I will start this review by stating that I am no stranger to boutique ski brands... Hart, Stockli, VIST, Blossom, ZAG and Nobile are either a part of my current quiver of 35 pairs of skis or have been part of it in the past and I've spent time on many other unique and premium brands. In most cases, I can ski on anything I want, but I'm very picky about what I ski on and why... even when skis are free, if I don't care for the ski, I don't ski on it.
Anyway, I had to see what all the fuss was about with this Renoun ski... So when a fellow skier at my home mountain graciously offered to lend me his for an extended demo, I jumped at the opportunity.
Here are the quick-hit first tid-bits of info (for those who have been living under a rock I've listed the ski specs):
This is a really well-made ski. Those who are familiar with race stock product will notice a lot of similarity between these skis and a typical hand-made race ski. The flex pattern, while stiff, it is not harsh. The flex is very progressive, as-in, it doesn't feel stiff at first, but as you bend it more, the stiffer it feels. Those who ski a lot of race product, or other high-end brands, will recognize the progressive-flex quality, which is commonplace among skis of this caliber of craftsmanship. I think Renoun has branded it, but that's just how good skis should perform (IMO). The ski has a lot of camber as modern skis go and gives a nice pop at release... The camber also seems to help give the ski its glued-to-the-snow feel. That same damp, glued-to-the-snow feel could be described by skiers who are not as strong as heavy or sluggish... but this is an expert ski and it wants to go... especially in its longest length. I pushed them pretty hard in a few runs just to see what the ski would hold up to in an arc, and I did get them to blow out of a few turns (meaning they ran out of either torsional stiffness or edge hold, or both, so I did find the ski's limitations)... but for a 90mm ski, that's really a nit-pick, so I won't dwell on it. I think a lot of the snow feel the ski provides has to do with the melamine (or similar material) sidewalls they are using... This is very rare for a free ride ski (most that are this wide use some form of P-Tex or plastic-like material) and is usually reserved for high end carving skis and race skis. I think I've only ever seen that type of sidewall on Stockli's of similar width.
My only complaint about the construction is the base... they are slow and seemed to burn easily - certainly not the same quality base material I get on my race skis, what comes on Stocklis or Blossom-made skis (even Fischer's MTN for that matter). Also, the grind is average... typical structure, but it looks like it was done either too fast, or on a machine with a worn out stone... Normally, I'd overlook this, but for a $1,400 ski I was left feeling disappointed. That said, the base was flat and the 1 degree base bevels felt spot-on (the owner had the sides set at 2 so I cannot comment on the out-of-box tune).
How they ski:
Before I dive into what I thought of the ski, I'll explain something about the dimensions of the ski. The dimensions are 136-90-124 for a 16m radius in 180cm. The recommended mounting point is really far forward on the ski. So let’s break it down: we have a low taper-angle side cut ski (only 12mm difference between the tip and tail) with a very far forward mounting position…
The result is a ski that likes to be skied from the center to the back. It rewards skiers who do not stand forward over their skis. The result is a ski with a tail that feels hooky and grabby and that struggles to release from a turn like a true expert ski. On steep trails at speed when sliced into arcs that deviated significantly from the fall line, the tail would hang on for too long, creating a hooky release... over turning when the ski is supposed to be done turning. I eventually settled on a mounting point somewhere around 2cm back from the recommended point, but that did not alter how the ski wanted to be skied (e.g. not from the front).
The ski was fun to ski on, despite it not rewarding what I consider to be good skiing. They hold a powerful edge and have a ton of energy (sadly a lot of it gets zapped at release by the damn tail). The skis (like I mentioned above) so like to go fast... at slow speeds they are a little sluggish, but once some momentum is built there is a ton of power and energy in what feels like a very damp, smooth ride. In more variable conditions the tips plowed through the slush and manky snow, but the tails did hang up... something I think will be more pronounced when I get them into actual moguls (I have them for another two weeks).
My verdict on this ski:
Renoun used construction quality normally reserved for hand-made race skis and put it into a shape that would blow the minds of the general population of skiers. I give them kudos for that. However, in doing so, the shape of the ski left me underwhelmed, disappointed and wishing they hadn't handicapped the performance of the ski... It is like they took a thoroughbred race horse out of the stable, but instead of letting it run, they have it doing trail rides and towing a hay wagon for tourists. Because the ski is so well-made and the internals so well thought-out, the performance envelope would be HUGE, if they shaved 5-10mm of width off the tail of the ski [and perhaps offered a size up... or maybe we are talking about a different ski now]. Either way, Renoun has the chops to build a ski like that... they just... didn't. To me, it feels like the first draft of a ski that if built with the right dimensions could have almost no limitations to its performance and still be able to blow the minds of the tourists. The only problem if Renoun did that is that I'd then have to buy a pair, because that ski would be truly bad-ass.
So, I came away knowing exactly why everyone raves about this ski... It construction and attention to detail that skis for the masses never see. For most skiers on this ski, it probably is one-of, if not THE best ski they have ever skied on. In terms of quality it is a step above most all-mountain skis I've been on with the exception of maybe Blossom. It is well-made with dimensions that any weekend warrior can hop on and feel like a hero. A bad ski? Not even close... most skiers I know would be blown away by the ski, because of how they would ski it. Unfortunately it isn't for me.
Video clips of a few of the runs I took:
As a final side-note... here is a list of skis I have parted ways with or not liked due to this same issue with too-wide of a tail (so these are in good company I'd say):
Anyway, I had to see what all the fuss was about with this Renoun ski... So when a fellow skier at my home mountain graciously offered to lend me his for an extended demo, I jumped at the opportunity.
Here are the quick-hit first tid-bits of info (for those who have been living under a rock I've listed the ski specs):
- Dimensions: 136-90-124
- Length: 180cm
- Radius: 16m
- Construction: Sandwich... how all the good stuff is made
- Price: $1,399
- Conditions: wet packed powder, lumpy and bumpy slush and eastern ice
- Skis I would compared it to: Fischer Pro MTN 86, Head Monster 88, Blossom Cross Wind, Kastle MX89
This is a really well-made ski. Those who are familiar with race stock product will notice a lot of similarity between these skis and a typical hand-made race ski. The flex pattern, while stiff, it is not harsh. The flex is very progressive, as-in, it doesn't feel stiff at first, but as you bend it more, the stiffer it feels. Those who ski a lot of race product, or other high-end brands, will recognize the progressive-flex quality, which is commonplace among skis of this caliber of craftsmanship. I think Renoun has branded it, but that's just how good skis should perform (IMO). The ski has a lot of camber as modern skis go and gives a nice pop at release... The camber also seems to help give the ski its glued-to-the-snow feel. That same damp, glued-to-the-snow feel could be described by skiers who are not as strong as heavy or sluggish... but this is an expert ski and it wants to go... especially in its longest length. I pushed them pretty hard in a few runs just to see what the ski would hold up to in an arc, and I did get them to blow out of a few turns (meaning they ran out of either torsional stiffness or edge hold, or both, so I did find the ski's limitations)... but for a 90mm ski, that's really a nit-pick, so I won't dwell on it. I think a lot of the snow feel the ski provides has to do with the melamine (or similar material) sidewalls they are using... This is very rare for a free ride ski (most that are this wide use some form of P-Tex or plastic-like material) and is usually reserved for high end carving skis and race skis. I think I've only ever seen that type of sidewall on Stockli's of similar width.
My only complaint about the construction is the base... they are slow and seemed to burn easily - certainly not the same quality base material I get on my race skis, what comes on Stocklis or Blossom-made skis (even Fischer's MTN for that matter). Also, the grind is average... typical structure, but it looks like it was done either too fast, or on a machine with a worn out stone... Normally, I'd overlook this, but for a $1,400 ski I was left feeling disappointed. That said, the base was flat and the 1 degree base bevels felt spot-on (the owner had the sides set at 2 so I cannot comment on the out-of-box tune).
How they ski:
Before I dive into what I thought of the ski, I'll explain something about the dimensions of the ski. The dimensions are 136-90-124 for a 16m radius in 180cm. The recommended mounting point is really far forward on the ski. So let’s break it down: we have a low taper-angle side cut ski (only 12mm difference between the tip and tail) with a very far forward mounting position…
The result is a ski that likes to be skied from the center to the back. It rewards skiers who do not stand forward over their skis. The result is a ski with a tail that feels hooky and grabby and that struggles to release from a turn like a true expert ski. On steep trails at speed when sliced into arcs that deviated significantly from the fall line, the tail would hang on for too long, creating a hooky release... over turning when the ski is supposed to be done turning. I eventually settled on a mounting point somewhere around 2cm back from the recommended point, but that did not alter how the ski wanted to be skied (e.g. not from the front).
The ski was fun to ski on, despite it not rewarding what I consider to be good skiing. They hold a powerful edge and have a ton of energy (sadly a lot of it gets zapped at release by the damn tail). The skis (like I mentioned above) so like to go fast... at slow speeds they are a little sluggish, but once some momentum is built there is a ton of power and energy in what feels like a very damp, smooth ride. In more variable conditions the tips plowed through the slush and manky snow, but the tails did hang up... something I think will be more pronounced when I get them into actual moguls (I have them for another two weeks).
My verdict on this ski:
Renoun used construction quality normally reserved for hand-made race skis and put it into a shape that would blow the minds of the general population of skiers. I give them kudos for that. However, in doing so, the shape of the ski left me underwhelmed, disappointed and wishing they hadn't handicapped the performance of the ski... It is like they took a thoroughbred race horse out of the stable, but instead of letting it run, they have it doing trail rides and towing a hay wagon for tourists. Because the ski is so well-made and the internals so well thought-out, the performance envelope would be HUGE, if they shaved 5-10mm of width off the tail of the ski [and perhaps offered a size up... or maybe we are talking about a different ski now]. Either way, Renoun has the chops to build a ski like that... they just... didn't. To me, it feels like the first draft of a ski that if built with the right dimensions could have almost no limitations to its performance and still be able to blow the minds of the tourists. The only problem if Renoun did that is that I'd then have to buy a pair, because that ski would be truly bad-ass.
So, I came away knowing exactly why everyone raves about this ski... It construction and attention to detail that skis for the masses never see. For most skiers on this ski, it probably is one-of, if not THE best ski they have ever skied on. In terms of quality it is a step above most all-mountain skis I've been on with the exception of maybe Blossom. It is well-made with dimensions that any weekend warrior can hop on and feel like a hero. A bad ski? Not even close... most skiers I know would be blown away by the ski, because of how they would ski it. Unfortunately it isn't for me.
Video clips of a few of the runs I took:
As a final side-note... here is a list of skis I have parted ways with or not liked due to this same issue with too-wide of a tail (so these are in good company I'd say):
- Kastle RX12
- Kastle FX95
- Rossignol CX80
- Fischer Motive 95 (x2)
- Salomon Sentinel
- Elan SLX WC
- Nordica Dobermann GSR (x2)
- Elan SLC
- Rossignol Hero SL FIS (x3-4)
- Nordica Enforcer 93
- I'm sure there are more, but I can't remember them all right now...
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