Armada

Magic J Ski

A pow-crushing, pillow-stomping, big-mountain gun, Armada's Magic J Ski is Tanner Hall's powder ski of choice for obvious reasons. By beefing up the dimensions of the JJ from chubby to full-on fat and moving the contact point forward, you get the same ease of turning and high-speed stability of the JJ, but in a stabler throttle-pinching platform that's able to handle the ultra-deep days, pants-soiling lines, and, "there's only one way to find out," pillows like it's no big deal.

Equipped with an EST Freeride Rocker profile (a rockered tip and tail with regular camber underfoot), these bad boys allow for fast, sweeping turns down big lines in blower pow and occasional patches of unexpected mixed snow. Armada built the Magic J on a Hybrid Ultralight wood core, which provides stability along with pop, and laminated it with a series of fiberglass layers to keep it stiff and chargy when other skis would be in danger of folding up.

Like all Armada's big-mountain boards, the Magic J is finished off with AR50 sandwich sidewall construction, which employs sidewalls underfoot and cap construction in the extremities for a feel that's edgy and stiff where you need it but jibby and smooth where you don't, so you can count on a predictable feel when you're charging down floaty pillow lines, in variable snow, or through tight 'n' techy spots. In addition, you'll be grateful for the lightweight, strong 1.7mm edges that have been heat treated for durability and 50/50 bases that offer a just-right blend of speed and durability.