Line Bacon 108 vs ARV 106: Two Playful Wide-Waist Skis Compared

Introduction

The Line Bacon 108 and the ARV 106 sit in the same sweet spot: wide-waisted, soft-snow-oriented skis with freestyle DNA. Both are twin-tip skis with symmetrical construction and waist widths that are nearly identical, so they overlap in a lot of the same terrain. What separates them is how they behave when you push them, and that difference is exactly what should decide your purchase.

Line Bacon 108

The Bacon 108 is the softer ski of the pair, with a more forgiving flex both underfoot and in the tips and tails. That character makes it a genuinely fun tool for crushing off-trail terrain and tight, technical sections where a damp, flexible ski shines.

Because it is such a playful ski, it does not carry much power at speed. You will really notice this when you open it up, whether charging out of a chute or simply skiing fast down an average groomer. It does not feel quite as stable or confident as stiffer options in those moments.

If you want to charge harder, something stiffer is probably the better call. But if you are a creative, playful skier who values flex and low swing weight, or you are simply after a wider park ski, the Bacon 108 is a really strong option.

ARV 106

The ARV 106 is slightly stiffer than the Bacon, and that extra backbone makes it feel stronger in exactly the situations where the Bacon starts to wobble: the outrun of a chute, or skiing a little faster on your everyday groomer. It holds up better at high speed and feels more composed when you are really pushing the ski.

It is still a playful ski with its home in off-trail and technical terrain, and it works in the park too. But with a bit more beef toward the centre of the ski, it is noticeably more comfortable in hard-charging scenarios. Of the two, it sits closer to a traditional all-mountain ski while keeping the twin-tip, freestyle character.

Which One Should You Buy

If holding up at high speeds matters to you, whether that is skiing fast out of bounds or pushing the ski on groomers, the ARV 106 is the clearer fit. If you do not care about that and would rather have a ski that flexes freely, has a low swing weight, and basically skis like a wider park ski, the Bacon 108 makes more sense.

Both are excellent picks for anyone shopping in this category of playful, wide-waisted freestyle skis. The right answer comes down to how much you value composure at speed versus maximum playfulness at lower speeds.

Conclusion

The Bacon 108 and ARV 106 prove that two skis with near-identical waist widths and shared freestyle DNA can still serve very different skiers. Choose the Bacon for creative, lower-speed, playful skiing, and the ARV 106 if you want that same playfulness with more confidence when things speed up.