2022 Rossignol Experience 80 Carbon

The Rossignol Experience 80 Carbon is an affordable frontside/all-mountain ski that shares a lot of technology and design elements with the wider, more expensive Experience skis. You get a lot of ski for just $599, which includes an integrated Look 11 DIN binding. Inside the ski is a lightweight paulownia wood core that’s supported by what Rossignol calls Carbon Inserts as well as their Drive Tip Solution. Carbon is an awesome material for ski construction and isn’t often found in skis that hit a price point this low. Drive Tip Solution is an impressive technology that utilizes a complex blend of fibers and visco to create a tip that absorbs impacts and unwanted vibrations and actually turns them into smoother, useable energy when it reaches your feet. It gives these skis a very robust, damp feel that’s often lost on skis in this range. For shape, Rossignol has done a really good job on the redesign of these new Experience skis. They still use similar tip rocker to the skis they are replacing, but the sidecut is more extended through that rocker, so you get a longer effective edge and thus more grip. The rest of the ski is predominantly camber, in fact, there’s really not much tail rocker to speak of, which makes sense for a ski intended to mostly stay on groomed slopes.

Matt McGinnis tested the 174 cm length. He described it as skiing true to size, but also mentioned it felt a little short for him. There is a longer option in the Experience 80 Carbon at 182 cm that will be useful for larger skiers. “I’ll be honest, I was surprised by this ski. Knowing that its target market is beginner to intermediate skiers, I was expecting a ski that would give me problems holding a carve on choppy snow. But, I was pleasantly surprised as they actually proved exceptionally capable of holding a hard edge.” We love when skis surprise our testers! Considering the $599 price and where it sits in the line, Matt’s scores were impressive too. 4 out of 5 for quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, torsional stiffness/edge grip, versatility, and overall impression. All of those scores are noteworthy, although we’re most impressed by that score for edge grip, which is not something you typically get in relatively inexpensive system skis like this. We also got a 5 out of 5 score for forgiveness, which is important for beginner and intermediates. Matt continued with his feedback by adding a caveat to his first statement. “That said, these skis are very much still meant for new skiers, and their ease of use makes that obvious. Both turn initiation and edge release were incredibly intuitive, suggesting that these would be a great ski for anyone still learning the ropes and working towards gaining confidence with their fundamentals. Along with this comment, I would also say that these skis aren’t going to be the best choice for strong skiers. Yes, a strong skier could ski these and still have a great time, however as readers of this ski test will realize, there’s almost definitely a better option available to them, as you’ll see in my recap of the experience 86 Ti.”

Phil McGrory also skied that 174 cm length, which felt “just right” to him. Phil had some great thoughts on the redesigned shape of the Experience skis and this 80 Carbon, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at his scores. Stability, quickness/maneuverability, forgiveness, and torsional stiffness/edge grip all earned 4 out of 5 scores. We’re thoroughly impressed that a $599 ski with integrated bindings can achieve scores like that. It’s not easy for a manufacturer to build a ski that feels both stable and forgiving, so big kudos to Rossignol for pulling it off. “The newly remodeled Experience 80 Carbon is now a bit more of a carving ski than the most recent version. Quick edge to edge and stable on trail. It has a good amount of rebound to allow the ski to feel lively in and out of turns. This would be ideal for the progressing skiers who like to ski on trail and want a ski they can feel confident on. Novice to Intermediate skiers.” We couldn’t agree more with Phil. The Experience 80 Carbon is a perfect ski for a progressing skier who wants to take their ability from beginner or intermediate to more advanced levels. Its shape promotes good technique and it’s not an overpowering or overly-fatiguing ski, so you can stay out there working on your skiing through the whole day.

At $599, there’s a lot of value in this Experience 80 Carbon. Considering a ~$200 binding price, you’re getting a heck of a lot of ski for $399. Most skis in this price range just use a simple wood core without much added technology, but in this ski we get both Carbon and Drive Tip Solution. It’s really cool when a company can take technology from more expensive skis and apply it to skis further down the line without drastically raising their price. Rossignol does this better than most, which is evident in the Experience 80 Carbon. Grab a pair and get ready to carve up the groomers at your local resort!