Armada

JJ 2.0 Ski

Armada's JJ Ski had been beloved (and pretty much unchanged) since dinosaurs walked the earth—or at least since 2006—but last year Armada's renamed it the JJ 2.0 and tossed in a few tweaks to make it float better at moderate speeds and provide better control when things get steep. It still crushed everything soft, though, and the rabble liked it enough that Armada brought it back unchanged. The 2.0 has a slightly longer turning radius than the original, but it's still not a straightlining nutjob. It keeps the fun, easy-to-smear Five-Dimension Sidecut that Armada pioneered, but actually adds a few millimeters of width and tapers slightly less in the tip and tail, making it floatier and more stable in pow without sacrificing its trademark nimbleness.

Armada isn't crazy, so one thing that didn't change is the JJ's classic EST Freeride Rocker, which employs camber underfoot with significant amounts of rise in the tip and tail for just enough edge hold and tons of terrain-smoothing butteriness whether you're riding forwards or switch. It's also built with the same AR50 hybrid construction, with stiff 'n' edgy sidewalls underfoot for grip and a lightweight cap in the tip and tail for unparalleled swingweight and pivoty goodness. The JJ's quickness in trees and on pillows is largely due to the Hybrid Ultralight wood core, which is super lively and just stiff enough, thanks to a fiberglass laminate matrix, to let you rally or get as jibby as you feel like. Add in Armada's speedy Comp Series base and burly 1.7mm Impact Edges, and you have a board that's all about fun and games, but tough enough to survive when things get serious.