First Look: Armada Whitewalker 116

I went looking for a pure powder ski, something with the surfy soulfulness of the extraordinary Igneous Raglefant that I had on loan and so had to return. Several skis piqued my interest, including the Line Pescado or Optic 114, the 4FRNT Renegade, Black Crows Nocta, Moment Wildcat tour, and the Armada Whitewalker 116.

I was not interested in versatility. I wanted to play in powder. By description and reputation, all of these skis should do the trick. But for pure play, it seemed the Pescado or Whitewalker would best put a wag in my tail, and a pair of Whitewalkers found me.

I went looking for a pure powder ski and may have found something closer to a daily driver. With the Whitewalker, we are potentially onto something really good.

The only real condition we haven’t had is the condition I want these skis for— the truly soft and deep. The Goods! This spring has come close to delivering. Close, but no huge storms. Yet.

The 116 Whitewalkers have a 17m radius. They are 138mm at the widest part of the tip and 134.5mm at the fat of the tail. From that point, both tip and tail narrow, creating the famous pin shape. This pinned tip and tail are a major attribute of this ski. The pinned tips and tails both have moderate rocker and are medium to soft. Interestingly, they are really only soft through the very tip and tail and stiffen up considerably pretty quickly. Armada rates the tips at a 7, the midsection at a 9, and the tails at an 8. This seems accurate, and that section of “7” is surprisingly short. This short, softer section is combined with a beveled length of the base, where there is also no metal edge. The idea, which I find works, is that it makes the ski agile, quick-turning, and easy to swivel and slash. The pin tips and tails are also meant to slice through crud and mank. The goal is ski and skier flow through the snow like a sword through silk—smooth and quick. 

Though a huge storm has thus evaded us, spring has delivered some great and varied conditions. Several storms have rolled through with 4-7 inches, and we’ve gone through some fairly quick cycles of old crust, fresh powder, wind-crust, wind-buff, hot pow, crud, mank, slush, and corn. Quickly transitioning snow has made up a large portion of the skiing I’ve done on the Whitewalkers. Two conditions have been absent: one is really deep snow, and the other is bone-rattling rough conditions. I have had them out in hard snow (crust), but the surface has mostly been smooth and forgiving. That said, we have had a lot of heavy new snow with rollerballs the size and weight of bowling balls. In the hot rollerball derby, I would describe the skis slicing around and cutting through rather than deflecting off or powering through. In this way, they are more similar to the precise DPS 105 rather than the longer rocker of the Raglefant.

Knowing they are not quick on edge compared to a significantly narrower ski, there is definitely something to those pinned tips and tails that enable the ski to get on edge quickly. They dive into turns really easily. On groomed cord and in relatively shallow pow, they were eager to initiate a turn at will. In the parlance of our times (dude), the attributes of this ski make it both quick and stable. They are quick and very happy to hold a fast, medium- to long-carve. While it is easy to make tight, controlled turns, it was far more fun just going fast, aiming this way and that. And yeah, they were a cinch and a pleasure to whip sideways. I attribute that quick initiation to the pin shape and beveled base—maybe I am just believing the marketing hype on why, but I am not making up the way they felt on snow. Maybe, rather than saying I went looking for a pure powder ski, I went looking for a pure fun ski. And I absolutely found one. How I see it is that the short section of soft rocker, pinned shape, and relatively low camber give them their agility, while the longish camber, stiffness, and width give them their stability. This combo makes it easy to moderate the type of turn by adjusting from driving forward and skiing a variety of carved turns to surfing, slipping, and slashing sideways.

Yes, it has been a really fun spring on the Whitewalkers.

The skis weigh an impressive and easy skinning 1648g.  The diverse conditions have also put the skis through it, on the ups as well as the downs. Pure hard crust, 4-6 inches of new snow, slush over slick, and rocks. In general, they are easy climbing skis. Lots of skin on snow, and the stiffness and relatively long edge help on hard snow. Nothing out of the ordinary. Predictably, however, the ski’s width makes slick, steep side-hilling less secure than a narrower ski. Your foot, rather than being close to the snow and the ski’s edge, is out there over air. Not a problem in conditions even remotely soft or on hard snow in terrain that is not so steep. But 116 is 116 and, while at speed they were fun on crust and corn, tip-toeing up and across steep faces isn’t their forte, or maybe not mine either. That’s what ski-crampons are for. Or just boot it.

Powder conditions have been superb, though not epically deep. We have had our cake, but we have only been able to take bites. The flavor has been mouthwatering but not gluttonously filling. I am wondering how this short rocker and longer stiff section will be in true powder compared to my memory of the Raglefant, which is wider, more rockered, and has a longer soft section in the tips: a beautiful powder ski. That said, the DPS CFL 105 is a pretty stiff ski with gradual rocker and is great in powder. What I have to amend on the 105 review, however, is that while the 105 is a great ski in powder, it is not a powder ski. What can be said is that there is, in fact, a good reason to have a ski wider than 105. Mea Culpa. There is a difference, and I won’t call the difference float exactly, or even fun. The 105 has both. The difference is riding the ski, riding the snow. I think I described that feeling accurately in the Raglefant review. And it is that sensation that sent me looking for a pure powder ski after having to give the raglefants back.

It could be the Whitewalker combines some of the versatility of the 105 with the powder prowess of the Raglefant. Certainly, the Whitwalker 116 has been fun in a wide variety of conditions. I would define fun in this case as confidence-inspiring in its agility and stability. It is playful like a really strong puppy. The Whitewalker begs to be skied creatively. Still, while we have actually found more than we were looking for, what we are really looking for, we haven’t exactly been able to test, so more to come on that when we get to the real Armada Whitewalker review as early as possible next fall or early winter. I truely cannot wait.

Basic Specs

Dimensions (mm): Size 175cm—138/116/134.5

Radius (m): 17

Weight (175cm): ~1650g

Build: Caruba core and carbon stringers

Reg Price: $1050…seen on sale in the $750 range