Armada Reliance 92 Ti Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Armada Reliance 92 Ti | |||||
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Awards | Best Overall Women's All-Mountain Ski | Great Value for a Powder Ski | Best Buy for Intermediates | ||
Price | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $749.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 4 sellers | $429.95 at Amazon Compare at 4 sellers | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | A relatively narrow ski that handles surprisingly well in deep snow while remaining playful for park sessions | This ski excels at basically everything, in any terrain, except for making a large-radius turn | Lively and nimble, but also stable and grippy | A blast to ski in fresh snow, mogul fields, and popping around on groomers | For intermediate and advanced skiers looking for something that’s easy on the snow and on the wallet |
Rating Categories | Armada Reliance 92 Ti | Blizzard Black Pear... | Blizzard Sheeva 9 -... | Elan Ripstick 94 W | Salomon QST Lumen 98 |
Stability at Speed (20%) | |||||
Carving Ability (20%) | |||||
Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
Crud Performance (20%) | |||||
Terrain Playfulness (15%) | |||||
Bumps (5%) | |||||
Specs | Armada Reliance 92 Ti | Blizzard Black Pear... | Blizzard Sheeva 9 -... | Elan Ripstick 94 W | Salomon QST Lumen 98 |
Length Tested | 172 cm | 170 cm | 174 cm | 178 cm | 176 cm |
Waist Width | 92 mm | 94 mm | 96 mm | 94 mm | 98 mm |
Sidecut (Tip-Waist-Tail Width) | 131-92-117 mm | 132.5-94-114.5 mm | 129-96-118.5 mm | 136-94-110 mm | 132-98-120 mm |
Turn Radius | 17 m | 15.5 m | 16 m | 18 m | 16 m |
Available Lengths | 156, 164, 172, 180 cm | 152, 158, 164, 170, 176 cm | 150, 156, 162, 168, 174 cm | 154, 162, 170, 178 cm | 152, 160, 168, 176 cm |
Camber Profile | Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot | Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot | Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot | Rocker tip and tail, cambered inside edge, Amphibio tech | Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot |
Manufacturer Claimed Weight per Pair | 7.5 lbs | 7.4 lbs | 7.9 lbs | 7.4 lbs | 8.2 lbs |
Core Material | Caruba | TrueBlend All Mountain Woodcore (Beech and Poplar), Titinal | W.S.D. Trueblend Free Woodcore; Beech, Poplar and Paulownia | Tubelite wood | Poplar |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Updates for 2024-2025
We tested the in-line Reliance 92 Ti throughout the 2023-2024 season (left). Ahead of the 2024-2025 season, Armada updated this ski with new graphics (right) and a poplar core to replace the caruba core on the 23/24 model. Both are softwood cores; though, in our experience, poplar is a bit more energetic than coruba wood. Otherwise, dimensions and materials remain the same – Armada even claims that their flex profiles are the same despite the new core wood. Since these two models are likely very similar, we may link to the newest version based on availability.
Armada was one of the most important ski companies to give breath to a new vision of skiing in the early aughts – one focused on pushing forward the freestyle revolution instead of alpine racing. The brand helped transform the sport into a fun, freely styled creative endeavor. With a history deeply rooted in the playful, liberated skiing ideals we now consider the status quo, it's no shock that Armada's Reliance 92 Ti would reflect this design philosophy.
Performance Comparison
Stability at Speed
This ski provides a smooth, fairly damp ride at moderate speeds. However, when you turn up the velocity, the Reliance 92 Ti suddenly becomes unreliable. The wide, spatula-shaped tip flaps like mad at high speeds. Despite the rockered nose, the tips seem to deflect easily if they even touch a patch of uneven snow. On very firm snow, the torsional rigidity is insufficient to hold a strong edge.
Carving Ability
The Reliance 92 Ti, likely many modern skis, prefers to skid and butter rather than roll over on edge and carve. You really have to put in a concerted effort to put it on edge and remain engaged through a full-radius turn. Our testers all agreed that the printed 17-meter turn radius felt true to experience. However, one tester commented that “this ski flexed quickly and reached that radius a little too fast, sometimes bucking me off balance.”
Powder Performance
Our testers really enjoyed getting freshies on the Reliance 92 Ti. The uniquely shaped rectangular rockered tip bounced them back to the surface, and the meat of the ski floated really well, especially considering their mere 92-millimeter waist. Their accessible flex profile allows a skier to easily bend them in the deep and create a platform of snow to rebound against. Even though their 17-meter turn radius also feels true in powder, so our testers actually preferred to ski the Reliance 92 Ti in big open bowls more than tight trees. When you could open them up to make sweeping, medium-to-large radius turns, one tester exclaimed that "it felt like having little freight trains on my feet!"
Crud Performance
Our testers offered varying opinions of the Reliance 92 Ti in tougher snow conditions. Some felt that the ski was damp and reliable and that it skimmed well across variable snow surfaces, especially if you only set low edge angles. Other testers agreed that it wanted to maintain a flatter trajectory but felt that the ride was a bit too rough. All were surprised by how the tips deflected easily in chunky snow, and despite the articulated titanal banding throughout the ski, it often wasn't stiff enough in the nose to push through debris.
Terrain Playfulness
The Reliance 92 Ti is the brain-and-body child of Armada's revolutionary philosophy toward ski design. This lightweight ski is agile in the air and is apt to go airborne off small features or even under the power of its own rebound. Some heavier testers felt it bent just a smidge too easily, as the quick rebound regularly tossed their balance out of whack. Yet they certainly could not fault the Reliance 92 Ti for being the life of the party – it's an ecstatic and energetic ski.
Bumps
The ability for the Reliance 92 Ti to make a smooth, smeary turn is a boon here, but it's still not quite enough to overcome other drawbacks. The issues with tip deflection and the soft yet energetic flex pattern in crud were the same critical issues we experienced when skiing moguls. Our testers were getting tossed out significantly earlier on the Reliance 92 Ti compared to other skis, skiing the same zipper lines back-to-back.
Should You Buy the Armada Reliance 92 Ti?
This ski works really well in certain ways and very poorly in others. If you enjoy taking laps through the park on sunny days but want to play in the powder when the snow flies, then the Reliance 92 Ti is a great choice. However, if you appreciate the more “classic” forms of skiing – namely carving groomers and skiing moguls – you should look elsewhere.
What Other Skis Should You Consider?
If a playful ski sounds fun but you'd prefer something with a little more bulk behind it, the Blizzard Sheeva 9 offers great rebound but carvers significantly better than the Reliance 92 Ti. For an even sturdier ski on-piste, the heavy-duty Volkl Secret 96 is a fan-favorite for its stability at speed. We were surprised by the performance of the relatively narrow Reliance 92 Ti on powder days, but for a truly amazing powder ski, the Elan Ripstick 94 W can't be beaten at this price point.