First Look: Armada’s 25/26 Skis Reveal the Next Era of Freestyle Skiing

On the ski front, Armada is returning with almost the entire lineup from last year, with fresh topsheets from none other than artist Mark Paul Deren (better known as Madsteez). New, however, is the addition of the ARV 106 Ti, which takes the shape of the much-loved ARV/W 106, and adds a sheet of metal to give the ski a significantly more powerful character. This is the ride for those of you who crave that freestyle-focused Armada shape but want to flex hard into your boot on hardpack and blast through crud on the daily. There's also the new Henrik Harlaut EDOLLO 91 pro-model freestyle ski, designed to cater to Harlaut's one-of-a-kind approach to skiing, nose butters, massive spins, and all-around debauchery.

In addition, Armada introduces three new kids skis, the Tantrum 100 kid's powder ski (essentially a mini ARV 112), the Tantrum 92 kid's freeride ski (essentially a mini ARV 106), and the Tantrum 84 kid's freestyle ski (a mini park ski). With groms sending the way they are these days, these are squarely aimed at kids who need gear to keep up with their progression on snow. Armada is investing in the future, and that's great to see.

Last year, we saw the introduction of Armada's first-ever line of ski boots, the AR ONE series. We absolutely loved the AR ONE 130 MV, a mid-volume and very stiff freeride hybrid-construction boot, that our testers called the "ultimate boot for the sidecountry." It's got tech fittings in the toe, no walk mode, an innovative ankle retention cable, and a stiff but progressive flex that's extremely well-suited to modern freeskiing. This year, Armada added more boots at more affordable pricepoints to the line, including the AR ONE 120, 110, 100, and 90. It's awesome to see their innovative approach to boot design trickle down from the pro-level gear all the way to entry-level boots.

Finally, Armada continues their legacy of extremely baggy outerwear for skiers looking to up their on-mountain steez level. As a Gore-Tex shell guy myself generally speaking, I'm not the target customer here, but I did get a few laps in at our ski test in some of the XXL Armada kits the Newschoolers team were kind enough to let me borrow. I sure felt steezy, and if you're looking for insulated resort layers to get weird with in the park, this collection is for you.