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2023 Rossignol Experience 86 Ti

SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
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Philpug: The 2023 Rossignol Experience 86Ti is a carryover ski from last year and honestly I don't see any reason to change it. From the huge performace window to the sublte graphics, the Exp86Ti has been a testers favorite. I will just let all of the long term updates speack for themselves.

Long term update (12/21/21): Have I mentioned that I like what Rossignol did with the all new Experience 86Ti? No? Well I do. The Experience 86Ti is indeed the best of the previous two incarnations, tight and solid built in turn of the original Experience 88 and the mixed snow versatility of the previous generation. How smooth is this new ski? I skied it all morning without ever setting the bindings, they were set on a 5.​
This new Rossignol had a construction that holds on the hard snow and enters and finishes a turn with the precision of a strong 86 yet doesn’t get hung up in the mixed conditions and bumps. I am not sure you can ask anything more from a ski in this class.​
Long term update (12/31/21): I was hoping to spend more time on the 86Ti today, it was going to be a groomer zoomer day ... or at least I hoped it was. We got to Mt. Rose and the sky was blue and the main arteries were manicured, so I was hoping for some high G turns. Well that didn't turn out as planned. We got in one run on the groomers then ran into one of our posses that were hell bent on off piste. The conditions on the Slide side had some serious leftovers and while the 86Ti could handle them, we would be holding the group up. With all that said, in that first run and a short wind buff groomer section was enough to remind me that it was worth bringing the Rossis out. And if I know the same day would happen again, I would gladly bring the Rossis out because as they say sometimes one bite of steak is better than a whole hamburger.​
Long term update (1/11/22): Welcome to Junuary in Tahoe when the sun will shine for a month and the snow will be groomer zoomers and chalky. This is the perfect playground for the Rossignol Experience 86Ti. Remember where I posted in my intial review as an Insider tip to bypass the Konect? Well, our ski arrived with it so I was left no choice to ski it this way and adapt and adapt I did. It is no secret that when I got a ski over 80 mm I want to be as low on the deck as possible and with the Konect being as tall as it is with a 34 mm, roughly a cm higher than it's flat mount counterpart I made a slight adjustment, I moved the binding back a cm and damn if that didn't do it, back to the Nth that I knew the 86Ti was capable of. I will be discussing this demo issue in another thread. Stay tuned​

Insider tip: Bypass the Konect system and slap on a Pivot 15; you won’t be disappointed.​
Andy Mink:
Several runs at Mt. Rose on firm groomers with some wind buff spots and sugar on hard spots. No problem! The Exp 86Ti is deceptively quick edge to edge, holds on that edge hard, yet has the flexibility to bop down through some moguls or jump of the edge into skier and wind packed snow in the trees. The 86 skis quietly with little drama even crossing from small wind blown piles to the hard stuff where the snow in those piles used to be. I don't have the experience (get it?) with prior builds of the Experience line but if they were as good or better than this one Rossi should have left them alone. I'm glad they didn't.

Long term Groundhog Day update (2/2/22): I took the 86Ti out for some quick laps at Rose today. As has been the case recently the snow remains firm to hard in most places with minimal dust on crust. I didn't stay long enough for anything to remotely soften. What I found today is @noggin hit the nail on the head.​
I was not on top of my game today. My legs are a bit tired and the 86s were OK with that. Longer, easy carving turns instead of high G turns of which the skis are capable. Some tail swishing, slipping and sliding, in the trees. Just a mellow morning and I wasn't punished for not bringing my A game. It's nice to be on a ski that can literally go from 0 to ? and not complain anywhere along the way.​

Wade Holiday:
I had the chance to ski this ski with Phil, Andy, Trish and Stephen this week in that same wonderful mid winter snow Olympic Valley is famous for. Some hard snow, many chalky bumps, the occasional groomer to get myself to the next off piste playground. I also skied it for another couple of hours on hard water ice bumps (melted, refrozen hard, did I say loud).

Coming from my stockli dampness, I was worried this ski would be too Lively and Loud, as so many are, but it has a nice quiet composed quality to it, I was very impressed. It's shape is super fun and engaging, the 16m shape skis fun, exciting, but their tip design turns it into a much more versatile 3D snow performer. I loved the tips distinct shape, that smooth early rise without taper that allowed you move it happily through the gullies, bumps, etc that the best off piste runs have to offer. At the "Valley", bumps can get quite long, with very steep ridges, and I often like to add turns on those ridges and skis with a lot of tips shape sometimes try to spear into that surface, but the design of this ski absorbed and moved very naturally through this terrain.

Access groomers, did I say exciting! This ski reminded me of something like my Stockli Laser SC in carved turns, it bends up sweetly and adds some energy out of the turn without being demanding or surprising.

I may buy one, but we all know I have a issue with buying too many toys :).

One more comparison, as I wanted to ski my regular ski right after it, especially in the super hard bumps, so I got my sr 95 out (yes, a bit different niche), my ski felt a bit slow and cumbersome comparatively, but was solid and edge hold was actually a bit better (1 day old fresh tune contributed, for sure), and the stockli was quieter, but it's quieter than most.

This ski is a ski many people should consider, it has such a broad range of wonderful attributes and helped to create a super fun experience!
  • Insider tip II: Enough gushing on this ski, for more accolades check out last year's review 2022 Rossignol Experience 86Ti
 
Awards
Who is it for?
Rippers, let 'em run.
Who is it not for?
Lighter finesse skiers might get bucked a little, but no worries because there is a lighter basalt version or even a narrower 82mm Ti offering.
Skier ability
  1. Advanced
  2. Expert
Ski category
  1. Frontside
  2. All Mountain
Ski attributes
  1. Groomers
  2. Moguls
  3. Off Piste
Segment
  1. Men

Specifications

right ad
Available sizes
167, 176, 185
Dimensions
132-86-112
Radius
16m@176cm
Rocker profile
  1. Camber with tip rocker
Size Scaling
  1. None
Construction design
  1. Carryover
Binding options
  1. Flat
  2. System
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Shawster

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Mar 21, 2023
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Ontario
@Philpug can you not just unscrew the Konect plates and mount the binding of your choice? it looks possible on this one, as opposed to the built in rails on most other system skis.

I ask because my local retailers only have the system version available, and they're on clearance now. One shop said it wasn't possible, and another said it was, so I figured I'd ask the experts here ogsmile
 
Last edited:

Philpug

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@Philpug can you not just unscrew the Konect plates and mount the binding of your choice? it looks possible on this one, as opposed to the built in rails on most other system skis.

I ask because my local retailers only have the system version available, and they're on clearance now. One shop said it wasn't possible, and another said it was, so I figured I'd ask the experts here ogsmile
You can absolutely remove the Konect plates.
 

Shawster

Booting up
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Mar 21, 2023
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61
Location
Ontario
You can absolutely remove the Konect plates.
thanks! now I can buy them and I have the option

Would the higher stack height be a benefit if this ski was used mainly for carving on hardpack, or is it always better to go lower on a ski of this width?
 

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