Review: Armada Locator 112

Armada fights in the heavyweight division. For years, the brand has catered to dudes in baggy pants who get rad but rarely walk uphill. The Locator 112 is what happens when that heavyweight cuts weight and joins the UFC. It still handles big lines in big places, but with renewed purpose—the down and the up. Picture Rocky training to take on another would-be victor: he leaves the gym for a classic Balboa montage. The eye of the tiger: he hits tires and meat, but he’s still light on his feet and runs outside. The Locator 112 is the Armada ski built to fight Ivan Drago in the octagon.

How I ended up in the Armada corner: G3 SLAYr 114s were my go-to AK pow ski for a few seasons. Shortly after G3 stopped making the SLAYr, they died at the end of a tour in dramatic fashion after playing a dumb game of ‘one-more-turn’(embarrassingly with none other than Cody Townsend). I left Jason, lamenting that I needed a replacement. To my utter amazement, the closest proxy I could find was Armada. I had skied the JJs before, and they were the opposite of what I was looking for. ‘Armada,’ I thought…would I have to start listening to Linkin Park and trade in my Trab midlayer? Was I still allowed to own skimo skis and keep them in the same garage? Should I buy a pass to Alyeska? 

Two seasons into the Locator, I carry big skis on big days more than ever (would have added the 88s to my quiver this year; they stopped making that size). 

Armada is based in Utah but owned by Amer Sports, the parent company of Atomic and Solomon. The brand has been around since 2002; the conglomerate bought it in 2017, and they’ve since made their skis in Austria. Unlike their bigger-brand siblings, they seem to thrive on a more counterculture vibe. The Locator proves they aren’t afraid to play new tunes. 

The Locator 112: Getting Granular

First, the tale of the scale. The 180 cm Locator measures 136-112-128 with a 24 m radius, built with a Caruba wood core, carbon stringers, and a strip of titanal and rubber underfoot. Armada claims 1,590 g per ski; mine weigh a few grams over. Rockered, tapered tip, a flat-ish tail, and a touch of camber underfoot. I am 5’11’’ and weigh 180. I’ve paired the Locator with G3 ZED 12 bindings and Fischer Transalp Pro boots.

A 112 mm ski feels plain middle-of-the-road in the Chugach, but I’ve historically preferred undercutting the norm. The weight-to-performance ratio usually leaves me wanting. Plenty of ski manufacturers cheat the system with lightweight fat planks, and with lots of success in good snow, but anything less than perfect, and skis often get either too heavy or too flimsy. The trick is making a ski that handles well when the snow ain’t perfect, when lines ask for more precision, and when things get steep. The Locator 112 ticks these boxes without much penalty on the scale. I’ve skied big, steep lines in the Chugach, and plenty of shit-eating-grin pow at Turnagain Pass, never once feeling outgunned. It’s stable at speed, holds an edge really well, and stays composed under pressure and at speed in variable snow. Everything is kung fu.

My biggest gripe with lighter skis is that they often cut corners on durability. I have gone through a few pairs of skis (from brands that shall remain nameless) that feel great in the skin track for a season, but are made of fairy dust and dreams. Top sheets, sidewalls, and flex give out. The fight is over in the early rounds. The Locator has held up—I have skied them hard for two seasons. Like Rocky in the ring with Apollo Creed, the Locator goes the distance. 

On the up, the weight savings shine (I also like a flatter tail for the skin track). On the down, pow skiing is where it really throws knockout punches. They float, plane quickly, and are happily driven hard or dialed down. The pushed-back mount and flatter tail want you forward on the ski; when things get grabby, this can be a bit less “beginner-friendly,” not a drawback in my book, since we are still talking about a ‘big’ touring ski.

I know this review might be behind the times; the Locator is not a new kid on the block. Sorry, I was too busy skiing to write it up. We’ll go to the cards: unanimous decision, the Locator 112 for the TKO. Moves like a lightweight—maybe even floats like a butterfly, but hits downhill like a heavyweight. 

Locator 112 Specs

Lengths (cm): 166, 173, 180 (tested), 187

Weight (claimed): 1590g

Measurements (mm): 136-112-128

Radius (m): 24

Build Materials: Caruba core. Titanal/rubber reinforcement under foot, and the consummate carbon and glass.