Van Deer FREERIDE 98
By PTO Team, Based on Van Deer official specs; no independent on-snow test of this ski was found · Spec analysis on this ski ·
The take
“Two full sheets of Titanal at 98 mm: our read is hard-snow hold, where the 108 floats. Van Deer says the 108 gives up nothing.”
The Van Deer FREERIDE 98 is a 98 mm all-mountain ski with two full sheets of Titanal in it: 0.5 mm over the beech-poplar core, 0.4 mm under it, edge to edge. Van Deer publishes those thicknesses, which it does not do for any race ski. The sidewalls are tune-ready ABS, and the tip is rockered - a brand spec, not our inference, with Van Deer's stated purpose of surfy handling and flotation in powder. It publishes no camber figure and no base type, so we state neither.
The FREERIDE 98 has a twin that costs the same and is a different ski underneath. The FREERIDE 108 runs the same four lengths and radii on a lighter beech-paulownia core, and carries the same 0.5 mm and 0.4 mm of Titanal as a centre stripe rather than full layers. Van Deer's own words on that stripe are not what you would expect: it is "lighter for floating in powder, with the same maximum performance and stability". We do not read it that way, and this part is ours, not theirs: metal out near the edges is what a ski grips hard snow with, so full sheets should hold firm snow better and a stripe should float better. Van Deer says there is no trade. We found no measurement either way.
How the FREERIDE 98 skis is a read of the layup, not a test result. Two full Titanal layers on a 98 mm platform is a heavy, damp, stiff recipe, and skis built that way reward speed, punish passivity, and go quiet where a lighter ski chatters. That is our inference: Van Deer states no ability level for this ski at all. No independent on-snow test of it turned up in our search, so nobody has skied it for you, including us. The published weights run 1,775 g at 164 cm to 2,230 g at 188, per ski and without a plate, the opposite convention to the race skis.
Within Van Deer's line the FREERIDE 98 is the everyday ski. The H-POWER 89 is nine millimetres narrower and built to carve first, so if the groomer is still most of your day, it is the better tool. The TOUR 95 is three millimetres away in width and a different sport: it goes uphill. The PRO and the H-POWER 68 sit at 68 mm, where the tight, fast arc lives, and at 16 to 19 m on a 98 mm platform this ski does not make that turn.
Sizing the FREERIDE 98 is a choice of arc: 138-98-120 at every length, with the radius growing from 16 m at 164 cm to 19 m at 188. PTO stocks all four. It is a flat ski - the $1,500 is the ski alone, and Van Deer names no fitting binding for it - so the binding is yours to choose. We mount it and set the release value. DIN is an indicator, not a measured release torque and not a safety guarantee.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - no plate; the binding is a separate purchase and needs mounting. Our pick: Yours to choose - Van Deer names no fitting binding for the FREERIDE 98.
- Your own choice of alpine bindingMatched to your boot and weight
Van Deer lists no fitting binding for the FREERIDE skis, unlike every race and H-POWER ski in the catalogue. You choose one, a technician mounts it and sets the release value, and the DIN indicator is a reference scale, not a measured release torque.
The FREERIDE 98 is a flat ski: $1,500 is the ski alone, with no plate and no binding in the price. Mount and release value are set by a technician.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between the Van Deer FREERIDE 98 and the FREERIDE 108?
- More than ten millimetres of width. They cost the same $1,500 and run the same four lengths and radii, but the 98 carries its Titanal as two full layers on a beech-poplar core, while the 108 carries the same metal as a centre stripe on a beech-paulownia core. Van Deer's claim for the stripe is that it is "lighter for floating in powder, with the same maximum performance and stability" - no trade-off at all. Our own read is that full sheets should hold firm snow better, and we found no test of either.
- Does the Van Deer FREERIDE 98 come with a binding?
- No. It is a flat ski: there is no plate, there is no binding in the $1,500, and Van Deer does not name a fitting binding for it. You pick the binding, and a technician mounts it and sets the release value.
- What skier is the Van Deer FREERIDE 98 for?
- Van Deer does not say - it publishes no ability level for this ski. Our read is that two full sheets of metal under a 98 mm platform makes a stiff, damp ski that wants speed, so we would put it in front of an advanced skier and not a developing one. That is a judgment from the layup, not a brand claim.
- What camber does the Van Deer FREERIDE 98 have?
- Van Deer publishes Tip Rocker and gives no camber figure, so we do not supply one either. That is still more than the race skis get: they carry no published profile at all.
- Which length of Van Deer FREERIDE 98 should I take?
- The sidecut is 138-98-120 mm at every length, so you are choosing an arc rather than a shape: 16 m at 164 cm, 17 m at 172, 18 m at 180, 19 m at 188. Longer means more stability at speed and more ski to move around in tight places. PTO stocks all four, so come in and hold them.
