At the high end of awesome, you’ll find the 2024 Rossignol Experience 86 Ti. This ski is entering the premium discussion, not just because they put a higher price on it, but rather they put a whole lot of technology and quality into the build and shape. When we first got on the Experience 86 Ti a few years ago, we were all pretty blown away with the improvements. While we normally call any changes with skis “updates,” for this ski it was very much an “upgrade.” That’s an easy thing to say, since there’s a basic universal appeal for this new ski. For 2024, we’re getting a graphic change, but the ski remains the same from a structural perspective. Smooth, fast, and rewarding when pushed, this ski is best suited for advanced and expert skiers who have the skillset and the strength to make it go. As opposed to some other lighter premium skis, that kind of sets this one apart—it's still a demanding ski.

Built with a poplar wood core and two sheets of metal, this Experience 86 Ti has a very strong and sturdy start. The dual-metal laminate makes the ski very smooth and powerful in addition to being grippy and carvy. Keeping things smooth, the tips employ Rossignol’s Drive Tip Solution which filters out unwanted vibrations through the use of vertically-placed fibers. These act as a radiator in reverse—grabbing the chatter and filtering them out. It works, and makes a lot of sense when thinking about the application and strengths of this ski. It’s about as smooth and powerful as it gets, and a lot of that has to do with the overall composure. Drive Tip Solution is a huge part of this equation. In the 176, we’re hitting the scale right at 2000 grams per ski, so it’s pretty sturdy at speed and somewhat lumbering in shorter and slower turns. As a result, skilled and stronger skiers will find more success on this ski overall.

In the mid-80's we’re getting some good versatility here, especially when it comes to lower snow days and firmer conditions. While the ski is a bit heavy and cambered to be truly playful and awesome in soft snow, it excels when conditions get hard and challenging. There’s quite a bit of camber underfoot, and the running length and effective edge are quite long. This puts more responsibility on the skier to dictate the shape and style of turn. We’re getting a 16-meter turn radius in the 176, so it’s capable of making a variety of turns, but it’s a lot happier when used in the mid to long style. The widest part of the ski is beyond the rocker, making it more accepting of shallower edge angles while remaining super-diligent when it comes to completing turns and rebounding into subsequent arcs.

When this ski is on your feet, it’s pretty clear that it’s a premium piece of ski equipment. While Rossignol typically isn’t mentioned in the same category as Stockli, Kastle, or DPS in terms of upper-end quality and precision, this ski certainly moves the needle to that direction. It’s a ton of fun on-trail, offering a level of damping and responsiveness that’s rarely seen in this shape of ski. Mainly, you’re getting this type of carving power from narrower skis, so it’s great to see the application extend into the mid-bodied format of the 2024 Rossignol Experience 86 Ti.