Van Deer FREERIDE 108
By PTO Team, Based on Van Deer's official specs; no independent on-snow test of this model was found · Spec analysis on this ski ·
The take
“Titanal down the spine instead of out to the edges. Van Deer says that costs nothing; PTO thinks it costs some bite on firm snow.”
The Van Deer FREERIDE 108 is the soft-snow half of a two-ski pair that shares almost everything with its narrower twin. The FREERIDE 98 costs the same $1,500, runs the same four lengths — 164, 172, 180 and 188 cm — and turns on the same four radii, 16 through 19 m. Both arrive flat, both arrive factory-tuned. What separates them is the metal: full Titanal layers on the 98, and on this ski a Titanal centre stripe, 0.5 mm above the core and 0.4 mm below it.
Van Deer says that stripe costs nothing. Its own bullet for it, verbatim: "lighter for floating in powder, with the same maximum performance and stability." The full layers on the 98 are sold as "maximum performance and stability," with no mention of float at all. On the brand's telling this is not a trade — it is the same ski, plus float, for the same money.
PTO reads it differently, and this paragraph is ours rather than the brand's. A ski holds hard snow with the steel at its edges, and metal out near that steel is what stiffens the ski against it. A centre stripe leaves less of it there than a sheet running to the sidewall, so we expect a trade: the 98 bites harder on firm snow, and this one lifts earlier in deep. Van Deer denies the trade, no measurement we could find settles it, and $1,500 buys either ski. Choose by the snow you actually get, not by the price.
The FREERIDE 108's "lighter" is a word about construction, not about the scale. On the published per-ski weights it runs about ten grams heavier than the 98 at 164 and 172 cm — 1,785 against 1,775, and 1,930 against 1,920 — and comes in lighter only at the two long sizes, 2,030 against 2,045 and 2,140 against 2,230. So if you ski a short pair, do not buy this ski to save weight. Buy it because it floats.
Inside Van Deer's line the FREERIDE 108 gives ground in every direction but one. The FREERIDE 98 takes firm and mixed resort snow at the same price; the PRO and the H-POWER 68 own the short, fast arc at 68 mm; the TOUR skis go uphill, and this one does not. What is left is narrow and real — deep snow, open terrain, and a rockered 108 mm platform with enough metal to stay composed when the soft snow runs out. Sizing is a radius decision, because the 148-108-130 sidecut never moves: 164 cm turns at 16 m, 172 at 17 m, 180 at 18 m, 188 at 19 m, and PTO stocks all four. One limit on everything above: no independent on-snow test of this ski turned up in our research, so this read leans on the published spec and the logic of the line, not on a test consensus.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski — no plate. The binding is a separate purchase, mounted and set by a technician. Our pick: Yours to choose — Van Deer lists no fitting binding for the FREERIDE skis.
The $1,500 covers the ski only. Van Deer publishes no recommended binding for the FREERIDE models, so the binding is your choice; the brakes have to clear a 108 mm waist. Our technician mounts it and sets your release value. DIN is an indicator, not a safety guarantee.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between the Van Deer FREERIDE 108 and the FREERIDE 98?
- Construction, not just width. The 98 is 138-98-120 with two full Titanal layers over a beech-poplar core; the 108 is 148-108-130 with a Titanal centre stripe over a lighter beech-paulownia core. Both are flat skis at $1,500, 164 to 188 cm, 16 to 19 m. Van Deer says the stripe adds float without costing performance or stability; PTO expects the 98 to hold firm snow better.
- Does the Van Deer FREERIDE 108 come with a binding?
- No. This is a flat ski, sold bare: the $1,500 covers the ski, and Van Deer publishes no recommended binding for the FREERIDE models. You choose the binding, and a technician mounts it and sets your release value. DIN is an indicator, not a safety guarantee.
- Is the Van Deer FREERIDE 108 lighter than the FREERIDE 98?
- Only at the two longest sizes. Per ski without a plate the 108 weighs 1,785 / 1,930 / 2,030 / 2,140 g at 164 / 172 / 180 / 188 cm, against 1,775 / 1,920 / 2,045 / 2,230 g for the 98. Van Deer’s word "lighter" describes the centre-stripe construction, not a weight saving at every length.
- What camber does the Van Deer FREERIDE 108 have?
- Van Deer publishes "Tip Rocker" and describes the result as a surfy ride with easy handling and float in powder. It publishes no camber figure underfoot, and PTO will not invent one.
- Which length of the Van Deer FREERIDE 108 should I buy?
- Length picks your radius, because the 148-108-130 sidecut is identical at every size: 164 cm turns at 16 m, 172 at 17 m, 180 at 18 m, 188 at 19 m. Longer runs steadier when you open the ski up, and asks more of you in tight lines. PTO stocks all four.
