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Philpug

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I don’t get on enough products from smaller brands and independent companies because most are just not that refined, or they aren’t designs I enjoy skiing. After Cyrus Schenck, Renoun’s founder and chief designer, reached out to get my opinion on his product, I did some research on him and his company. ISPO Gold awards and write-ups in The New York Times and USA Today made me realize that Cyrus and Renoun are in fact the real deal....
Read the whole review HERE

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I have these skis in my possession. @DoryBreaux skied them yesterday and will add a review soon and would love to get some of our skiers on them. @bud heishman @Tim D @spencer @Alexzn @JayT are all here in Tahoe; you owe it to yourself to get on some of the best handmade skis I have ever skied. Check them out at www.renoun.com
 

bud heishman

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Cool Box! Would love to try them Phil! Love my Monster 88's.
 

bud heishman

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I am at the mountain Thursday thru Saturday
 

Gerry Rhoades

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How would you compare this to the FA84 EDT?
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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How would you compare this to the FA84 EDT?
A helluva lot more versatile to start with. I really liked the FA on the groomers but past that, I found it to be not much fun in bumps and varied conditions. The Renoun was just as smooth on the groomers but with a different feel, more...well more smooth, damp..attached to the snow. Off piste and in bumps, the shape and bit of rise in the tip and the rounded tail allows the Z-90 to be worked better and not as locked in as the FA.
 

Gerry Rhoades

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Thanks. Sounds like a nice ski that I'd enjoy. Too bad I'm so far away from Tahoe.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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I took these out again today on some groomer zoomers. We haven't had any snow for a couple of days and Northstar has all of their main arteries manicured to perfect corduroy. These are the conditions the you own a ski like this for. Again the Z-90 was a pleasure to ski on in these conditions, the more angulation that was created, the more the Renoun liked it until...Yes, my wunderkind has a dark personality. Up to now the Z-90 did everything I asked of it without any fanfare but today I had two moments when I took the ski for granted, big mistake. I was J.S.A. (Just Skiing Along), admiring the scenery, laying down some trenches when WACK, a puff of snow and I was on the deck. Like if I was on a WC Slalom ski, you need to pay attention in snow like this. The Z-90's tip hooked sharp into the snow and I went over so fast I didn't have time to react. I do think it was pilot error combined with some soft groomers but from now on, I will give this ski my full attention when it is on my feet.

Boy, would I love to put a Pivot 18 on these. :drool:
 

Eric Edelstein

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We've got a pair of Cyrus's Endurance (121-98-115) skis and had a few days of "hard snow" testing here in VT and have to say he's on to something very interesting with his design (not just the HDT dampening)....they seem to get quieter the faster they go....Renoun has a set of the Z90 carvers coming out of production for us...stay tuned for a full review as soon as we get more snow ! I had lunch with Cyrus and talked about his design philosophy and I played with the HDT dampening material itself...(very interesting).

Looking forward to comparing notes with Phil about the Z90 carver...West coast and East coast observations!
 

DoryBreaux

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For reference, I am 6'2", 250lbs and I dont do finesse. My two favorite skis ever made are the Salomon Dictator and the Atomic Bentchetler.

Initial Impressions

When @Philpug brought these into the shop and I got a good look at them, my first thought was "The Nordica FireArrow EDT and the Rossi Experience98 had a love child." When he told me the sticker price, I was a little skeptical as I have never been on a $1k+ (flat) pair of skis that really put a smile on my face.
The day (afternoon) I skied them was a greybird hero groomer day at Northstar. The first run I took didn't leave me head over heals in love with the ski, but Phil suggested I move the bindings back 1 cm. I decided to give the them one more lap the way they were set up to see if I could get a better baseline feel for them. About halfway through the next run I found the sweet spot, and it put an ear to ear grin on my face. These things absolutely rip! They want to be driven, and will remind you when you step out of the drivers seat. I didnt bother moving the bindings back because once I found the sweet spot and realized the ski wants input, I didnt really feel I needed to (although I may do so next time I ski them just for gits and shiggles). Regardless of what turn shape I told the ski to make, or how rude I was about telling it, it did it without a fuss. If you arent driving the ski, the tails will overpower you and throw you into the back, but I like that in a ski. All in all, after about 4 runs I had the ski pretty much figured out and pushed them as much as I could the rest of the day. I even took it into some crud/sluff/soft bumps and was incredibly surprised at how well it handled it.
  • Who's it for? A skier. This is my definition of "A hard snow skiers ski." This is for the skier who wants race stock performance with more hard snow versatility. It is for those who know how to dig railroad track trenches in corduroy.
  • Who's it not for? Cheapos. People who want to ski every part of the mountain on one ski. Novice to low advanced skiers. You need to be able to bend a ski in order to enjoy this ski.
  • Insider tip: Don't be afraid to make big turns with it. I'm 6'2" and skied the 174cm, and it was just as happy making BIG GS turns as it was making quick slalommy turns.

Will update after I ski it more...
 

bud heishman

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Buenolicious! Skied this ski all day today at Northstar on packed powder and was really impressed. I am 190lbs 5'11". Solid ski very stable at speed with enough liveliness to whip off some short swings yet stick like glue in higher speed railed turns. The graphics didn't blow my skirt up but the performance was on par with any ski I have skied lately! Love the packaging. Improve the graphics would be my only criticism. Hey Phil can I borrow them for the rest of the season??:daffy:
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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I just spent about 2 hours with Cyrus. We talked about his engineering background and his ski and where he sees his company going. He has his head on straight and I think he is off to a great start. We played with the 98 and talked about it and where he sees that going. We talked about where his next projects will be coming from. We talked about bindings and what would be the best complement for the skis. The graphics, mentioned as being the shortcoming of the skis, are being addressed with some new vibrant ones that are more apropos for the price point of the skis.

We will be adding the 98, in a 169 and 184 to the demo fleet later this spring and will have all three skis at A-Basin for Mothers Day.
 

Jed Peters

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I'll have to ski this. That said, getting over a ski with a lack of perigee may be a bit of an issue. We shall see.
 

SkiNurse

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Met up with Cyrus at Abasin yesterday with @Philpug and *most* of the Colorado T.I.T.S crew. Cyrus was really excited to tell us about his Renoun line. I asked Cyrus if he had a ski in *my* size (he is 6'6" and I'm 5'1.5") and he thought the 165 Z90 would be a good choice. I'm always a bit hesitant skiing anything over a 160cm, but decided to give it a try.

First impression: This ski loves to turn. Took barely any edge movement for it to engage. It gets up on edge quickly and smoothly.
Second impression: It likes to go fast!

After my second run, I turned the ski over to @Betsy Keyes who took it into more variable terrain.

Who's it for? The skier that wants a very smooth, all mountain ski. There is really nothing this ski couldn't do at Abasin (disclaimer: East Wall was closed). It was a great ski for everyone in the group.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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I skied the Z-90 today. I was interested in how the ski would hold up after skiing some of the best skis of 2017 and I will say that the Renoun is still fantastic. I cannot get over how a 23 y/old could produce a ski that could rival the major manufacturers in the ski world.
 

Alexzn

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Seems like a fairly reasonable idea to put D30 (the same stuff you could find in Tech21 early iPhone cases, motorcycle padding, etc.). I'd be interested to see how the Z90 or the 98 mm ski.
 

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