Armada ARV 116 JJ UL Skis

With the ARV 116 JJ UL,Armada has created a backcountry freeride ski designed for high-mountain adventures and days of deep powder. Ultra-lightweight, playful, and designed for challenging off-piste skiing, it’s aimed at expert skiers capable of venturing off marked trails and seeking out lines in untouched terrain. Its appeal lies in effortless floatation in fresh snow, combined with a “surfy” feel that invites you to perform butters and fluid tricks. This ski is part of Armada’s Zero series, a line focused on performance and lightness for demanding backcountry conditions.

A backcountry and powder ski, for skiers seeking off-piste adventures

The Armada ARV 116 JJ UL skis are designed primarily for deep powder days and high-altitude backcountry tours. Their focus is squarely on backcountry freeriding: they reward skiers looking to venture off groomed runs to explore natural terrain. The overall feel is playful and agile, favoring a “surfy” sensation in fresh snow rather than pinpoint edge control on the groomed runs. Two mounting positions are available: -5.5 cm in the factory configuration or -3 cm for a more freestyle-oriented setup, allowing the ski to be adapted to different riding styles.

Generous dimensions and a radius suited for powder

With a waist width of 116 mm (for the 175 cm length), the ARV 116 JJ UL offers significant lift in fresh snow, limiting sinkage and facilitating floatation in deep powder. The full dimensions are 139-116-135 mm, with a wide tip and tail that actively contribute to balance and maneuverability in varied terrain. The 17-meter turning radius, measured on the 175-cm length, corresponds to a medium-radius turn, suited for fluid turns and linked turns in loose snow rather than short, technical turns on hard-packed slopes.

Lightweight construction centered around a Caruba core

The design of this ski is based on a Caruba core, a wood renowned for its light weight and responsiveness. This choice of material results in a weight of 1,698 g for the 175 cm length—a 25% reduction compared to the original ARV 116 JJ model. This lightness is a direct advantage during ski touring ascents, where every gram counts on long approaches. The construction also features reinforced edges, which ensure a minimum level of grip on mixed terrain or snowfields encountered in the high mountains, and an agile flex that makes it easy to initiate turns without excessive effort.

A versatile ski for both ski touring and freeriding

A hybrid version of the ARV 116 JJ, the Armada ARV 116 JJ UL skis combine the qualities of a powder ski with the demands of backcountry touring. The construction’s responsiveness allows the ski to adapt to varying snow conditions off-piste, while the lightweight Caruba core reduces the effort required during ascents. This ski is designed for expert skiers who are comfortable in challenging terrain and want a high-performance tool that excels both on powder descents and during approaches to winter mountaineering activities.

For expert skiers who practice backcountry freeriding and high-mountain ski touring, the ARV 116 JJ UL is a logical choice: its 116 mm waist width ensures float in powder, its Caruba core significantly reduces weight on the ascent, and its agile flex preserves the fun and playfulness on the descent. It’s particularly well-suited for outings in deep fresh snow on ungroomed terrain, where lightness and float make all the difference.