Curated Ski Experts Brandon Westburg and Hayden Wright tested the 2023 Armada Declivity 92 Ti this spring at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. If you have any questions about the Declivity 92 Ti, or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

One final point before we dive in: It's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Armada claim about this ski?

[Brandon] Armada claims that this is going to be a somewhat forgiving all-mountain and groomer ski. There is some Titanal banding instead of just a normal Titanal layer in this ski. That's Armada's unique Titanal layup. It's supposed to give the ski a little more energy and a little more power transmission than a typical Titanal layer.

[Hayden] Armada's claim on the Declivity 92 Ti is that it's the everyday ski that can handle a little bit of everything. It doesn't matter what it is. If you're charging hard, fresh corduroy, all the way up to a little dust on crust, ripping trees, and off-piste, Armada claims this is the one ski to do it all. It's not quite the highest-performance ski in any of those categories, but it's definitely a competitor in all of them.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski?

[Brandon] I really thought this ski was a ton of fun out there and that's something I did not expect with this wider shovel. That really had my back when taking this thing through the trees, catching a little bit of air, and moving it edge to edge. I thought this ski was somewhat forgiving as well. We have a seven out of 10 on the tip, underfoot, and tail. It's stiff enough to definitely lay a nice edge, remain confident, and have a great edge hold, but it's somewhat forgiving as well.

[Hayden] My first impressions of the Armada Declivity 92 Ti was that it was a pretty stiff ski. Where that's going to excel is on your groomers and stuff. We got minimal chatter once we got the ski up to speed. It holds a great edge. Traditionally, I don't ski a lot of skis that have metal, but that's the awesome part about doing these product reviews with Curated. It gets us on skis out of our element. I wouldn't necessarily call this a mogul ski, but if you were to get into it, it does only have a 92 millimeter waist. So, it's not like you're going to be ripping a pow ski through the moguls.

How is the construction of the ski and how does that impact the ride?

[Brandon] Things are light and playful as a result of the Caruba wood core, which is the lightest wood core in any Armada ski out there. That's definitely where we see the forgiveness in combination with the level seven stiffness of the ski. It’s a bit forgiving in nature, but there is enough ski and enough stiffness to still have your back underfoot.

[Hayden] Armada states that this skis is seven for the flex all the way through this ski. What's cool about that is, it's not going to be the most burly, stiffest ski that you've ever ridden in your life. Also, since it's pretty even and consistent throughout the ski, if you end up getting in the back seat or a little bit forward/front seat on these, you're not going to experience a different kind of flex pattern. And that's something to consider, too.

It's a Caruba wood core paired with Titanal banding, which is a new kind of Titanal layer that Armada's been testing out with some of their skis. And my impression is it's not a full layer of Titanal, so you don't get that heavy burly metal ski weight. But the teal banding in there still stiffens the ski up, giving it a real predictive flex pattern throughout the ski.

Carving

How does it turn?

[Brandon] Coming in at about a 17.5-meter turning radius, it isn't too difficult to move edge to edge, and you’re able to accomplish those shorter radius turns, longer radius turns, and anything in between.

[Hayden] Armada Declivity 92 Tis are great carving skis. Like I said, it has a lot of camber underfoot with that metal and Caruba wood core, so you can grip and rip. It was pretty quick edge to edge but an all-around great carver ski, for sure.

How is its edge hold?

[Brandon] There is plenty of edge grip, which really transmits power through those turns quite easily. If you're a beginner all-mountain skier looking for some groomer performance as well, I would say we should go for a ski with not so wide of a shovel up top that does make it a little bit more difficult to turn edge-to-edge than a typical 92 millimeter ski underfoot.

[Hayden] The ski holds an edge like a dream. You can keep pressing and pressing on it, and it's still going to be there for you.

How is it at speed? Any dampness or chatter?

[Brandon] Because of the Titanal banding in the core we talked about earlier, it will definitely have your back and will not chatter unless you're at top speed on some firmer snow. I was a little confused why a wider shovel has been combined with a 92mm underfoot waist width. On any steep groomers that are a bit harder, do expect a little bit of chatter from this wider shovel. But if you're skiing these at lower speeds on some lower angle terrain, I wouldn't expect any chatter whatsoever.

[Hayden] They have a slight early rise on the tip which typically can get you a little bit of chatter. But, I think with their Caruba wood core and the Titanal banding, I didn't really experience too much chatter. We weren't able to take it up to full throttle, so if you were going top, top speeds, you might see a little bit of chatter and that could be due to the early rise in the bigger shovel in these skis. But other than that, Brandon and I, and some of the other experts, were able to really lock this ski up and feel that edge all the way through with minimal chatter. This fun, stiff ski felt great underfoot.

Freestyle

Any playfulness in the ski?

[Brandon] We had tons of fun out there taking this thing off some side hits and popping it around, and I thought it was a great versatile all-mountain option for not only our conditions today, but most all areas in the U.S. You'd have a great time if you're an all-mountain skier looking for some groomer performance as well on the Declivity 92 Ti.

[Hayden] We took the ski through the snowboard cross course here at Pow Mow, and had some real playful rollers. For being a ski that does have quite a bit of metal in it, I wouldn't necessarily claim this is the most playful ski. But it is definitely not your full metal sheet or double-metal sheet ski. It’s super fun and when catching airs, you do have a 92-millimeter waist under foot which is better than some skinnier skis because you do have a little bit of material under your foot. So landing either one foot or a little off balance, that 92 waist is a great kind of all-around waist. It's not going to be super wide where you're going to get that heavy, specific ski, but I think the Armada's on to something with the 92 waist on this.

Is this ski made for park riding?

[Hayden] The Armada Declivity 92 Ti is, by no means, a park ski. It's more of a traditional mounting point, which is a little off true center instead of a true center mount. If you're further back on the ski and with a ski with a bigger shovel, the further back you are, it could cause the swing weight to go up and feel like it's a little bit more. But where these were mounted, I didn't really feel too much swing weight. I will say if you're starting to try to do some spins on these, you would feel the shovels as you were coming around.

Freeride

Would this be a good powder ski?

[Brandon] I did get to take out the Armada Declivity 92 Ti in some variable snow, including some corn snow, a bit stiffer snowpack in the morning, and some fresh snow today here. When we got into that little bit of fresh snow and anything hard-packed, I thought this wider shovel did quite well and provided a lot of edge grip and stability. When you're in any sort of fresh snow, the wider shovel at the top will definitely have your back for creating plenty of float on any snow that falls.

[Hayden] If you're looking for a ski, and you're not storm chasing, and you end up getting a few inch pow day on a ski trip or something, it'll hold its own. It's not going to be the ski you're going to bring for a pow-specific trip or a heli skiing trip per se, but off piste and then some slush, the 92 Ti, it crushed. For powder here at Powder Mountain, the 92 waist on the Declivity Ti does all right.

What kind of terrain does it perform well on?

[Hayden] It's got just enough underfoot if you were going to get one of those sleeper storms out East. Also, if it is super hardpack, like it was early morning the other day here, you are not going to be disappointed with the Declivity 92 Ti.

[Brandon] Overall, I thought the Armada Declivity 92 Ti did amazing in any kind of versatile snowpack or fresh snow. The camber rocker pattern is personally my favorite for busting through any snow and going through any sort of versatile snow, chopped-up, or questionable snowpack. This was really fun and really had my back.

Anything else you want to add?

[Hayden] Traditionally, Armada has been freestyle, pipe, not so much racing. This is by no means a race ski, but it is something a little less traditional than what Armada has done in the past. I think that's awesome because they're reaching out to different categories of skier types and riders, and these things are hitting it on the point. If you do have a freestyle background, and you're not as much in the park or anything, but you still love that hard-charging aspect of skiing, the 92 Ti Declivity from Armada would be the ski for you.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to?

[Brandon] I think this ski is designed for that resort jammer who not only spends most of their time on the groomers, but also enjoys going off the groomers. I would definitely recommend this ski to almost all intermediate-to-advanced all-mountain skiers looking for some groomer performance. I did experience a bit of chatter with the tip up here at top speeds, but if you're a skier that likes to take your time, or an intermediate skier just looking into getting into all-mountain skiing, this would be a great option.

Also, if you're a heavier skier, this is a medium-to-higher flexing ski. That's something to look into when looking for skis. If you're a bigger skier, a stiffer ski will benefit you and your turning because you won't be flexing the ski out.

[Hayden] Armada's Declivity 92 Ti is designed for the advanced rider. The only reason I say that it is a burly ski that takes a lot; the ski's going to push you around. I think this ski would be best for an East Coast skier who is definitely an intermediate-to-advanced rider.

Who should avoid this ski?

[Brandon] For beginner skiers looking to get your first pair of all-mountain skis, I wouldn't quite recommend the Armada Declivity 92 Ti to you. There are better options out there that might be a little more lightweight and have a little less of a big shovel up top. Getting another ski with those aspects will make it easier to get edge to edge and really perfect those skills so you can tackle the rest of the mountain out there.

[Hayden] If you're not used to loading the ski and getting it edge to edge, I wouldn't recommend it to you. I also wouldn’t recommend it if you're a beginner.

Everybody's different. Every ski is different. If you want help finding the best skis for your needs, reach out to Brandon, Hayden, or any other Ski Expert here on Curated. They’ll help you find the right skis for you.