Max Palm’s Influence Is All Over Armada’s New Antimatter Freeride Ski

When young Swedish skier Max Palm made his debut on the Freeride World Tour, the world listened. In 2022, he left announcers and his fellow competitors speechless with the first-ever stomped double backflip in the competition's history, landing him atop the podium. That was followed by a multitude of other stunning performances on the FWT and at Natural Selection exemplifying his mastery of combining freestyle and big mountain skiing on a level rarely seen before. This year, the 22-year-old skier is taking a hiatus from competition to focus on film projects and working with Armada to design a new line of signature skis called Antimatter that cater to his high-energy style of riding.

Today, the new Armada Antimatter freeride line drops, with an entire collection of new skis, including a 114 and a men's and women's 100, with more to come soon. The Antimatter line will replace the existing Declivity freeride models.

Armada Antimatter 114 Specs

• Lengths available: 181cm, 187cm, 193cm
• Sidecut: 138mm – 114mm – 132mm
• Radius: 21m (187cm)
• Profile: directional twin rocker
• Stated Weight: 2050g

The flagship of the series, the all-new Armada Antimatter 114, is one of the most unique looking skis I've ever seen. I actually got a chance to spend a few days with Max riding the new ski in Silverton, Colorado–watching Max casually throw massive flips and spins over enormous natural features on his new setup. It really showcased what the ski was capable of in the hands of one the world's best skiers, but what really stood out was how approachable the ski is to mere mortals.

In short, the Antimatter 114 is a story of opposites. On the surface, it's a stiff, wide, powerful, directional ski that has the character and personality of something much more playful, easygoing, and fun–just like Max's skiing. Inside, Armada uses tapered metal layers around a poplar core they're calling "Speed Metal." It's the brand's take on a metal laminate to add damping without sapping the snappy energy return and maneuverability that makes them fun to ski. We're talking about Armada, after all, so fun is paramount.

The unique-looking tip and tail profiles are optimized for deep and variable snow performance without sacrificing more playful versatility. The ski is technically a twin tip, but the tip and tail profile are very different than what you'd find in a traditional powder twin. Up front, the multi-radius tip shape has a long and low rocker splay to maintain running length and stability in varied conditions with enough lift for deeper pow. Out back, the larger, straighter tail radius helps drop the tail into the snow, but still features a pronounced kick for riding switch and letting the tail release quickly and predictably for drifty, loose turns.

The two recommended mount point options include a nearly center-mounted "Max" line, and a somewhat more traditional (but still quite centered) recommended line.