- Joined
- Dec 20, 2015
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- 8,480
I skied the Renoun Z-90 in 180 today, nearly all day, at Sun Valley. Conditions included hard pack, smooth corn, skied out corn, and soft corny bumps. No new snow of any kind on offer. Extensive observations follow:
Hard Pack: Pretty special. Plenty of edge hold. Really quick for a 90. Nice but controlled energy, then the magical, unexpected dampness shows up at higher speeds, and things are smoother than you would dare hope for in a ski this quick. I love the sidecut profile, but as most here know, I am a sidecut whore, stating that it's easier to skid a carvy ski than carve a skiddy ski. Bravo on the fat tail! There were, however, one or two quick experiences that had me wondering about the flex profile. More later.
Smooth Corn: Well, what isn't great on smooth corn? These were a blast, again exhibiting the great combination of quickness and energy in short turns, and damp stability when letting things rip. Again, I absolutely loved the sidecut profile. These PULL you into a turn with glee, and seemed perfectly happy at around 60, making railroad tracks down upper Broadway (and halfway up the cat track to the Seattle Ridge Lodge!).
Skied Out Corn: In the "catch and release" stuff later in the day consisting of piles of slush interspersed with scrapy sorta-ice, the skis were very good (and this is maybe not my favorite snow). They transitioned well between the two kinds of snow, with no erratic catch and release behavior. This snow, in groomed areas, sends me immediately to.......
Bumps: In small to medium bumps, whether soft or firm, the excellent behavior noted above continued. Great energy, but not uncontrollable pop. The only significant caveat I have for this ski is big bumps, whether they are soft or firm. Either the flex profile of the shovel is a bit too stiff or abrupt, or the non-rounded tips are a little grabby. I'm not savvy enough to know which, but I suspect the flex profile is the culprit. In any event, I proved to myself on about five different runs that this ski is not as smooth or enjoyable in big/sharp bumps as either my Head Titan 177s or Fischer Motive 95 186s.
Length: This ski is a short 180. I could not measure it directly, but it is over an inch shorter than a Nordica FireArrow 80 Pro 181, and just barely longer than a Nordica Enforcer 177 (which is what my partners were skiing).
My Final Take: Close, or so close, and oh so wonderful in most every regard. If it were a true 180 (or even 182), and the flex profile were tweaked in front, and it cost $1,000 I'd throw down in a heartbeat, because that would truly make it "two skis in one" as @Philpug has noted in other threads.
Hard Pack: Pretty special. Plenty of edge hold. Really quick for a 90. Nice but controlled energy, then the magical, unexpected dampness shows up at higher speeds, and things are smoother than you would dare hope for in a ski this quick. I love the sidecut profile, but as most here know, I am a sidecut whore, stating that it's easier to skid a carvy ski than carve a skiddy ski. Bravo on the fat tail! There were, however, one or two quick experiences that had me wondering about the flex profile. More later.
Smooth Corn: Well, what isn't great on smooth corn? These were a blast, again exhibiting the great combination of quickness and energy in short turns, and damp stability when letting things rip. Again, I absolutely loved the sidecut profile. These PULL you into a turn with glee, and seemed perfectly happy at around 60, making railroad tracks down upper Broadway (and halfway up the cat track to the Seattle Ridge Lodge!).
Skied Out Corn: In the "catch and release" stuff later in the day consisting of piles of slush interspersed with scrapy sorta-ice, the skis were very good (and this is maybe not my favorite snow). They transitioned well between the two kinds of snow, with no erratic catch and release behavior. This snow, in groomed areas, sends me immediately to.......
Bumps: In small to medium bumps, whether soft or firm, the excellent behavior noted above continued. Great energy, but not uncontrollable pop. The only significant caveat I have for this ski is big bumps, whether they are soft or firm. Either the flex profile of the shovel is a bit too stiff or abrupt, or the non-rounded tips are a little grabby. I'm not savvy enough to know which, but I suspect the flex profile is the culprit. In any event, I proved to myself on about five different runs that this ski is not as smooth or enjoyable in big/sharp bumps as either my Head Titan 177s or Fischer Motive 95 186s.
Length: This ski is a short 180. I could not measure it directly, but it is over an inch shorter than a Nordica FireArrow 80 Pro 181, and just barely longer than a Nordica Enforcer 177 (which is what my partners were skiing).
My Final Take: Close, or so close, and oh so wonderful in most every regard. If it were a true 180 (or even 182), and the flex profile were tweaked in front, and it cost $1,000 I'd throw down in a heartbeat, because that would truly make it "two skis in one" as @Philpug has noted in other threads.
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