The Ripstick 96 Black has been on top for a few seasons now, for 24/25 a lot of manufacturers brought some real heat to the competition. It’s tough to find a “bad” ski these days. However, the Ripstick 96 Black is still the king in the all-mountain category. It does most things well and rarely feels out of place. This ski punches above its weight class (literally and figuratively), works for a huge range of skiers, and let's be honest an all-black ski is just flat-out cool. All new construction for this season brought some incredible improvements to the model. The new ski is stronger, grips better, and offers a more stable feel, all without losing any of the low-end accessibility or maneuverability skiers have come to love from the Ripstick series. A new rocker profile can be attributed to improving maneuverability and turn initiation while a stronger core, new tip/tail shape, and new carbon technology bring added stability and grip to the ski. Groomers are a blast and the ski feels limitless and gripped. Trips through tight technical trees are a breeze and the Ripstick offers a ton of snap and energy. Icier ski days are no issue and the ski offers good damping to keep you confident even when conditions are less desirable. The Elan Ripstick 96 Black will live on almost every single one of our team's "Top Tested" list again this season. You'd think we'd all get bored of it, right? Wrong... the ski is just too damn good. Regardless of ability level or how aggressively or casually the Ripstick is skied it always performs beyond expectations. Elan did an awesome job overhauling this ski without forgetting about any of the Ripstick DNA that skiers have grown to love since the ski's inception.

Want a more powerful ski for groomers? Go Nordica Enforcer 94

Everything sounds good, but want something wider? Go Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition

Want a ski that's more playful for bumps and trees? Go Blizzard Rustler 9

Top Tested Skis 2025