2027 Rossignol Arcade 94 and Head KORE 94 Ti On Snow Ski Comparison

When we’re lining up skis on our wall to compare, there are many factors at play. That’s why it’s incredibly interesting to pit two skis with the same waist width and roughly the same intent against each other in an on snow format. The 2027 Rossignol Arcade and the Head Kore 94 Ti both feature similar waist widths, are equally high performance, and are billed as all-mountain skis. When you get on them back-to-back, that’s about where the similarities end, and it’s enormously fun for us to get into the details and the specifics about what keeps these skis on somewhat different ends of the 94 mm spectrum. Neither ski changes structurally for 2027—the Head gets a new topsheet, but other than that, both skis return unchanged.

One of the interesting parts of this comparison is that the Kore, which has more of a freeride inspired shape and profile to it, also has a construction featuring two sheets of metal. The Arcade, on the other hand, has more of a wide-bodied front side shape but only one underfoot layer of titanal. On paper, one could assume that the Kore would be stronger, burlier, and a better carver while the Arcade could be seen as “less than” or a “step below” in terms of power and stability. We talk a lot about a few factors at play here. The first is core thickness. Arcade has it with a thick poplar wood core. The Kore is slightly thinner in nature and relies on a mix of denser beech and lighter caruba. The second is shape. Arcade focuses considerably more on a long effective edge, minimal taper and rocker, and long camber. Kore, on the other hand, has (relatively) more of a rockered profile to go along with early taper in both tips and tails, and a shorter effective edge. For the Kore, this shaping is reminiscent of their wider and more freeride-oriented skis but in a narrower footprint. Arcade, though, is the widest of its line, which contains a clear and strong focus on a purely carved turn.

At a Glance:

2027 Head KORE 94 Ti Skis

In using the Kore 177 and Arcade 178 as reference lengths, they also both have relatively similar turn radii, at 16.4 and 16.8 meters respectively. The Arcade is considerably wider in the tips and tails, outpacing the Kore by 7 mm in the tip at 137 and a whopping 12 mm in the tail at 127 mm. The Arcade is a bit heavier, at 2091 g/ski vs. The 1900 g weight of the Kore, but where we really see the Arcade distance itself is in the flex. According to soothski.com, the Average Bending Stiffness of the Arcade is 305 Nm2 to the Kore's 211. Torsionally, they’re closer, but for a fore/aft flex test, the Arcade is quite a bit more robust. While a closer look at the numbers and data suggest the differences, it’s still quite alarming to get on snow and feel the characteristics and how they create a ski’s personality.

At a Glance:

2027 Rossignol Arcade 94 Skis

Bob's Experience:

It didn’t come as a surprise to me how well both skis carved, although I’ll certainly give the edge to the Arcade. What surprised me more was how much better the Kore is at off-piste and variable conditions and terrain. The gulf between what the Arcade does off trail versus what the Kore does in those same situations is quite large. That’s my main takeaway. If we separate it out a bit more, in a carved turn, the Arcade is just so darn clean, crisp, and powerful. The tail has a lot of flare to it and holds on very tight as a result. The stiff flex and the long effective edge make it feel like a wide race ski for sure. In full disclosure, this is a lot to keep up with for the whole day. For me, it’d be more of a morning carver before switching to something a bit more user friendly. I didn’t find the Kore lacking power or smoothness, but it certainly didn’t have the same bite or pop as the Arcade.

When we move off the groomers and into the bumps and trees, the demand of the Arcade gets magnified. This is not an easy bump ski, nor does it fare well in tighter trees. It can certainly plow through crud and chop, but if you’re looking for a nimble off trail performer in this range, the Kore is way more up to that task. It pivots and slides in technical terrain with far greater ease, making quick work of bumps and trees. This is one of the better bump skis in this width that I’ve been on and especially given that it has two sheets of metal. If you find yourself in softer snow and like a ski with versatility and relatively easy to access performance, the Kore will likely work out better for you. If you like to grit your teeth and bear down for an insanely powerful carved turn with metronomic precision, then the Arcade is simply outstanding. Personally, I couldn’t see myself skiing an Arcade 94 as a personal ski, especially given the versatility that the Kore has, but it is definitely fun and extremely interesting to see the differences when skied consecutively.

Jeff's Experience:

This comparison kind of just came together based on skis that we had immediately available for testing and filming, but as it came together, I found myself getting more and more excited to do it. As soon as I realized how close we had these skis on our 2026 Mid-90 mm All-Mountain Comparison wall, I found myself more and more intrigued by their differences. On paper, sure, they’re relatively similar. Same width, the general marketing behind them is largely the same (here’s a performance-oriented, versatile all-mountain ski), and just a $50 difference in price. That said, in person, they look quite different. The Arcade has extended sidecut and nothing that even comes close to early taper, while the Kore has a more soft-snow-inspired tapered tip shape. Kore has more metal, Arcade a thicker core profile. So what happens when you take a more forgiving shape with more metal and compare it to a more demanding shape with less metal? Curiosity piqued.

Starting on the Arcade 94, I immediately was having a good time. I had recently spent an entire day on the skiing Deer Valley groomers so had that experience fresh in my mind. While the shapes are quite similar between 88 and 94, the 94 has more supple, slightly softer tips and tails, which I think feels great. It smooths out turn initiation just a little bit and also allows the ski to behave a bit better at slower speeds, at least for me. Those things are great when you can combine them with seemingly endless edge grip, which the 94 still has. It’s an exceptionally rewarding ski for linking carving turns and as I talked about in the video, whenever you take a twin tip away from me, or rather whenever you hand me a fully directional ski, mostly all I want to do is carve turns. In that sense, I really, really like the Arcade 94. It can handle off-piste skiing too, it just needs to do it within its own constraints. The shape doesn’t allow for loose, slashy, drifty skiing, but the short turn radius does encourage you to make round, cleaner turns, which you can use to navigate even relatively tight, technical terrain. It just doesn’t love to be slid sideways, so you have to take that into account and be relatively engaged when skiing it.

Switching to the Kore, I found more forgiveness off-piste and in variable snow conditions and overall an easier skiing experience, but it doesn’t quite have the carving chops of the . It’s certainly not bad, in fact it's far from bad, but it doesn’t have quite the WOW factor of the Arcade 94 when you’re linking carves. The stated turn radii are relatively close between the two skis, but to me the Kore 94 Ti feels like it has a much longer turn preference compared to the Arcade. A lot of that comes from the initial turn engagement. The longer rocker in the tip combined with the early taper makes it a bit slower to hook up and take you into a turn. It’s not necessarily a bad thing and honestly some skiers may prefer the more progressive feel of the Kore as it slowly pulls into into a turn rather than the lightning quickness of the Arcade. It’s just a difference, and an important difference to understand for that matter. Bumps, trees, and anything that requires subsequent quick turns, the Kore takes it for sure, which isn’t surprising to me. Rossignol has a lot of other skis that I prefer in those situations. New Soul 92, Soul 102, Sender 100, each one of those excels in technical terrain, which allows Rossignol to focus the Arcade more on carving performance. I posed a question in the video of “you can only own one pair of skis and it has to be one of these two, which do you choose?” Both Matt and Bob went Kore, which I understand for its versatility. I, on the other hand, think I would go Arcade as I put that much more emphasis on carving in my own skiing, and I think those choices are a great indication of the differences between these skis.

Matt's Reaction:

Although these skis occupy the same category, they are wildly different from one another. They each have their own thing that they are especially good at. The Arcade is a cleaner carver, while the Kore is incredibly damp and mobile. The initiation you get from the minimally tapered tips of the Arcade is incredible in a carving format. You get to load the ski very early in the turn, then the stout midsection holds you at the apex before the wider tail locks in for a clean end of the turn. The effective edge feels long, which works well on trail. The Kore has more tip and tail taper as well as rocker, so the initiation phases take a little longer, but there is an incredible amount of smoothness and vibration damping that occurs throughout the turn. There is more energy in the Arcade, but less twitch with the Kore. The stiffness and attention that the Arcade needs would be a lot to handle throughout an entire day on the slopes but would be fantastic for taking advantage of early morning groomers before switching to something like the Kore to get more adventurous.

Off piste, the differences between these skis truly become evident. The Arcade is not the easiest to handle in the bumps because of its stiffness, heft, and lack of taper. They are not smeary by any means. However, you can get them to pivot fairly well if you play the unweighting game. The Kore's mobility and ability to change direction quickly without giving up stability are its real assets when in bumps and trees. You can smear, pivot, and slash but then lock in the edge when needed. Skied centrally, the Kore really likes steered/ruddered turns, while the Arcade likes more dramatic movements for changing direction. People who like a wide-bodied carver will love what the Arcade has to offer, while those who like a smooth and versatile ride will favor the Kore.

Keep Exploring the Rossignol Arcade 94:

2026 Rossignol Arcade 94 Skis - Now Available

2026 Rossignol Arcade 94 - Ski Test Results

Keep Exploring the Head KORE 94 Ti:

2026 Head KORE 94 Ti Skis - Now Available

2026 Head KORE 94 Ti - Ski Test Results