Armada’s 2020/2021 Declivity Family Expands the Brand’s All-Mountain Footprint
The brand will take a strong step into the world of all-mountain directional skis next season.
While Armada was originally started as a brand catering strictly to freeskiing and freeride, the past few seasons have proven that the brand is more than capable of making skis that all recreational skiers can enjoy. The brand is taking that to the next level this autumn with the all-new Declivity series.
The new Declivity line takes its inspiration from the steep-skiing Frenchman Tof Henry, who put the majority of his influence into the Declivity X ski. At 115mm underfoot and a 22.5-meter turn radius in the 185cm length, the Declivity X definitely keeps the brand’s freeride roots at the forefront, including generous shovel rocker and full AR100 sidewall construction. The skis are kept relatively lightweight thanks to the use of Caruba, a type of wood that has similar performance characteristics as poplar, but, according to Armada’s engineers, is 15-20% lighter.
The Declivity 82 Ti, 92 Ti, and 102 Ti definitely take inspiration and design elements from the Declivity X but are presented in a more versatile—yet still hard-charging—package that fits perfectly in the North American resort skiing market.
Like the Declivity X, the narrower Declivities have full sidewall construction, Caruba wood cores, and aggressive tip shapes, but they also have two layers of Titanal sandwiching the core. Pro athlete and former racer Todd Ligare helped refine and develop these skis to appeal to serious skiers from different backgrounds.
Related: Nordica’s 2021 Enforcers now available at select US retailers
Introducing the Armada Declivity Series
Towards the shovel of the ski, Armada cut out strips of the top metal layer and filled the voids with an elastic compound that makes turn initiation easier while adding an energetic rebound to the ski as it exits a turn in hard snow, corduroy, chop, and powder. The brand calls this construction Articulated Titanal Banding (ATB), which is a serious departure from the brand’s other jocular acronyms, but seems appropriate for such a serious ski.
SKI was fortunate enough to test the Declivity 102 Ti, 92 Ti, and 82 Ti at Vail, Colo., in December 2019. All three models perform more like all-mountain skis from a brand with a race heritage rather than a brand best known for its deep roots in freeskiing. The entire line is sure to turn heads next season. In particular, the Declivity 92 Ti stood out the most in Vail thanks to its versatile and damp nature throughout the various terrain we tested it on.
We expect a full review of each ski in the 2020 Gear Guide after our test-team takes a crack at the whole line in March at SKI Test. Until then, read more about the skis and the development process on a Declivity mini-website developed by Armada.
Shop Talk 2021 Vail Preview: Armada Declivity
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Armada Declivity X Specifications
| Lengths (cm) | Dimensions (mm) | Turn Radius (m) | Reported Weight (g) |
| 185 | 137-115-130 | 22.5 | 2250 |
| 192 | 139-115-130 | 24.5 | 2500 |
Armada Declivity 102 Ti Specifications
| Lengths (cm) | Dimensions (mm) | Turn Radius (m) | Reported Weight (g) |
| 172 | 134-102-124 | 17.5 | 1850 |
| 180 | 135-102-125 | 18 | 1950 |
| 188 | 136-102-126 | 18.5 | 2050 |
Armada Declivity 92 Ti Specifications
| Lengths (cm) | Dimensions (mm) | Turn Radius (m) | Reported Weight (g) |
| 164 | 130-92-116 | 16.5 | 1625 |
| 172 | 131-92-117 | 17 | 1725 |
| 180 | 132-92-118 | 17.5 | 1825 |
| 188 | 133-92-119 | 18 | 1925 |
Armada Declivity 82 Ti Specifications
| Lengths (cm) | Dimensions (mm) | Turn Radius (m) | Reported Weight (g) |
| 166 | 126-82-109 | 15.4 | 1575 |
| 174 | 128-82-110 | 15.9 | 1675 |
| 182 | 130-82-111 | 16.4 | 1775 |
More 2021 Ski Previews: Blizzard’s All-New All-Mountain Line
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