Ski: 2022-2023 Elan Ripstick Tour 104, 187 cm
Available Lengths: 173, 180, 187 cm
Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length (straight-tape pull): 184.3 cm
Stated Weight Per Ski: 1610 grams
Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 1576 & 1592 grams
Stated Dimensions: 128-104-122 mm
Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 129.4-103.4-121.9 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (187 cm): 25.4 meters
Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 52.5 mm / 20.5 mm
Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 5.5 mm
Core Materials: paulownia/poplar + 1 carbon rod + carbon & fiberglass laminate
Base: sintered
Factory Recommended Mount Point: -6.25 cm from center; 85.9 cm from tail
[Editor’s Note: In the interest of getting you information sooner on some of the products we’re reviewing, we’re posting here some of our measured specs and manufacturer details, and will update in the future. Take a look, and let us know in the Comments Section below what questions you’d like us to answer.]
What Elan says about the Ripstick Tour 104
“Glen Plake´s first signature model has been a long time in the making and with the combined experience of Plake and Elan, a ski worthy of his signature is born. The Ripstick Tour 104 was designed and tested from the ground up by Elan ambassador and freeskiing pioneer Glen Plake, and blends the lightweight construction necessary for efficient ascents with the legendary performance and style of Glen.
Developing a signature model ski with world-famous freeskiing legend Glen Plake was an honor. Plake is among the best freeskiers in the world and knows what skiing represents, which is why we broke the mold to create something worthy of wearing Plake’s name. The Ripstick Tour 104 chassis is 104 mm underfoot and utilizes ground breaking carbon construction, to achieve what was believed to be an illusion; the perfect blend of freeride power and touring agility. Packed with lightweight carbon and Carbon Bridge Technology, it merges mind-blowing downhill performance with lightweight uphill capability. Plake’s signature model was tested and confirmed with our C-RAIDER 12 tech bindings that are known for being strong, reliable, and lightweight, at just a mohawk-hair over 300 g. To complete the package, the Ripstick Tour 104 hybrid skins made with a mix of 65 % Mohair and 35 % nylon to achieve the perfect glide and grip ratio to support the ski in all situations. From the Alps of Europe to California’s Sierra Nevada, Glen’s ski is the choice for any freeskier seeking legendary performance and punk rock style.”
Flex Pattern
Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Ripstick Tour 104:
Tips: 5.5-6
Shovels: 6-6.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 7-9.5
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-8
Tails: 8-7
The Ripstick Tour 104 has a significantly softer front half when compared to the standard Ripstick 106, but the flex does not differ much between the back halves of the two skis.
Stay Tuned…
We’ve got several touring skis lined up to test this spring, including the new Ripstick Tour 104. Stay tuned for updates on this ski and let us know of any questions you’d like us to answer.
Look forward to comparisons with Ripstick 96 and 106, Salomon Mtn 95, Zero G 105, Nordica Unlimited 104 and Line Vision 100 and 108, please and thank you!
Very similar look and specs to the Down Countdown 104L… the Elan having a bit more camber. Hope Down comes out of Covid zombie state.
Curious to hear what you think about the softness. On the train back from Le Buet I overheard a conversation with someone from a certain company who was saying the ski was rushed and V2 would be different. (overheard as in had no choice but to hear opinions)
Howdy! After a season on these I figured I’d drop a quick opinion. I’m 6’0 220 for reference. First off, I really enjoy these overall. They walk fantastic, are quite light for their size, and are quite fun to turn in a variety of snow conditions. I’ve had these in up to 2-3 feet of coastal pow and they are an absolute riot in any amount of soft snow. I believe it’s the softer tip but they rise up out of the snow fantastic and enable such a surprisingly rewarding turn. I found that they definitely prefer making more turns over a more open throttle style of skiing but that’s just fine with me for this weight class of ski. The Ripstick Tour 104 also handles pretty well on the firmer stuff. I’ve had these on quite a few steeper very firm lines and they handled just fine, which is what I’m looking for in that more survivaly type skiing. They’re not the dampest and definitely don’t encourage skiing super fast on firm snow, but it’s a light 104 underfoot ski so that comes with the territory to some extent. Where I found the Ripstick tour to fall short is in crusty and variable conditions. It does this kind of weird thing in punch crust where once I broke through the softer tip would flex itself back onto the top of the crust and try and pull me back up. This motion created a very catchy feeling in front of the binding in turns which I’ve never experienced on any other ski. A lightweight ski is inevitably going to be challenging in crust but I do think a stiffer overall package would allow for more driveability (if that’s a word.)
Overall I’d recommend these to anyone looking for a daily driver touring ski that isn’t particularly freestyle oriented, but is consistent and fun across a variety of snow conditions.
Cheers!
I am interested in the mounting point guidance for these skis. From what I have heard, it seems like “most people” are wanting to mount ~2 cm back from the “recommended line”. I assume this is to compensate for the relatively soft shovels.
Howdy! Unsure if you got an answer to this yet but regardless I mounted mine 1cm in front of recommended and love it. I tend to enjoy skis mounted around 5cm behind center which was the main reason. Also, I’m 6 foot skiing the 180 (which I think is actually perfect for this style of ski for me) but I worried a bit about not having enough support out of the tail in really techy terrain and while I’m sure recommended would have been fine going forward that touch to get more tail feels great. I also wanted this ski to be able to pivot quite easily especially in really firm snow in steep terrain and having a more central mount helps make the ski easier to pivot in that style. I definitely wouldn’t want to go any further forward than +1 for myself but overall I don’t think there’s a need to go back!!
Hey guys, when is the full review going to be available? One question I’d love to know the answer to is how versatile are these as part of a 2 ski quiver? I’m looking for something to run alongside my 80mm frontside ski, which will be for touring (20% of the time) and softer snow days in the resort (80%). These sound great to meet my touring needs (ability to handle mixed conditions but not a charger in hard / chopped up stuff) but not sure how good they’d be for resort-based use? Gut feel is to go with the Ripstick 106 and put up with the extra weight when touring?
I have the same plan for my next setup and I’m going to go for the 106. If you want to tour more the 104 is great but the 106 just blew my socks off in variable pow conditions while demoing last week. I’ll be mounting shifts on a pair soon enough!
Still waiting for this deep dive and the comparisons!