Individual Review Long-Term Review: 2017 Renoun Endurance 98 v2

[Ron]

186

 

[James]

?

 

[Ron]

Length ; 186.

but, if you change it to a more on-piste focused ski, you would most likely have to go back to the CAD machine and figure out how to make this a 180.

 

[sullywhacker]

The beauty of the 98 to me is the versatility and true all-mountain capability. I agree with @Philpug's take on more wheelbase.

As an owner of the 98, I agree wholeheartedly with your first assertion but disagree with the second >> ol' Phil, he's a big human and seems to believe most skis would be better if they shared the burlier characteristics of his most-cherished Bonafides. The thing that makes these skis so incredibly versatile is how quick they are "in spite of" their relatively long radius - here's the kid and me halfway up the hike to the top of Highland Bowl last week where it went from ice to chalky to chunky to corn to slush all in one run and the E98 was money every turn of the way:

 

[markojp]

Indeed. We can keep a better customer service rather than spreading ourselves too thin at this stage. And it means we can break a few of the typical rules tied w/ being in shops too

You guys should hook up with Tesla and do a car/ski with a free rack deal.

 

[Alexzn]

So, no changes for the Endurance98 this year? I still don't understand the market for what is essentially a $1200 intermediate soft-snow biased ski. If you don't have a trust fund and pay that much money for a ski you (a) want to use it in most conditions, and (b) are a good enough skier to put in many days per season to justify that expense. Ia m assuming Renoun aims for a customer base beyond the trust fund crowd, so making the ski a bit stiffer and longer would go a long way towards that.

As I wrote in my review, for the way I ski the comparably priced Kastle FX95HP was significantly better than the Endurance 98. I still think that with the right changes the HDT-equipped Renoun could have a wider performance envelope than the Kastle (which represents the current pinnacle of the traditional wood-metal sandwich technology), because you could make it easy to ski and still stable. Just don't make it too easy to ski.

 

[Chubb]

Backcountry.com has Endurance 98's and Z-90's on sale at 30% off. Also, you can potentially get a 7 to 12% rebate from ActiveJunky.com if you join, sign in, then link to the Backcountry site from the ActiveJunky site.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

My 100 day test period was over last Saturday. Guess I own the 98's after 9 more payments as no trust fund money here. They have seen action 53 days this season racking up 714K so far. Love my new Killington daily drivers. They eat up a soft powder turn then will bite on the ice the next turn. They allow me to rip the mountain all day without my legs getting tired. Best quality of this ski is that it is effortless.

 

[enduranceisking]

Has anyone skied the 104 width,it seems to be only available in the 184 length. Looking to replace 2 year old Soul 7's which suck at speed and on groomers headed back to the chairs.

I'd like to know this as well; I already own the 98's and couldn't be happier, but for several of the days at Alta this year I felt I needed something a bit wider. So my other question would be: does it make sense to purchase the 104 for deeper days if I already own the 98?

 

[Ron]

hmm, I am interested in the same thing. With our Champagne Powder (r) even in knee-deep blower, I was more than pleased with the 98 but I may demo a 104 next season....

 

[ARL67]

In deeper snow, are the benefits of HDT to be realized ? Or does ski shape and flex pattern take on a much more important role vs a dampening material?

 

[Ron]

IMHO, while the ski is traveling through light even powder, I dont notice any variation in ski feel, once it hits a heavier pocket, undulation or you drive tips or are in GS mode on open broken snow, then yes, you do notice the effects. its not like an on/off switch though, the ski remains consistent.

 

[Bldr]

Hello, long time lurker here with a question:

How would the Endurance compare to the new Mantra? The reviews of the Renoun ski make it sound like it can do anything…

I ski in VT and tour a lot. All too much tight and slow skiing here, but when I get the chance I like to open it up and I don’t like to turn. I have Rossi S3s which are fun but are a little terrifying with speed. I also have BD Zealots (182) which are the perfect ski for the conditions I would like to ski, but they are realistically too much for me on most days.

I thought the 177 Mantra would be the perfect compromise but now I’m not so sure. I am 5’8 155 by the way. Thanks for the help!

 

[Brian Finch]

Hello, long time lurker here with a question:

How would the Endurance compare to the new Mantra? The reviews of the Renoun ski make it sound like it can do anything…

I ski in VT and tour a lot. All too much tight and slow skiing here, but when I get the chance I like to open it up and I don’t like to turn. I have Rossi S3s which are fun but are a little terrifying with speed. I also have BD Zealots (182) which are the perfect ski for the conditions I would like to ski, but they are realistically too much for me on most days.

I thought the 177 Mantra would be the perfect compromise but now I’m not so sure. I am 5’8 155 by the way. Thanks for the help!

Welcome!!!

The 177 would be as you assume. Yet the Renoun is significantly more a vacuum for sucking up the inconsistency in the hill & making a crap snow day, wonderful. It's a whole new level. Reach out to @Cyrus Schenck - one demo is all it will take.

 

[Brian Finch]

Btw, I'm slightly smaller & ski / skin Vermont.

 

[Eric Edelstein]

Has anyone skied the 104 width,it seems to be only available in the 184 length. Looking to replace 2 year old Soul 7's which suck at speed and on groomers headed back to the chairs.

We just mounted-up a test pair of the Renoun 104s in 184cm length and I personally got some knee-deep storm fluff and hardpack time on them and gotta say they might be a no-brainer, go-to choice for storm skiing where you need some agility in the trees. There was zero learning-curve and they really turned me on with the essentially effortless navigation and secure platform underfoot. Higher speeds through the chop worked great, retaining the now-familiar Renoun quiet behavior as the surfaces get rowdier underneath you.

The Renoun 104s are definitely more skilled at cranking groomers at speed back to the lift than the Soul 7s in Tahoe terrain...no question....so that might help TahoeCharlie's question...

Quick directional changes...check.
Surfy flat-ski behavior and smear-on-demand...check.
Fun rebound energy in the bumpier sections without being burly...check.
Crud-hopping stability and responsiveness....check.
Easy-handling, yet sporty personality with high-energy skiing ability...check.
Grippy edgehold carves on packed powder...check.
Grippy edgehold carves on hardpack....welll....not bad..but not great either.

The 104s are a soft snow bias ski with decent hardpack predictablity rather than a grippy hardpack ski with soft snow abilities. These are not hard-charging, crud buster straightliner competition tools...definitely high-end recreational skis with great behaviors.

With our multiple storm cycles here in Vermont this late season, the Renoun 104s are holding 1st place in the storm event go-to quiver lineup in the ski rack in my mudroom. Full review coming later this Spring as we get some corn harvesting time on them. First impressions are really good.

 

[Eric Edelstein]

Welcome!!!

The 177 would be as you assume. Yet the Renoun is significantly more a vacuum for sucking up the inconsistency in the hill & making a crap snow day, wonderful. It's a whole new level. Reach out to @Cyrus Schenck - one demo is all it will take.

Bump for Brian's observation about the Renouns sucking up the inconsistency in the hill and making crappy snow conditions more fun. Good description.

 

[Read Blinn]

Grippy edgehold carves on hardpack....welll....not bad..but not great either.

What was the tune? Factory is 1/1 — not a great hardpack tune.

 

[Eric Edelstein]

The Renoun 104s Treshly refinished on a brand-new Wintersteiger at 1 and 1. We could go more aggressive on the base, but we wanted to keep the driftability of the 104s intact. The chassis seems to yield a bit of boilerplate grip for compliant and somewhat surfy handling across variable surfaces...pretty well balanced. The Whiteroom Upslope we tested (137-105-122) is similar to the Renoun 104 (127-104-121) dimensionally, (except for the wider shovel), carries more camber underfoot but has a superior hardpack grip yielding a less surfy, but more surgical feel across mixed surface materials. We will start a 104 thread soon and compare people's notes on Cyrus's biggest ski so far...

 

[Read Blinn]

The Renoun 104s Treshly refinished on a brand-new Wintersteiger at 1 and 1. We could go more aggressive on the base, but we wanted to keep the driftability of the 104s intact. The chassis seems to yield a bit of boilerplate grip for compliant and somewhat surfy handling across variable surfaces...pretty well balanced. The Whiteroom Upslope we tested (137-105-122) is similar to the Renoun 104 (127-104-121) dimensionally, (except for the wider shovel), carries more camber underfoot but has a superior hardpack grip yielding a less surfy, but more surgical feel across mixed surface materials. We will start a 104 thread soon and compare people's notes on Cyrus's biggest ski so far...

1 degree base for sure on a ski like that — what about 2 or 3 degree side, though?