Rossignol Experience 98 Ski

   Retailer Reviews

Experience 98 Ski Review

First Impression: When I was asked to Demo the new Rossignol all-mountain skis I jumped at the chance. Sure I consider myself a snowboarder, but I still can rip on skis, and it hadn't snowed in a couple days so I knew it would be a great day for charging some GS turns and hitting some moguls. Besides these skis looked pretty slick, with Rocker tip and tail and Camber underfoot they look like they can cut some serious turns.Shape: The Experience 98 has a fairly wide shovel with 139mm in the tip, 98mm under foot and 128 under the tail. Making the ski very stable and hard charging through crud and packed snow as well as ice and inconsitant snow. These skis are 70% Camber underfoot and have 30% subtle Rocker in the tips and tails allowing the ski to float in the powder. This combination also allows the skier to lay down carving turns with ease and stability. They are great when skiing fast and are an all around versatile ski made to take on all types of conditions. Weight: Not being on Skis for a while, they didn't feel especially heavy, they felt more stable than anything. It is a little weird getting back on two skis, but it is fun to take on the hill after being on a board for so long. Back to the skis I would always prefer to sacrifice a little weight for stability. The skis have a sleek feel and make instant contact with the snow and the full edge grip is similar to a snowboard, having four edges instead of two is all the more fun , laying downing GS turns is a breeze with these bad boys. Skiers also take different fall lines than snowboarders, it can make you hum drum ski runs fun again , and there is nothing like straight lining it down a run, and finding a little lip to get some air off of.Flex : The Experience 98 has the torsion and flex pattern of a stiffer ski , making them extremely stable and helps you drive through the turn. The Rocker , Camber combination helps initiate the turn , and giving a softer feel under foot , with a stiffer tip and tail. Great design and flex patter as a result.Ski Shape and Turning: This is a Directional Ski with a tail that will allow you to land the occasional jump switch, but this ski is designed to rip the whole mountain and charge through powder. The Experience line have an Extended Sidecut, which reminds me of a snowboard and allows the skier to ride the full edge with complete contact from tip to tail. This is key for stability and allows the skier to make deep carving turns, When the turn is initiated the side cut grabs and allows the skier to drive through the turn. The new Cascade Tip technology improves swing weight for faster turning , better edge grip and superior contact.Control : These skis have great control and are very stable , they are designed for skiers that know how to drive their skis and can ski aggressively. If you know how to tell you skis where to go, you'll love these skis. That combined with the full edge control makes for fierce control and precise turning. You can aggressively maneuver this ski or let it make nice long sweeping turns.Switch : These skis can be ridden switch for sort distances and will be fine for landing switch or playing around on cruiser days. The nature of these skis are deep turning , hard charging all-mountain skis. So although you could probably learn to ski them switch, they are much better when ridden as a direction ski.