Powder Review: Armada Locator 112
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In a nutshell
The Armada Locator 112 is a great touring option for directional skiers. It’s a whole bunch of fun in powder, but holds its own in variable conditions.
Length Skied: 187 cm
Weight: 1779 g
Stated Dimensions: 136-112-128 mm
Stated Sidecut: 26 m
Recommended Mount Point: -10 cm
The Armada Locator 112 is available now.
Intro
When it comes to tour-weight skis, Armada might just have one of the most interesting lineups on the market. In addition to the “Zero” versions of their more playful skis, which generally come in at a good weight for touring or 50/50 inbounds/touring use, they also make the Locator line, which is designed purely for backcountry skiing. The Locator lineup is a unisex line of directional touring skis, with models ranging from 88 mm underfoot, to the Locator 112 reviewed here which is the widest ski in the line.
Armada says the Locator 112 is designed for deep powder and big terrain. I was really excited to get out on the Locator 112 at the end of a season that served up plenty of both.
Length and Mount Point
I skied the Locator 112 in the 187 cm length. I could have skied the 180, but for wider, more powder-oriented skis, I’m always more tempted to size up than down. With most skis, there’s a clear “when in doubt, size up/down delineation that can be made. However, with the Locator 112, there are solid arguments in both directions.The Locator 112’s very rearward mount point means that if you’re truly between sizes, you can probably get away with sizing down and not lose too much float and stability. But, it’s also pretty easy to swivel and pivot, I never felt like the 187 was too much ski, so sizing up won’t hurt you too much either.
It’s nice to note that Armada makes the Locator 112 in four sizes from 166 to 187 cm. It’s great to see true unisex sizing, even on the widest ski in this family.
The Locator 112 has a mount point of -10 cm. If that sounds awfully far back to you, don’t worry, you’d probably be better off on an ARW 106 UL or ARW 116 UL. But, if you’re a more traditional, directional skier, you’ll get along just fine with the Locator 112’s mount point. I usually choose skis with mount points closer to -5 cm, but the Locator 112 worked really well at recommended, and I’d caution against moving too far away from that point. Messing with mount point to try to change a ski’s personality rarely has a big positive impact, and that feels especially true for the Locator 112.
Where does the Armada Locator 112 shine?
In soft snow, the Locator 112 is as loose and slarvy as any directional ski I’ve used. It’s not quite as loose and easy to put sideways as an ARV, but, for skis with a -10 mount point, and much more tip rocker than tail, this ski is very fun and surfy in soft snow. Some of that’s probably due to the big, 26 m turn radius and plenty of taper. There’s nothing hooky about this ski at all. You can just flick your ankles to the side and the ski responds immediately, throwing up plenty of snow in the process.
And in soft snow, the Locator is plenty stable. You can lean through the fronts of your boots, into the tips, and drive big, high speed turns. This is a really fun powder touring ski, for a variety of skiing styles.
What really stood out to me about the Locator though, was how well it does in variable conditions. First run on the Locator 112 I skied a south facing line that I get into several times a season. It’s not that long, steep, or committing, but its aspect means that it often gets runneled out or filled with chundry avy debris. Combine that with a tigh-ish choke, a kind of complicated fall line, a tricky exit, and the ticking bomb of warming, and I’ve seen plenty of folks have a really bad time in this line. It’s a bit exciting to ski straight out the gate on a brand new ski.
When I skied this line on the Locator 112, the top section was creamy hot pow. The Locator was easy to drive and feather through the bowl, and never felt grabby or inconsistent. Then, in the steeper, more consequential section I found that it was very, very easy to make a combination of hop turns and more smearing, skidding turns. The apron was full of soft chunky debris and pinwheels, and I was shocked at how strong the Locator 112 felt here. It drove through the blocks of old snow, instead of being bucked over and around them.
I think the Locator’s stiffness combined with its tapered shape is a magic combination in these conditions. It drives through crappy snow much, much better than it has any right to at this weight. I felt like I was charging through this crud, which is not really my habit on 1800 g skis in the backcountry. And it never felt overly pingy or harsh. It doesn’t have quite the all-out suspension of the Volkl Blaze 114, but it is a lot easier to pivot and hop turn with in tight terrain.
So, soft powder snow and open terrain? Check! Crappy spring ski mountaineering conditions? Also check!
For comparisons to other touring skis, check out our roundup of the best backcountry skis. The Locator stands out on that list for how light it is for its length and width.
Where does the Armada Locator 112 make some compromises?
While the Locator 112 did great in variable, crappy snow, it’s not a great ice weapon. (shocker). It doesn’t have the kind of edge hold I’d want in a ski that I was planning on skiing in truly hard conditions a lot.
On groomers, or in corn, the Locator 112 didn’t feel like a particularly energetic ski. It doesn’t not bounce from one turn to the next, and carving short radius turns with it is a real chore. If you’re trying to make small radius turns, it prefers to be skidded, not just carved. And it can be really fun on groomers, if you’re down to make big, gradual, sweeping turns. The Locator wants to make big, sweeping carved turns, or any shape of skidded turns, but trying to force it into shorter radius carves isn’t easy or fun.
The tips have a touch of flop to them, but I found the speed limit was my fear of the combination of tender ligaments and tech bindings, not the ski.
If you’re looking for a completely dedicated powder touring ski, for the deepest days, there are more purpose-built skis than the Locator 112. It doesn’t have as much absolute float and playfulness as something like an ARV JJ 116 UL.
But, if you’re looking for a touring ski that’s fun in powder, like, a lot of fun, but is still strong and powerful when things are less consistent, the Locator 112 is a great choice.
I can imagine just skiing the Locator 112 every day I toured this winter in the Tetons. If you live somewhere where most of your touring is for powder, but you still want something that can handle variable snow with aplomb, the Locator 112 is your ski.
What would a perfect day on the Armada Locator 112 look like?
You slept in the parking lot to get first tracks. Up early, breaking trail at dawn. Rip skins, drop the couloir in 14” of blower but stable pow, stomp the mandatory air in the choke, make big sweeping turns out, and slash your way all the way back to the car.
