Advice please! Might have fallen for Rossi Experience 88s

[Abbi]

I'm not considering the Soul 7s right now, although I was originally looking at them as a ski that would complement my Volkl Queen Attivas by becoming my ride for powder days. Now I'm instead looking at replacing my Queen Attivas for two reasons:
1) The Experience 88s are strikingly superior to them for a lot of stuff, and probably at least as good on everything else.
2) I'm just not sure how much use I'm going to get out of skis I only pull out on powder days. (But I still might consider something like the Soul 7s next year if I decide I can afford to expand my quiver after replacing my old skis.)

My height is 5'5" and my weight is 140-145. I'd like to attend the Alta Demo Day (if I don't jump and buy before then), but I worry about getting up the canyon on a Saturday, even with just the demo day as an attraction increasing the traffic.

Wake up EARLY and take the bus!

 

[Abbi]

@UtahDesert, where do you normally ski?
I'm one of those who says, "if you demoed it and you loved it, there's your answer!" But, if you ski in tighter quarters normally than what is found at Deer Valley, or on vastly different snow, then that could factor into any decisions you make.

Another factor that people don't think about with older skis: worn out tune. Sometimes, they just need a good base grind and restructuring and the edges sharpened again! So, sometimes the new stuff feels amazing because the edges hold and they glide better. I'm definitely an advocate of updating equipment every few seasons at a minimum, but you can also breathe life into a pair of old favorites with some TLC.

A couple of years ago my UT ski buddy admitted she hadn't had her skis tuned in years. This East Coast skier who hits regular ice has a season tune with as much as once a week if needed (not for my ski level)! Said friend was amazed when she took her skis in !

 

[contesstant]

I was about to make the plunge and then I thought it over. The truth is that these are the first "contemporary" skis of this kind of profile that I've tried, so maybe there might be something I'd like just as much? So I called up Christy Sports at Deer Valley, and it turns out that 1) with advance reservations they can have the Nordica Santa Ana 93s, the Volkl Secret 92s, and the Head Kore 93 Ws in my preferred lengths ready for me to try out; 2) the demo rental price (two days) can go to a purchase; and 3) they're willing to meet the prices I see online.

Any others I should try? I'm looking for something with all of the Experience 88's best qualities (stability and confidence on the groomers; ability to get an edge in and not slide, making pretty turns on even the most scraped out steeper trails; quick turns; can handle chop) with a little more nimbleness. Or perhaps is there an inevitable trade-off between the kind of stiffness that gives me what I love about the Experience 88s and the kind of flexibility that I think I'm more comfortable with in irregular terrain like bumps?

Santa Ana 88 in a 165.

 

[UtahDesert]

A second call to Christy Sports at Deer Valley sounds as if the first guy was overoptimistic about the pricing. Given the higher prices (and they charge $75 for mounting even if you've bought both from them), I don't think I'll be buying there.

I called around to a few other shops (at Deer Valley and Alta), but none of the others seems to have the selection I need. (Most don't carry all three brands I'm interested in, and the one that does has limited lengths.) And, again, their retail purchase prices will be high.

But, upon thinking it over, I think it's worth it just to pay for the demo rental at Christy Sports Deer Valley so I can pick the ski that suits me, and then buy it cheaper elsewhere. (I might go tomorrow.) Any more advice welcomed!

 

[marzNC]

I called around to a few other shops (at Deer Valley and Alta), but none of the others seems to have the selection I need. (Most don't carry all three brands I'm interested in, and the one that does has limited lengths.) And, again, their retail purchase prices will be high.

At Alta, there are different ski shops involved. They carry different brands on purpose. What Alta Ski Shop does is they mark down demo skis every time someone takes them out. That's one reason it's hard to find certain models and lengths by mid-March. Alta Ski Shop carries DPS, Nordic, K2, and Atomic. Peruvian carries Kastle. The Powder House carried Blizzard. Don't remember the other brands available around Alta off hand.

But, upon thinking it over, I think it's worth it just to pay for the demo rental at Christy Sports Deer Valley so I can pick the ski that suits me, and then buy it cheaper elsewhere. (I might go tomorrow.)

I've never regretted investing money on what I call a "personal demo day." Even when I rent powder skis during a trip out west, I usually change out at least once to check out something else for future reference. Not so much for a future purchase, but more to know what to get when I get lucky and catch a powder storm and want to rent wider skis.

All of my ski purchases in the last 15 years have been either discounted demo skis or were made during late season, or even during the summer. With a couple of pairs of skis bought used from Divas as well. Once you know what models/lengths are of interest, not too hard to find a good deal later on.

 

[UtahDesert]

Okay, it's true love.

I tried the Head Kore 93s (women's), and did not like them nearly as much as the Rossi Experience 88s. Nowhere near the same feeling of control and confidence on steeper blues. Too much vibration.

Then I tried the Nordica Santa Ana 93s. Better but they didn't seem quite the same. I thought I might be remembering wrong (infatuation, you know), so I stopped by the Rossi yurt and took out the Experience 88s again, doing the same trails I had just done on the Santa Anas. Oh. This was it. This felt right. I loved every second of it.

I then tried the Volkl Secret 92s, and they were close, very close, but just not quite there.

So Rossi Experience 88s really are my one true love. Now I just have to figure out the best way to buy them. (I don't want to wait for late-season sales.) I'll be calling REI tomorrow morning to see what kind of binding they suggest and how much they charge for mounting.

 

[vickie]

So glad you got to try all of these skis ... and that you found your one!

 

[CindiSue]

I demo'd the Rossignol Experience 84's yesterday, and loved them compared to my 11 year old Atomic Cloud 9's. The Rossie's felt like they were extensions of my legs and wired to my brain. I probably actually had the most fun I've ever had skiing. (I have class every week and my skills are improving rapidly too though.) (5'6" 115lbs 55yo, demo'd the 160's.)

I'm planning to try the 88's today, but based on reviews I'm concerned they may be too tweaky. I am probably a level 7, but I don't like to go fast. I like groomers and fresh snow. I haven't done moguls or deep powder (we don't get much here in Sun Valley), but I suspect I'll be skiing some moguls and off-piste by next year. I'll report back how it goes with the 88's, but I'm interested in thoughts between the two... thinking about whether to leave room to "grow into" the 88's. In the 12 years I've been skiing I've averaged probably 8 times a season. But I am now in weekly lessons and I just bought a full season pass so I will probably get 25 days in this year and 50+ next year. I'm really trying to get mileage in and move out of intermediate skiing once and for all.

Some people say I should try other brands, others say "if you like this a lot, don't waste your time." Hard to decide what to do.

 

[VickiK]

Yay @UtahDesert !

 

[Jilly]

Having had the 88's in my quiver, stick with the 84 if that's the type of skiing you're doing. The 88's are wider and a little stiffer, I found. I wouldn't say the 88's are more advanced, just different.

 

[marzNC]

I demo'd the Rossignol Experience 84's yesterday, and loved them compared to my 11 year old Atomic Cloud 9's. The Rossie's felt like they were extensions of my legs and wired to my brain. I probably actually had the most fun I've ever had skiing. (I have class every week and my skills are improving rapidly too though.) (5'6" 115lbs 55yo, demo'd the 160's.)

I'm planning to try the 88's today, but based on reviews I'm concerned they may be too tweaky. I am probably a level 7, but I don't like to go fast. I like groomers and fresh snow. I haven't done moguls or deep powder (we don't get much here in Sun Valley), but I suspect I'll be skiing some moguls and off-piste by next year. I'll report back how it goes with the 88's, but I'm interested in thoughts between the two... thinking about whether to leave room to "grow into" the 88's. In the 12 years I've been skiing I've averaged probably 8 times a season. But I am now in weekly lessons and I just bought a full season pass so I will probably get 25 days in this year and 50+ next year. I'm really trying to get mileage in and move out of intermediate skiing once and for all.

Some people say I should try other brands, others say "if you like this a lot, don't waste your time." Hard to decide what to do.

You're going to be mostly skiing at Sun Valley, correct? Even with the addition of bumps and a rare powder day, the E84 is a perfectly good choice. My skis that I consider "all-mountain" are 85 underfoot. In my case, I went from 75mm to 88mm to 85mm (three different brands). For those skis, I demo'd for at least half a day before deciding to look for a deal. I found that as my technique improved with the help of lessons and more mileage, I didn't need the wider platform as much to deal with more complex snow. The transition took about 8 years, going from 15 days per season to about 50 days per season.

I'm in the "don't waste your time" after you find a pair of skis that make you happy. I continue to demo when the opportunity arises but I have no regrets about any of my purchases. Sold the 75mm skis after a few seasons, still have the 88mm skis as rock skis, expect to ski the 85mm skis for the next 5, if not 10 years.

 

[CindiSue]

You're going to be mostly skiing at Sun Valley, correct?

Thanks for the reply. That is correct, Sun Valley.

I demo'd the 88's today and it sure is confusing. At first I liked them better. I didn't like that they were a lot heavier to carry, but on my first runs I felt they held an edge more easily, and plowed through stuff easily. (It seemed a little harder to get on edge than the 84, but seemed to hold the edge anyway, if that makes sense. I really don't know how to describe this stuff!) It also did seem to ski faster (like the reviews say), but I felt in control so skiing faster is good for me since I generally ski more slowly than everyone else.)

Then it got quite warm and kind of corn-y, while I did a 2.5 hour class and covered a lot of different types of terrain, including my first ever mogul runs! At that point I was getting tired and that's when I started to notice some blips. I can see how the more advanced ski requires you to be on it and not lazy or tired. So I'm not really sure about the lighter and forgiving, vs the heavier more performance version.

Lastly, I went back on my regular ski for a run, and it really didn't seem much different. So now I'm wondering if most of the change isn't due to my technique which has dramatically improved in the past couple weeks. And now that I'm finally planning to ski 50+ days rather than the <10 I was doing before, I expect I will continue to improve rapidly. So wondering if 88 is the better choice.

And lastly half the people say to just buy a ski that seems good, and the other half tell me to try others like the Black Pearl... Heeeellllppppp! :-)

 

[marzNC]

I demo'd the 88's today and it sure is confusing. At first I liked them better. I didn't like that they were a lot heavier to carry, but on my first runs I felt they held an edge more easily, and plowed through stuff easily. (It seemed a little harder to get on edge than the 84, but seemed to hold the edge anyway, if that makes sense. I really don't know how to describe this stuff!) It also did seem to ski faster (like the reviews say), but I felt in control so skiing faster is good for me since I generally ski more slowly than everyone else.)

Don't both skis have demo bindings? That type of binding is always heavy. I hear you about carry weight. When I bought my carvers, I opted to go with a shorter length than I demo'd because they would be easier to carry. I was essentially between lengths from a use standpoint.

When I decided to buy my current all-mountain skis after a couple days of demo'ing at a destination resort, I paid a little more to change out the bindings for standard bindings. I knew that I intended to keep those skis for a long time. An advantage of demo bindings is that it makes skis easier to sell when you feel it time for a change.

In general, applied physics means that it's harder to get skis on edge that are wider. That's one reason instructors usually prefer that intermediates have narrower skis, rather than wider skis. Even for a powder lesson, my Alta instructor didn't want me on skis wider than 100mm a few years ago when I was just starting to ski ungroomed terrain more often.

Then it got quite warm and kind of corn-y, while I did a 2.5 hour class and covered a lot of different types of terrain, including my first ever mogul runs! At that point I was getting tired and that's when I started to notice some blips. I can see how the more advanced ski requires you to be on it and not lazy or tired. So I'm not really sure about the lighter and forgiving, vs the heavier more performance version.

Try not to read too much into the descriptions from formal reviewers. What matters is what type of snow conditions and terrain you are likely to ski the most in the near future. No ski design is ideal in every snow condition. There will always be times when you are tired or the snow is too ugly and making turns just doesn't come as easily. But with more lessons, practice, and mileage, that will happen less often. Especially when you are using the same skis consistently.

 

[CindiSue]

Don't both skis have demo bindings? That type of binding is always heavy.

My friend demo'd from one store and they did have "demo" bindings which could be swapped out. But that wasn't the case with these Rossignol demos where I demo'd. He said they use "Look" and the bindings I skied on would be the bindings. I asked about bindings because the 84's had the style I'm used to that you open with your pole, but the 88's had a kind that you have to stop on. He said the 88's were a more performance binding.

 

[contesstant]

Thanks for the reply. That is correct, Sun Valley.

I demo'd the 88's today and it sure is confusing. At first I liked them better. I didn't like that they were a lot heavier to carry, but on my first runs I felt they held an edge more easily, and plowed through stuff easily. (It seemed a little harder to get on edge than the 84, but seemed to hold the edge anyway, if that makes sense. I really don't know how to describe this stuff!) It also did seem to ski faster (like the reviews say), but I felt in control so skiing faster is good for me since I generally ski more slowly than everyone else.)


Lastly, I went back on my regular ski for a run, and it really didn't seem much different. So now I'm wondering if most of the change isn't due to my technique which has dramatically improved in the past couple weeks. And now that I'm finally planning to ski 50+ days rather than the <10 I was doing before, I expect I will continue to improve rapidly. So wondering if 88 is the better choice.

And lastly half the people say to just buy a ski that seems good, and the other half tell me to try others like the Black Pearl... Heeeellllppppp! :-)

I skied the 84s and 88s back to back last season for testing. The 84s are a fair bit easier to ski, being narrower and lighter. More than enough ski to grow into and a great choice for Sun Valley.

A similar ski that is worth taking a look at is the Nordica Astral 84. That being said, if you liked the Rossi 84s, then don't overthink it. It's more than enough ski to grow into. Then, you can buy a ski in the 90s range next season or the season after for deeper snow days!

 

[UtahDesert]

I'm just reading all this and keeping my fingers crossed. My 88s have just arrived at my local REI. My Look NX 12 bindings will probably arrive on my doorstep on Thursday or Friday. (The only place I could find them with 90mm brake was the Boot Pro in Vermont, where a very nice woman spent a half hour searching for the single one that showed up in their inventory.) So I may be able to get the bindings to REI on Friday, and I'm going to call and see if I can get them to go ahead and do the Phantom 2.0 treatment on the skis now.

Here's a question that I'm almost hesitant to ask, because it seems like one I should know the answer to. What if I get new boots next year? (My old boots are also thirteen years old.) What about the bindings and how they're mounted?

 

[Jilly]

That's not a track binding, so it will depend on your new boots. There is some adjustment in this binding, but if you get a whole size difference from now, it could be a remount.

These binding are screwed directly onto the ski. Track binding have the track attached to the ski, then the toe and heel are slide into the track.

 

[CindiSue]

I just realized based on color that the 88's I demo'd were the men's version not the women's. The men's is heavier and probably has other differences. I'm not sure why they don't carry the women's version at my shop, but if I feel I'd have to really try that one if I want to go with the 88. I am tempted to go 84, I just don't want to under-buy since I have improved soooo much this year and should do so again next year.