1 / 3Van Deer Freeride 98 Skis 2027
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PTO Verdict
“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.”
Best for: Advanced skiers who already own something narrow and want one wider ski for everything else at the resort: groomers in the morning, chopped-up snow by two o'clock, a run off the side of the piste when they find one. It suits skiers who ski fast enough to want two full sheets of metal working for them rather than against them, and skiers who want a flat ski and their own choice of binding. PTO carries all four lengths.
Not for: Four skiers should look elsewhere. If deep snow is the point of the purchase, the FREERIDE 108 is what Van Deer built for that, at exactly the same price. If you are a beginner or a soft intermediate, 98 mm on two full Titanal sheets is a demanding platform - Van Deer states no ability level, so that read is ours, but it is not a close call. If you want a quick, tight turn on a groomer, 16 to 19 m at this width will not make it: go narrow, to the PRO or the H-POWER 68. And if you want something light and playful underfoot, a two-sheet metal build is not that. One more, and it matters at this price: what you are buying is a spec sheet and a shape, not a ride report.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
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Compatible Ski Bindings
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
Description
The Van Deer FREERIDE 98 is a 98 mm all-mountain freeride ski built on two full layers of Titanal. It is a flat ski: the $1,500 buys no plate and no binding. This is the part of Marcel Hirscher's catalogue that does not come from the race room.
Van Deer prints the metal thicknesses here: 0.5 mm of Titanal over the beech-poplar core and 0.4 mm under it, edge to edge, on tune-ready ABS sidewalls. The published profile is Tip Rocker, which Van Deer says gives surfy handling and flotation in powder. Van Deer publishes no camber figure and no base type, so we state neither. Weights run 1,775 g at 164 cm to 2,230 g at 188 cm, per ski and without a plate.
Buy the FREERIDE 98 if you already own something narrow, want one wider ski for the rest of the mountain, and ski fast enough to want the metal working for you. Van Deer states no ability level for it. Our read of the layup: a stiff, damp 98 asks for speed, and suits neither a beginner nor a soft intermediate. Look elsewhere if deep snow is the point of the purchase, if you want a quick, tight arc on a groomer, or if you want a light, playful ski.
The FREERIDE 108 costs the same and runs the same four lengths and radii, but Van Deer builds it differently: a Titanal centre stripe rather than full layers, which the brand calls "lighter for floating in powder, with the same maximum performance and stability". Our own read is that full sheets should hold firm snow better than a stripe. That judgment is ours, not Van Deer's; no test of either ski exists. If the groomer is still most of your day, the narrower H-POWER 89 is the better tool. PTO stocks all four lengths, 164 to 188 cm. The ski arrives bare and Van Deer names no fitting binding, so you choose one and we mount it and set the release value. DIN is an indicator, not a measured release torque and not a safety guarantee.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Freeride Skis |
| Model | FREERIDE 98 |
| Waist Width | 98 mm |
| Available Lengths | 164 cm, 172 cm, 180 cm, 188 cm |
| Configuration | Flat Ski |
| Binding Included | No, bindings are sold separately |
| Recommended Use | Freeride / Powder / Variable Snow / All-Mountain Skiing |
Specs
- Waist Width: 98 mm
- Sidecut: 138-98-120 mm (all lengths)
- Turn Radius: 16 m (164 cm) · 17 m (172 cm) · 18 m (180 cm) · 19 m (188 cm)
- Core: Beech-poplar wood
- Construction: Titanal 0.5 mm upper + 0.4 mm lower, with carbon layers · ABS sidewalls, ready to tune
- Profile: Tip rocker
- Weight: 1,775 g (164 cm) · 1,920 g (172 cm) · 2,045 g (180 cm) · 2,230 g (188 cm) — per ski without plate
- Plate: None — flat ski
- Binding: Sold separately; mounted and the release value set by a technician
- Factory Tuning: Marcel Hirscher factory tune, model-specific
- Available Lengths: 164 · 172 · 180 · 188 cm
- Colourway: Off White
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Van Deer
- SKU
- V25FR2401.164.01
- UPC / GTIN
- 9120124676934
164cm R16 / Off White
Van Deer FREERIDE 98
By PTO Team, Based on Van Deer official specs
Spec analysis · Analysis dated
These 10-point scores express PTO's editorial assessment of suitability for each use. They are not customer ratings or instrumented measurements; the analysis below explains the trade-offs.
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.
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. 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 carries 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.
- 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 carries all four.
