 millimeter ski test to prove that.

To be honest. Average skiers do not often find themselves in deep powder, not even skiers beyond average.

Our empirical research shows that more than 88 percent of all ski runs are made on-slope on hard packed snow. And for that, the 88 millimeter ski should do the trick better than any other (if you don’t go for racing skis).

88 millimeter skis even work on the rare occasions you happen to find some fresh powder

Almost every known ski manufacturer has them in their catalog. To help you choose, the editorial staff attended the Ski Test Weekend in Sälen.

The slope we used for this ski test was Gustavbacken i Lindvallen

1200 meters long, 240 meter vertical drop. Blue in character without any terrain. The snow condition was freshly groomed, hard packed man-made snow.

Temperature just below zero Celsius. Perfect for a ski test to compare how different skis behave when you push them in their turns.

Almost all brands have a 88mm ski. Same, same but different

It occurred to us when we were visiting the stands of different brands that there were more than one way to approach this category of skis.

Most brands took their allmountain series and narrowed it down to 88mm, like Völkl mantra 88, Stöckli Stormrider 88 and the K2 Mindbender Ti 89.

Yes, the K2 was not 88mm, it was 89mm. To find enough skis in the 88 mm category for this ski test, we decided that we could allow a +-1mm discrepancy.

Others approach the 88mm category with a more race – inspired ski, like the Rossignol Arcade 88.

There are also brands out there who developed a total new ski exclusive for the 88mm category, like the Extrem formula 88 and Black Crows Mirus Cor

The K2 Mindbender series is their prime freeride/all mountain ski

The 89Ti is the narrowest in the Mindbender series, containing Titanial. For the test team, this looked promising.

Both Jonas and Alexander are powerful skiers.

K2 describes in their own text:

“The Mindbender 89Ti is an all-mountain freeride ski with a carving pedigree. Outfitted with classic construction it’s got a powerful twist thanks to Titanal Y-Beam technology, providing precise, predictable, smooth turn initiation. The Mindbender 89Ti is the perfect dynamic companion for when you’re in the mood to rip but soft snow isn’t on the menu.”

Alexander 193cm tall and Jonas 180cm short. Both carried 130 stiff ski boots, and both around the same weight, 85kg. Age 27 and 57. We went for the 182cm Mindbender. This was the first ski of the day.

This ski test surprised us both

The Mindbender 89Ti looks like a freeride ski, but it is not. The Edge grip was 100%. All you had to do was to tilt the skis on edge, and it turned, fast, steady and firm like a loaded freight train. This ski decides for you, you are not in command, the Mindbender is.

We tried hard to get some playfulness out of the ski, but no. It has a turning radius of 16 meters, don’t try to alter that. Your effort will be in vain. This is not a freeride ski, neither an all mountain ski. This is a devil in disguise icebreaker. Fast and furious. After three runs down the test slope, we were mutually agreed. This was not the allround ski we were looking for.

Rossignol Arcade 88

The next ski put on trial was the Rossignol Arcade 88. In opposite to the K2 Mindbender this ski looked like a thickened world cup GS ski. But with a graphic of a freeride ski. Rossignol themselves call it an allmountain ski:

“The Rossignol Arcade 88 skis redefine the all-mountain category with a personality that can literally ski 100% anywhere. Designed with expert skiers, patrollers and instructors in mind, they balance a blend of race tech and freeride construction to create a new quiver-of-one experience. The combination of a shorter turn radius and a wide 88mm waist with a rockered tip and tail profile makes for progressive carving in all terrain. They’re made for the snow you find versus the snow you expect to find, so you can carve and charge from first chair to final lap, all winter long”

We are both experienced skiers with a race background, and know how to carve. And boy this ski carved

First impression was that the ski was kind of slow to get up on the edge. Most certain because it looked like a racer, and our mind though it would act like one.

Due to the full titanal layer, this ski wants speed, it needs speed

When you allow it to gain some, you will be awarded. The Ice grip as good as the previous ski, K2 Mindbender 89Ti. With the difference that the Rossignol Arcade 88 allowed you to take command over the turns.

If you give this ski a push, you can variate the radius of your turns, that’s nice!

This is not a beginner ski, not even for the intermediate skier, even if it looks like one out of that class. This is a ski for advanced skiers, for sure. We both had fun skiing this one. Surely, the current slope was also perfect for the Arcade 88.

Judging by the look of the ski, the jury decided it should stay on the slope

To call it all-mountain is not fair to the ski or to the current rider. This is an all-slope ski, perfect made for groomers. This is absolutely a ski that fits in to our ski wardrobe to bring out for burning legs on corduroy days.

When we gathered at the bottom of the slope after the test runs, we agreed that this was not the all-round ski we were looking for.

Next ski up was the Extrem Formula 88

Extrem is a small ski manufacturer from Åre started as a snowboard factory in the mid-80s and produced their first skis in the late 90s. For 20 years now, it’s all about skis.

The Formula 88 looks like no one else. It’s not a smaller version of their freeride series. It’s a new developed 88 millimeter ski built for its own purpose. Two lengths 174 and 182.

The look might scare some, acid yellow, wide fat tip and tail. Narrow waist and an asymmetric tail. What is this even?

Extrem themselves describe the Formula 88 like this

“The Formula 88 is a ski that simply refuses to be put in a category. It lays down carving turns like no other ski we’ve ever made. Or take it to the park, go for a few laps in the trees, zip through the moguls or whatever your imagination can come up with. The Formula 88 is made for ear-grinning fun and the only limits are the ones you set yourself.

The secret sauce lies in the shape itself with an extremely short radius that has been combined with generous tip and tail rocker, and an 88 mm waist. The flex is soft in the tip and tail to make the ski easy to handle at all speeds. The Swedish Metal construction adds a 65 mm wide metal strip underfoot to strengthen the flex, add some more pop to the ski and add some extra edge grip”.

Sounds fun, but we all know how a sales pitch looks like.

Let’s find out the truth!

I tell you, it’s pure fun. The narrow waist and fat tip/tail construction delivers a 12-meter radius. It allows you to do short turns behaving like a true slalom ski, If you don’t push the skis too hard, you can do full speed GS turns as well.

Easy switching the radius of your turns

Judging by the look, the fat tip will carry its owner through some powder dump as well. But we can’t tell, as we did not find any powder.

If you switch skis from left to right foot, you will get a longer edge feeling and a more steady ski. Two skis in one. If you’re only looking for one pair of skis for your wardrobe, this could be the one.

The test team verdict was agreed, this was the most fun and versatile ski we skied so far

Even though it has a full-length metal layer, the feeling is lightweight and soft. Maybe, but just maybe, it might feel too soft for some riders. That could, however, depend on what you have ridden in the past. Welcome to the future.

The Elan Ripstick 88

Elan has a special place in the Swedish ski family, as this is the brand Ingemar Stenmark used and still uses when he skis. The Slovenian brand is known to be price worthy and up to date. As this brand doesn’t belong to our normal choice of weapon, we had no expectations for this ski. But the look of the ski was promising.

Elan’s own sales pitch tells you this:

“Knowing the conditions you’ll encounter on your next ski adventure in the mountains is rarely predictable. For days like these, Ripstick 88 is the ski to trust.

Picture a ski with unbelievable edge-to-edge quickness and rebound that can also handle any surface condition with a calm and cool demeanor. The ski you just envisioned is the Ripstick 88 and its versatility is fed by Elan’s innovative Amphibio Profile, supported by Carbon Deck Technology featuring carbon rods and unidirectional carbon bands located along the edges for the most responsive and smoothest ride in our narrowest freeride footprint. Ripstick 88 is slim enough to slice and dice early morning corduroy and wide enough to negotiate new snow with quickness, rebound, and easily attainable power thanks to its lightweight 3D design reinforced by natural Flax fiber“

Indifferent to the others, Elan promised everything for all with their Ripstick

A difficult task indeed

This was the ski test first ski without metal reinforcement. Instead, Elan uses multiple layers of carbon. This ski is easy to ride. It holds on to the ice, not 100% but good enough. And you can easily variate the radius of your turns.

But there was no “pop” in this ski. We mutually agreed this had to do with the lack of metal. This is indeed a ski everyone can ski on, but will everyone enjoy the ride?

Alexander was not convinced. Me, I was happier about it.

The shape of the Ripstick 88 will carry you off-piste, and it worked fine on-slope. This will be an interesting ski for those who just spend a few weeks skiing per year, but for an expert skier, it will eventually be boring to ride after a while.

Finally, the odd bird flying; Dynafit Blacklight 88

Dynafit is known for ski touring, and the Blacklight 88 is made for that purpose. With kingpin bindings.

Is it even fair to put it into a ski test, to compare it with the models above?

Well, we see plenty of skiers around us skiing the slopes with kingpin bindings and light ski touring skis. And after all, it was 88 millimeter. So we thought yes. Touring skis are all about weight, as they are made to walk uphill with ease.

But are they made to go downhill? That’s what this ski test is for. Let’s find out

Dynafit themselves describes the ski like this:

“The light, versatile Blacklight 88 ski set for men offers impressive performance on alpine terrain and in all snow conditions. The Blacklight 88 ski weighs barely 1,080 grams (at 165 cm) with a waist of 88 mm, making it the lightest all-round ski from DYNAFIT that is an impressive easy-handling partner for all snow conditions. You get extremely stable ski handling despite its low weight. In order to guarantee the best possible power transfer on the ski, the Blacklight is constructed with a full ABS sidewall”

It’s a different feeling with super light skis and kingpin bindings, for sure. And the man at the ski test booth who lent us the skis asked us to take care, and don’t push the skis too hard.

He was afraid we might break the ski in two, looking at my Lange free tour 130 and Alexander’s Rossignol all track 130. Looking at the website of Dynafit, the Blacklight 88 is a fully carbon ski that comes with a lifetime guarantee and a warning text

“Not recommended for beginners!

It’s challenging to describe the feeling of skiing this one after having the other carve monsters in fresh mind. It skied surprisingly well on the groomed slope.

Despite its lightness, it has a torsion stiffness.

All that carbon gives it a sort of dead feeling. Like there was a thin layer of powder between the ski and the slope. The carbon, on the other hand, brings stability to the ride.

The must inconvenient feeling is, with the words “take it easy” echoing in the back of the head, that the ski might break apart in each turn. It will not, remember:

“Lifetime guarantee”

It is possible to go full speed with these skis. They are not fun like the Extrem Formula 88, and the radius of 18.5 meters is the longest among the tested skis. Probably because they would break apart with a shorter one.

Is it allround? Yes, if you are a mountain goat aiming for a lift ticket free lifestyle exploring new mountaintops on a regular basis.

The ski test team: Jonas Henning and Alexander Henning

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