The Amphibio Black Edition seems to operate on its own volition. It’s like owing a pair of animated skis that previously belonged to Roger Rabbit. Step in and you’re off on a Disney-quality ride: exciting but never scary. That’s because it’s as smooth and languid as a Southern drawl. Even when it’s whipping around a corner, it doesn’t act hurried or nervous. If you’ve ever driven a ritzy sedan, you know how 85mph feels like 60; on the Amphibio Black, 40mph feels like 20.

The added ingredient that distinguishes the Amphibio Black from its template, the Amphibio 16 TI2, is a top sheet of carbon that seems to smother whatever threatens to disturb its Buddha-like tranquility. Carbon has become a ubiquitous ingredient in contemporary ski design, and yet in certain applications where its performance can be pinpointed, it continues to amaze.

A full carbon drape over an entire carving ski seems to have almost mystical properties. Kästle pulled off a similar coup with its MX Limited Edition. The common thread between the Elan and Kästle, carbon aside, is that both are built on immaculate foundations with traditional materials like wood and Titanal. Turns out the secret to making a ski than earns a perfect 10 for holding a carve is to start with one that earns over a 9.5.

Because the skier feels unshakably connected to the slope, any turn feels possible at any time. As fashionistas have long proclaimed, black is slimming, as is a 73mm waist. The Amphibio Black’s murdered-out cosmetics and thin profile bring to mind two black mambas slithering down the slope, instinctively curling into every arc because that’s what mambas do.

Great skis often leave testers so numb with awe they can barely compose a phrase. My favorite dumbstruck review is one word, “delicious.” The word my mind fixated on was “supple,” for the Amphibio Black bows easily into its incorruptible arc. For its extraordinary facility and unwavering dedication to clean carves we award the Amphibio Black a Silver Skier Selection.