Manufacturer's Description

Traditional camber and laminate sidewall construction make the ARV a reliable all mountain ski. Its mid-fat platform and double zone core produce the even balance desired between lively edge to edge snap, and the stability needed for long arc’d turns.

Ski Review's Verdict:

Hang on… the Armada ARV is not rockered. I repeat - the Armada ARV IS NOT ROCKERED. Is that a mistake? No, and it’s quite refreshing plus quite bold from what is generally considered to be one of the trendier of the new school brands. You get all the benefits of a fully cambered ski which gives it great performance ripping pistes and spending a good amount of time in bounds with your buddies. Armada are made in the Atomic factory, so there should be no issues with quality of construction and QA.

The ARV’s sensible 125-92-114 @ 175cm dimensions offer plenty of float when you find the deep stuff on the piste or off to the side, and if you are lucky enough to find yourself on the hill after a big storm and there are some bigger lines to offer, the ARV has you covered there, too.

ARV sizing is progressive, so a 185cm boots you up to a 130-85-119 and the other way to a 165cm see you with 120-89-109. Full length sidecut (no fancy 5 dimension shapes here), medium flex, softer in the tip, stiffer in the tail. It’s lightweight, but relatively snappy on the piste, carves with as much aggression as you put into it, with much more edge grip than I would expect from a ski like this but it will wash out without a stable base to dig into. Really fun and lively in the slushy moguls.

I’d personally like something beefier than the ARV as a ski shape like this will be on the piste a lot and have plenty of hardpak to negotiate, but for lighter riders this could be a winner.