The Rossignol Experience 84 AI W is a brand new ski for 2019 and uses Rossignol’s completely new shape and construction concepts for their all mountain collection. Compared to the Temptation 84 it’s replacing, this ski uses much more rocker, especially in the tip. It also uses quite a bit more early taper, again more noticeable in the tip, but also present in the tail. For construction, it uses their new Line Control Technology, and the 84 in particular uses a vertical strip of basalt in the middle of the core, which is constructed using their proven Carbon Alloy Matrix materials. The result is an energetic, maneuverable all mountain ski that feels quite lightweight on your feet. All of our testers were on the 160 cm length and we were excited to get their feedback on these brand new skis.
Susan Dorn thought it was a “very maneuverable intermediate ski.” She described it as “light” and “easy to turn.” That’s what we expected in the Experience 84 AI. The light weight, achieved by the ski’s construction and a shape that’s focused on maneuverability and turn initiation, clearly was noticeable for Susan. She did comment that she thought it was “too light” for skiing aggressively through “crud snow,” but for more stability at high speeds, skiers can choose to go with the Experience 88 Ti, which uses metal in place of the basalt in this ski.
Jenny Lawson had a similar reaction to the Experience 84 AI. She gave it high scores for quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, forgiveness, and overall impression. Once again, that’s pretty much the feedback we expected to receive for the Experience 84 AI. Jenny thought it was “easy and fun to turn.” She didn’t feel like she could ski quite as aggressively as she could on the 88, but a lot of skiers won’t necessarily need the extra stability of the 88 and will benefit more from the lightweight and maneuverable nature of the Experience 84 AI.
Josi Kytle thought the 160 cm length was a little short for her, which we agree with, but that didn’t stop here from having a blast testing the Experience 84 AI. She scored it 4 out of 5 for quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, forgiveness, versatility, and overall impression, which all but mirrored the response from Susan. “Despite (being too short) they were fun and playful!” Josi was another to comment that if you like to ski fast you might want to bump up to the 88, and stability was one of her lower scores. The Experience 84 AI is focused on being light and maneuverable, so we’re not surprised by that feedback.
Katrine Wolfgang was probably the biggest fan of the Experience 84 AI. “Effortless turns whatever snow conditions you’re in.” That’s really good feedback from Katrine and really says a lot about the ability of this ski. The new shape and construction really combine for a very versatile ski, especially considering its waist width. Katrine also thought it has “a lot of pop,” and further described it as being “fun and playful.” That corresponds nicely with what our other testers said, although Katrine did find that it “holds well when I let it run.” So, while others found it to be a little less stable than they’d like, Katrine’s scores of 5 out of 5 for stability and edge grip suggest not everyone will feel that way. We think the Experience 84 AI prefers and will benefit a precise, deliberate skier over a blindly aggressive skier.
Rossignol has done a great job with this new collection of all mountain skis. The differences between models offer a nice range of performance. If you want an all mountain ski that’s focused on feeling lightweight and maneuverable you’ll likely love the Experience 84 AI. It’s also not a super soft, noodle of a ski by any means. Keep in mind that all of our testers were on a 160 cm length, which is on the short side for some of them. We imagine a longer length ski would result in more stability for many of them, so don’t shy away from the Experience 84 AI if you’re worried it’s not enough ski. There’s a good chance it is.
