Why we like the Armada ARV 116 JJ: JJ moniker, playful, soft snow slarver
Lengths (cm): 165, 175, 185, 192
Sidecut (mm): 139 / 116 / 135 (185 cm)
Radius: 18m (185 cm)
Rocker Profile: Rocker-Camber-Rocker
Weight (per ski): 2250g
Price: £590
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If you’re going to slap a ‘JJ’ on a ski, you’d better hope that it lives up to the near legendary notoriety its predecessors brought to the name. You know, the JJ and the JJ 2.0? These were the freestyle powder skis that pretty much set the blueprints for modern skis that like to keep things loose in the backcountry.
Now discontinued and merged into the Armada’s ARV line of skis, the JJ has been brought into the ARV 112 JJ and the Magic J. We’d rather not look at the JJ range as a dying breed, more one that has helped to influence the modern day powder shape into what it is now.
“The freestyle powder skis that pretty much set the blueprints for modern skis that like to keep things loose in the backcountry”
The ARV 116 JJ features quite a few design cues from the original JJ yet, unsurprisingly borrows a few from the ARV line as well; creating a soft snow specific ski that’s not only capable of charging, but that’s also happy to throw in a bit of freestyle fun in the backcountry.
Armada ARV 116 JJ Build
Similar to the updates made to the ARV 106, the ARV 116 JJ has been given a more stout flex thanks to that same Poplar / Ash core that’s now gracing much of Armada’s line up. This, Armada claims, has stiffened up the tips and tails to help throw the skis around in “in tight conditions and no-fall zones”.