REASONS TO BUY
Superior flotation
Confident in powder
REASONS TO AVOID
Not very versatile
Scary in hard pack
Black Diamond Impulse Ti 98 Review
Grab hold of this ski for powder days, otherwise leave it behind
Despite what this photo may imply, the Black Diamond Impulse Ti 98 is not our choice for firm conditions. It really only excels on powder days, which is why it earned a Top Pick.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
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Our Verdict
The Black Diamond Impulse Ti 98 is our Top Pick for a powder ski within the all-mountain category (skis that measure around 100 mm underfoot). While this ski falls short in its ability to “do it all,” Black Diamond has done an exceptional job designing a 98-millimeter ski that can confidently ski every type of deep snow. A gradual, albeit relatively soft, flex pattern works well with a pronounced hybrid rocker-camber profile and a nicely rounded, early-rise tip for added agility. The Impulse Ti 98 can arc fresh turns down a wide open bowl just as well as it can pivot quickly to pop through pow stashes in the trees or flow through rolling terrain. While it may feel like you can do it all when the snow is fresh, performance quickly fades when you're faced with any sort of hard-packed conditions. The Impulse Ti 98 may be one of our favorite skis for its powder performance, but otherwise, we would not consider it a versatile all-mountain ski.
Editors' Note: Even though it retains the same name as previous models, the redesigned Impulse Ti 98 is a brand new ski in the Black Diamond line for 2024-2025. We were able to purchase this ski ahead of its release date and tested the Impulse Ti 98 through 2023-2024.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Black Diamond Impulse Ti 98 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best All-Mountain Ski for Powder |  Best Overall Men's All-Mountain Ski | Our Favorite Carving Ski |  Best Bang for Your Buck | |
| Price | $799.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $849.99 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $750 List $749.95 at Backcountry | $409.96 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $549.95 at Evo Compare at 4 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This ski is a fantastic choice when you know the snow will be deep, but otherwise, it fails to provide the versatility of an all-mountain ski | This legendary ski will help you overcome any challenge the mountain puts in front of you | A versatile design makes for a well-accomplished all-mountain ski that excels in the art of the carve | Strong, athletic skiers will be able to dance down the mountain on this powerful ski | A solid blend of performance and value for the intermediate-to-advanced skier |
| Rating Categories | Black Diamond Impul... | Volkl M7 Mantra | Armada Declivity 92 Ti | Atomic Maverick 95 Ti | Salomon QST 92 |
| Stability at Speed (20%) | |||||
| Carving Ability (20%) | |||||
| Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
| Crud Performance (20%) | |||||
| Terrain Playfulness (20%) | |||||
| Specs | Black Diamond Impul... | Volkl M7 Mantra | Armada Declivity 92 Ti | Atomic Maverick 95 Ti | Salomon QST 92 |
| Length Tested | 189 cm | 184 cm | 188 cm | 180 cm | 184 cm |
| Waist Width | 98 mm | 96 mm | 92 mm | 95 mm | 92 mm |
| Sidecut (Tip-Waist-Tail Width) | 132-98-120 mm | 139-96-121 mm | 133-92-119 mm | 129-94.5-113 mm | 129-92-117 mm |
| Turn Radius | 19 m | 17.9 m (calculated) | 18 m | 19.3 m | 16 m |
| Available Lengths | 175, 182, 189 cm | 163, 170, 177, 184, 191 cm | 164, 172, 180, 188 cm | 172, 180, 188 cm | 152, 160, 168, 176, 184 cm |
| Camber Profile | Rocker/Camber/Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker | EST All Mtn Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker |
| Manufacturer Claimed Weight per Pair | 8.6 lbs | 9.6 lbs | 8.4 lbs | 7.9 lbs | 8.6 lbs |
| Core Material | Poplar, Elastomer, Titanal | Multilayer Woodcore, Tiitanal, Carbon Fiber | Poplar, Elastomer, Titanal | Poplar, Titanal | Poplar |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Within the all-mountain category, where we aim to keep waist width below 100 mm, the Impulse Ti 98 is a standout ski in all types of deep snow. With this redesign, Black Diamond bolsters the engineered Poplar core with a top sheet of titanal underneath the bindings. With a hybrid rocker-camber profile, the Impulse Ti 98 offers fantastic flotation and overall excellent performance in powder. Even if this ends up being an impulse buy, fear not – Black Diamond supports all of their products with a 2-year warranty.
Performance Comparison
The Impulse Ti 98 is particularly playful in slushy, springtime bumps. But it excels when the snow starts to stack up.
Credit: Bobby Garrett
Stability at Speed
The Impulse Ti 98 provided a stable and confident ride at speed, at least in deep snow. Traditional camber underfoot and built-in elastomer – which is what makes the Poplar core “engineered” – combine to create a damp, consistent platform that allows us to push the pedal on big pow days. Despite some flapping of the lightweight tips, this ski floated and carried speed well in powder, especially on the feet of the more advanced skiers on our test team.
However, the narrative changed when we brought the Impulse Ti 98 onto firm snow. Even on the smoothest groomer, this ski struggled to maintain its composure. Our testers noticed that through high-speed turns in firm (not even icy) conditions, the tip rattle intensified. They noted that an overall “floppy” feeling through the front and middle of the ski – which we attribute to an inconsistent flex profile – contributed to this ski sluggishly hooking up into turns. Although this ski can crank in deep snow, be ready to turn the speed dial all the way down as you approach wind-scoured surfaces.
Despite what this photo may imply, the Black Diamond Impulse Ti 98 is not our choice for firm conditions. It really only excels on powder days, which is why it earned a Top Pick.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Carving Ability
Our test team recognized right away that the Impulse Ti 98 was going to behave differently carving in fresh versus any kind of hardpacked snow surface. Even though it could carve confidently through deep snow – even heavy deep snow – it was unable to consistently dig into a carve on any sort of firm snow.
The Internal Core Damping technology – the elastomeric materials engineered to interact with the wood core – is designed to absorb vibration and improve the performance of the Impulse Ti 98 at speed. Despite this innovative design, the softer flex and pronounced rocker profile in the tips undermine this ski's ability to cut an effective carve.
Even if the Impulse 98 Ti doesn't perform as well as other skis on groomers, it's still fun to cut short-radius turns, especially in springtime snow.
Credit: Bobby Garrett
Turn Radius
The Impulse Ti 98 has a listed 19-meter run radius, which is certainly on the higher side among all-mountain skis we tested. Although this is far from a long-radius ski, we expect numbers like this for skis that are designed to make longer-radius turns, especially in deeper snow.
Far from the only reason, the longer turn radius combines with the high-rise rocker profile to undermine its carving performance. A grabby feeling around the front binding also made it difficult to roll this ski over on edge. This feeling, of course, was more obvious on hardpack snow, which made it difficult to transition from edge to edge when skiing groomers.
This ski is on the sluggish side transitioning from edge-to-edge.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Powder Performance
The Impulse Ti 98 is truly impressive in powder. Even compared directly against top-pick-award winners from the past, it is one of the most fun all-mountain skis – skis that generally measure less than 105 mm underfoot – that we've ever tested in deep snow.
Black Diamond uses Prepreg Fiberglass (BPRO) – high-strength fiberglass that has been pre-impregnated with resin – to remove that traditional resin layer while improving strength in stiffness across every axis. This technology works well with the elastomers within the engineered core to deliver the right amount of gradual flex, dampening, and rebound power necessary for powder skiing.
Whether its soft, blower powder or heavier spring storms, you can confidently ski all types of deep snow with the Impulse 98 Ti.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Waist Width
The Impulse Ti 98 floats much better than its waist width suggests – at only 98 millimeters underfoot, it is much narrower than any true powder ski. Yet, our testers all agreed they could carve down an open bowl, pivot through tight trees, or surf over rolling terrain on deep powder days better on the Impulse Ti 98 than practically any other ski in our lineup.
The geometry, weight, and profile at the tip and tail of this ski certainly make up for any shortcomings underfoot. The widest point of the shovel is 132 millimeters and the tail flairs out to 120 mm, which is on par with the other all-mountain skis that perform particularly well in powder. However, the specific spoon-like shape of the shovel makes a big difference by improving the agility of the nose.
This ski has a perfect tip geometry for versatile powder skiing: a long early-rise and a spoon-like shovel.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Crud Performance
Despite its impressive showing in powder, the Impulse Ti 98 takes a beating in this metric. Black Diamond incorporated a layer of titanal as a major part of the redesign to the Impulse line of skis, which they say increases torsional stiffness and stability underfoot. Unfortunately, the floppiness of the front end detracts from any feeling of stability, especially in crud.
Our testers found this frustrating, especially when they encountered cut-up powder toward the bottom of an otherwise amazing run. As the ski interacted with variable snow, the front of the ski – and more prominently, the tip – flapped wildly, losing contact with the snow surface. While other more aggressive skiers may successfully navigate choppy snow on the Impulse Ti 98, our team of testers was often terrified.
Keep your wits about you when navigating through crud with this ski.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Terrain Playfulness
Thanks to its lightweight construction and overall feel, the Impulse Ti 98 is relatively playful, even when powder turns to slush in the springtime. The rounded tip geometry that makes this ski nimble in powder also allows it to pivot on demand, which makes quick moves much easier than carving.
The Impulse Ti 98 generally navigates obstacles and quick changes in terrain well. Some testers were surprised at just how fun it was to smear through slushy bumps on this ski. It is also able to quickly set an edge after airing over a wind lip, and feels stable upon landing jumps – provided the snow surface is somewhat soft.
The Impulse Ti 98 can smear or pivot through springtime slush just as well as it can carve through mid-season powder.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Should You Buy the Impulse Ti 98?
Black Diamond's well-engineered layup makes this ski accessible to athletic, intermediate- and advanced-level skiers, while still being a joy for experts in deep snow. The Impulse Ti 98 stands out among the all-mountain skis we tested for its powder performance in particular. Our testers agreed that this ski helped them ski powder with ease and confidence that no other ski in our lineup can quite touch. Yet, it otherwise falters as a versatile all-mountain ski. Even though we had fun skiing powder on the Impulse Ti 98 and recommend it as a standout in the all-mountain category, ultimately, there are wider skis out there that are built specifically for powder.
What Other Skis Should You Consider?
Our years of testing prove that skis that perform well in our Powder Performance and Crud Performance metrics make for the best choice on powder days. The Faction Agent 2 is a good pick for skiing powder in the morning and then hitting the park once the features are cleared off. However, the Volkl Mantra M7 is a better option if your powder morning is followed by an afternoon of skiing chopped-up snow – which is the case for most powder days on most mountains.
—
Bobby Garrett
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