Curated Skiing Expert Hayden Wright got his hands on the 2024 Armada ARV 88 this spring. 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 ARV 88 or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Skiing Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, 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? Armada claims that this is the peak park performance ski.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of the ski? My overall impression of the Armada ARV 88 is if you're skiing on hard packed groomer snow, specifically in the park, this is one of the better skis I have ever rode. Also, all of the ARV skis this year from Armada have real funky graphics from David Alabo, so I wanted to give him a shout out!

How does the shape of the ski affect the way it rides? It's got tons of camber underfoot, and the poplar wood core paired with the new w3Dgewall sidewall creates a very stiff, durable park ski. It's not as soft as skis like the Armada BDogs or Icelantic Nomads, but it's right there in the middle which is nice.

Carving

How does the ski turn? The Armada ARV 88 has tons of camber, and it is one of the more cambered skis I got to test. They have a 16.5 meter turn radius, so it's not as quick turning as some of the other skis that I got to test.

What is the edge hold like? These definitely hold an edge at both low speeds and high speeds.

What about dampness? Any chatter in the skis? I didn't experience much chatter when I was going down the groomers to get down to the park to test things out. So, if you're looking for a hard packed snow ski, these are definitely going to be stable for you.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle skiing? This is a true park performance ski. They have a real light swing weight, too. So, you don't even need big air to do a 360 or anything bigger than that because they are pretty lightweight.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? The playfulness is right in the middle. It's not the most playful ski, but it's certainly somewhat playful. Again, with all that camber underfoot and the poplar core, it does have tons of pop. So, if for some reason you're getting up to a jump lip and you don't think you have the speed, these will definitely help you pop to make the landing.

Is it good for skiing switch? The Armada ARV 88 is a full twin tip ski. We got to ski it forward and switch, and it skis just about the same forward as it does backwards.

Freeride

How is it in powder? The Armada ARV 88 does not have a lot of early rise, so these aren’t the best ski for any kind of tracked or untracked pow.

What terrain is this ski good for? This ski shines on hard corduroy groomers and specifically in the park.

What terrain should skiers avoid with it? Again, this is a park ski. Can you ski it outside the park? Yes. Should you not ski out of the park? Not necessarily, no. However, I would avoid going on steep ungroomed terrain with tracked powder.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend these skis to? The skier that I'm selling the ARV 88 to is the park rat. If you're interested in getting into the park, or let's say you're an intermediate skier and you want to bump up your park skiing to advanced skiers level, the ARV 88s are definitely going to help you advance.

Who should avoid these skis, there are better options out there for them? If you're looking for a storm chasing powder ski, this just isn't it.

Skis work differently for different types of skiers. If you are wondering whether the ARV 88 is the right ski for you, chat with Hayden or any other Skiing Experts here on Curated, and they’ll put together free, personalized ski recommendations on the best skis for your needs.