Rossignol has completely reworked their line of Experience all mountain skis for 2019. These new skis have a new shape concept with significantly more rocker and early taper in the tip. They also benefit from Rossignol’s new Line Control Technology construction. In the Experience 88 Ti, a vertical strip of metal sits right in the middle of the core, which still uses the Carbon Alloy Matrix technology we saw in previous versions of the Experience 88. The idea is to give the ski a more maneuverable shape, but also more stability, vibration damping, and power from the Line Control Technology. This marks a significant change to one of the most popular all mountain skis on the market, and we were excited to put it on the feet of five testers, all of whom skied the 180 cm length.
Noah Labow described the Experience 88 Ti as a “fun, versatile ski.” That says a lot right there, as the changes that Rossignol made definitely had a focus on versatility, and the previous version of the Experience 88 wasn’t necessarily a ski that was known for its versatility, more for its performance on firm snow than anything else. Noah thought it has a “nice even flex” and “good edge hold.” He also found it was “easy to change turn shape and skis well at a variety of turn shapes.” That’s largely thanks to the new rocker and early taper design, it’s now much easier to release the edge and make different style turns. Noah gave it high scores across the board, but perhaps most telling is his score for overall impression: 5 out of 5.
Michael Carrol-Sherwin was most impressed by the new found stability of the Experience 88 Ti. The Line Control Technology definitely seems to have changed the feel of these skis. “Very stable sticks that want to turn and be on edge the whole way down. Not one ounce of chatter with a responsive and predictable rebound.” Michael’s scores of 5 out of 5 for stability and torsional stiffness/edge grip really say a lot. Not many skiers described the previous version like that. If it’s both more versatile and more stable, Rossignol has achieved an impressive feat.
Jake Inger had a lot of fun on the Experience 88 Ti and he thought it was relatively approachable. While Michael focused on stability and edge grip, Jake found that the flex of the ski wasn’t so stiff that it required an expert level skier. Jake thought that even an intermediate could enjoy the new Experience 88 Ti, commenting that “it was soft enough to make skiing very enjoyable. Easy to lay over.”
Marcus Shakun agreed that an intermediate level skier could enjoy it, but that certainly doesn’t mean an expert skier wouldn’t. Marcus found the Experience 88 Ti to be very quick, a definite result of its new shape, but likely also because Marcus was skiing the 180 cm length, which he felt was a little short for his size. He described it as a “quick turning, fun ski that gives lots of energy each turn.” Carbon Alloy Matrix has always delivered an energetic feel, so we’re not surprised Marcus commented on that feel. He also, however, mentioned that it “would be great in bumps,” which wasn’t a performance highlight of the previous Experience 88.
Bob St.Pierre thought it was a ski that he could confidently recommend to just about anyone as long as they were at least at the intermediate level. He thought it was “user-friendly, versatile, not intimidating, and generally a lot of fun.”
We’re pretty excited about the new changes to the Rossignol Experience collection. This new version of the Experience 88 is clearly the most versatile yet, while still increasing its stability compared to previous versions. Impressive stuff, Rossignol!
