If you want to ski park, with a smidge of jibbing everything else thrown in, this is a great ski to look at. Would be a great one ski quiver for the east coast.
At 94 underfoot and with the tapered tip/tail, they are stable on rails and landings but the swingweight is relatively low. The edges are huge and construction seems on point.
Mellow shot of me skiing them:
The flex is mid-stiff for all mountain,but as stiff as any park ski I've skied. They have no problem holding up all around the mountain, I've not experienced any tip flap.
The rocker provides some help with float, but the tapered shape of the ski really means they out perform other skis of this size in soft snow. The narrower tail sinks happily, helping keep the noses afloat and the tapered shape means they will travel sideways much more happily than a traditional ski.
Mine are mounted true centre and they ski ok on trails, so if your focus is park, I'd go true centre. Don't believe the horror stories. However, if you are more all mountain focused, say 50/50, the -2.5 mounting point does feel more comfortable in carves.
Best skis ever tried. Super ill, flexxy Shreds the woods.
Ratings:the perfect ski for butters and presses
Ratings:Just some background, I'm 6'2" 165 lbs and bought the 182.
Factory recommended mount point is at -5, I mounted it at -2.5 for a more park oriented stance. If the Alpha X is going to be your park ski, I would recommend mounting a bit farther forward, -1 or -1.5 is a common point. The ski is extremely asymmetrical (differing tip/tail rocker lengths) so mounting it at center would seriously hinder all mountain performance.
Now for my thoughts on the ski:
From the -2.5 mount, this ski absolutely RIPS all mountain. I was able to set it on edge and carve harder than ever before, while the race base helped me hit breakneck speeds on steeper all mountain runs. The skis are super stable at these speeds since they're relatively stiff, no noticeable chatter from the tip/tail rocker. If you want a ski that you can charge with confidence and be the fastest park rat in existence, this is your ski.
I took it into the park and was thoroughly impressed. Although Armada markets the ski as an all mountain ripper / mini JJ, the Alpha X definitely shows the strong Armada park genetics. Good flex, solid on rails even with a wider underfoot, and just stiff enough on jumps to promote solid landings, even on backseat landings. The -2.5 mount definitely felt a little off when spinning, I would mount forward of that if you're looking to ski more park.
The ski has surprisingly good float and performance in the deeper stuff, the wider nose / narrow tail shape makes it ski like it's much wider than 95 underfoot.
All in all, this is an absurdly good do-it-all ski. It's an absolute beast on the steeps and a timeless classic in the park. If you're looking for a one-ski quiver or a wider park ski with tip / tail rocker, this is your ski. I would fully recommend it to anyone looking for a superior all around ripper. 10/10
-JL
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