Armada Victa 87 Ti

Armada was founded by athletes in 2002, with nonconformist designs and a super-core demographic, and became known for its park and big-mountain offerings. But as their original followers aged, a window opened for directional all-mountain skis for technical skiers. Enter the men’s Invictus (2016) and women’s Victa series (2017). With classic sandwich construction and dampening metal, the Victa 87 is a perfect balance between quick and nimble and rock-solid underfoot on edge. It’s zippy edge to edge, and not afraid to break the sound barrier. “Way fun,” Humes said.

Strengths: Quickness/Maneuverability, Playfulness