What Our Techs Have Been Ripping On This Season
When you’ve got a big quiver at home, it can be difficult choosing which weapon of choice will best suit the day's conditions – especially in Japan where conditions change so rapidly. Now, imagine trying to decide from a quiver of over 3,000 boards and skis…
Yep, there’s a reason our techs are the best at what they do. Not only do they fit out the gear, they shred it, so when they are giving their tips on what they think will be best for the day, it’s coming from lived experience. 
So naturally, there’s no one better to ask what models have been epic for the huge snow dumps we’ve scored early season than our techs! We caught up with a bunch of our techs from all over Japan to get their takes on what models have been their go-to for the first month of the season.
Seth, Rhythm Wadano
From: Tasmania, Australia
Seasons: 2
Loves: Riding wide open trees with pillow lines, onsens and riding with mates
Seth's Pick:
Armada - Whitewalker 116
Seth's Take:
"My pick would be the Armada Whitewalker 116s, an absolute weapon on deep powder days. Designed with input from Sammy Carlson, this ski is perfect to slash, float, and get creative in deep pow.
What really makes the Whitewalker 116 so sick is its lightweight construction and massive rocker profile. The long, smooth rocker in the tip and tail makes the ski feel surfy and playful just the way Sammy Carlson designed it to rip."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: AR Freestyle Rocker Core: Calvacoa Carbacore Sidewall: AR75 Sidewall | + Hike and ride style perfect for backcountry touring + Light base perfect for hiking and high speed gliding + Finally come in short sizes like 175's (we've been waiting) |
Tiana, Rhythm Hirafu
From: Cooma, Australia
Seasons: 1
Loves: Free riding followed by an onsen
Tiana's Picks:
Burton – Counterbalance
Tiana's Take:
"The Burton Counterbalance is the perfect balance of powder & all mountain making it a great option for early season shredding. The directional shapemakes it float in the piste powder in contrast to its stiffness and directional camber which allows it to hold up on the groomed runs creating it a perfect all-rounder board."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Directional Camber Core: Super Fly II 700g Core Base: Sintered WFO | + Medium Flex + Increased pop in the tail and a more resilient nose + Gender Neutral Sizing |
Sims – Nub
Tiana's Take:
"The Sims Women’s Directional Nub is a board with a stunning Japanese specific graphic is a board that I have recently discovered. It surprisingly impressed me with the uniqueness of the directional shape in combination with the sidecut being twin. With this, the board excels in powder but has the ability to be ridden in switch making it a very diverse board. With the complexity of the terrain this season, this board allows the rider to shred everywhere."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Traditional Camber Core: MOD 4 Base: Premium Racing Base Best For: Freestyle, All-Mountain | + Regular tip that features a full wood core from tip-to-tail + Ultra high density sintered base + Perfect all terrain shredder |
Faction - Dancer 2
Tiana's Take:
"The Faction Dancer 2 is an amazing all mountain freeride ski that charges on all terrain. These beautiful skis are lightweight but stable at speed creating the perfect charging ski. It’s 96mm width makes the skis good for powder as well as the choppy terrain. The versatility of this ski has made it my top ski so far this season."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Rocker-Camber-Rocker Core: Lightweight Poplar Wood Core Sidewall: Elliptical Sidecut Best For: All-Mountain | + Dual Span Titanal laminate to add stability and power. + Medium turning radius + Partial twin tip tail, making it easy to ride switch |
Armada – ARW
Tiana's Take:
"The Armada ARW is the women’s ARV which comes in a variety of widths from 84mm all the way to 112mm. For this season so far, I have preferred the 100mm as it is a wider ski to slice through the deeper powder but the underfoot still has a sidecut making the ski easily hold up on the rest of the mountain as well. The twin tips and flex of the ski makes them playful and easy to shred all over the mountain."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: AR Freestyle Rocker Core: Hybrid Poplar/Composite Core Sidewall: AR50 Sidewall Best For: Park and Pipe | + Short turning radius helps for agile lines + Full twin tip tail + A jack of all trades, no matter the terrain |
Finn, Rhythm Furano
From: Adelaide, Australia
Seasons: 2
Loves: Deep pow, big sidehits and Fontaines DC
CAPiTA - Aeronaut
Finn's Take:
"The Capita Aeronaut is my pick of the bunch from this season’s rental fleet. Arthur Longo’s signature model- if you’re familiar with his films then you’ll know that this thing is aptly named. Just about the poppiest board I’ve ridden, the Aeronaut wants to go large, ideally into landings stacked with pow.
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Directional Camber Profile Core: Panda Hover Core Base: Hyperdrive Adv XT | + Extremely durable Panda Hover Core and Carbon-Flex Amplifiers for optimized flow and style. + Alpine V3 Directional Rocker for a more controlled ride |
Max, Rhythm Happo
From: Jindabyne, Australia
Seasons: 1
Loves: Finding sidehits and trying to surf the snow as much as possible
Max's Pick:
K2 - Alchemist
Max's Take:
"I love the K2 Alchemist, it is an all terrain/conditions beast, it's super responsive, gives me float through pow and extreme drive through my turns, super poppy board absolutely loves it!"
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Directional Camber Profile Core: S1 Core Base: Wax-Infused Sintered 4001 Base | + Pairs a stiff flex with carbon-loaded construction for powerful response + Features SnoPhobic Topsheet to help eliminate snow build up + Reduced swing rate |
Annaliese, Rhythm Hirafu
From: Australia
Seasons: 1
Annaliese's Picks:
Black Crows - Captis Birdie
The Captis Birdie’s are a great all-mountain carve ski for intermediate to advanced skiers that love to rip up all-terrain. These skis are great for the days where you want to hit the Japow through off-piste runs in the morning and then finish off with carving up the on-piste groomers in the arvo to cool down. The 90mm at the waist with the double rocker allows for great maneuverability and control, and adding the medium camber underfoot allows for the perfect balance between stability and handling. Overall these skis are perfect for the skier that loves to carve up groomers but also lovesto hit those side runs for some fresh powder.
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: Classic Medium Camber Core: Poplar/Fiberglass Sidewall: Semi-cap with ABS sidewalls | + An all-mountain beast + Medium turning radius + Double rocker for great handling, control and pivot |
Armada - ARV 100
"The Armada ARV 100 are versatile all-mountain freestyle skis known for their playful feel, thanks to a softer flex compared to many other all-mountain skis. The rocker in the tip and tail, paired with positive camber underfoot, allows the skis to float effortlessly in deep powder while still delivering a strong edge hold on firmer snow. While the ARV 100 excels in off-piste conditions, its 100mm waist and twin-tip construction make transitioning back to on-piste groomers seamless. Overall, these skis are an excellent all-mountain option for riders who want to chase off-piste Japow and still hit every side hit along the way."
| SPECS | PERKS |
Profile: AR Freestyle Rocker Core: Poplar Core Sidewall: w3Dgewall Best For: All Mountain | + Mid-fat ski, perfect for deep terrain worldwide + Ash binding insert providing maximum strength and binding retention + Also comes in a limited edition Oyuki collab |
Keen to get shredding? Get in quick before all the epic gear is booked out! Oh, and did we mention our exclusive pre-book rates?