I need some gear junkies

Ok op I'll have a go for you.

Elf shoe tech (est). This is armadas name for there 5 point side cut and rocker profiles. Unlike a regular ski wit a 3 point side cut ie wide in the tip and tail and narrower underfoot, armada use a 5 point side cut. This means they offset the wide point at the tip and tail back slightly and narrower the tip and tail towards the ends. What this means is the wider sectio of the nose is better placed to match up with the rocker profile. If you have a large rocker but have the widest point at a traditional location you are losing someof the potential float and you could not drive the ski as hard. Narowowring towards the tip means the tips and tails can track better and will get thrown off less. Hopefully that somewhat makes sense.

As for non symmetrical skis that is just what armada do. Symmetrical skis can be fun but they will usually not be great all mnt and armada want to sell skis to people not just in the park. So making a non symmetrical ski will sell better. You may remember the second generation thalls actuall had rounded edges from the factory but they stopped doing that as it was affectin sales to people out of the park. So in short it's just how armada make skis and in general non symmetrical skis are the best bet for all round skiing.

Swing weight and weight on armada skis I great. The tech that really helps here is the sidewall armada use. There are two main ways of doing the sidewall cap and full sidewall. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Cap is great for being light so low swing weight, it has very good durability up to a point however when it does get damaged it can be very hard to fix. Sidewall skis offer a really good edge hold, extra protection against rails but add weight so swing weight will be higher and they are much more prone to deal managing however sidewall skis can often be fixed pretty easily. So as you see both have there uses so armada and quite a few other brands are now using a combo. Sidewall underfoot for added strength and edge hold and they then transition to cap in the tip and tail. This creates a great blend and low weight/swing weight, good durability and good edge hold where needed.

Hopefully that answers some

great response! I think I get the idea of it all now. so that five point rocker thing is basically a way of minimizing rocker/ ski width where you don't need it?

It's an easy way to drop swing weight.

tom is honestly one of the best gear guys lol