The benefits, although, have been clear in my two days of testing in Arizona (I deliberate to ski a 3rd day at Mount Hood in Oregon, the place circumstances are worse than within the Southwest, however a giant spring storm had the roads below winter advisory, and I used to be not inquisitive about strapping tire chains onto a rented Nissan Rogue).
Most skiers agree {that a} softer ski is best on bumpy terrain or dangerous snow, whereas a stiffer ski is extra snug at larger speeds. Swapping between the 2 is actually the promise of Renoun’s design. I skied groomed runs from the marginally icy high of the height to the slushy backside in mid-March and located the Endurance 88s carried out very nicely the entire time. I saved my edges once I wished them, did not catch them as I carved turns, and felt no vibrations even at high pace.
The Renoun skis I examined are additionally noticeably lighter than my common experience, a pair of decade-old Armada TSTs the identical size. The stats say there’s a 100-gram distinction per ski. That means the Renoun skis are roughly 5 % lighter, although totally different bindings make it laborious to check immediately. My demo pair has adjustable bindings, that are heavier than customary bindings, and the skis have been nonetheless noticeably lighter.
Photograph: Martin Cizmar
Fresh Legs
The Renoun’s essential benefit for a resort skier bombing blues, like me, is that dampening vibrations retains your legs recent. I’m sadly cursed by poor life choices to dwell as a flatlander and solely get out just a few instances a yr, so I often discover my legs are jelly after two days on the hill. But on the day after my two classes utilizing the Renouns with a pair of CEP compression socks, my legs felt no totally different than they’d on a standard day the place I’m awakening at 7,000 toes of altitude after an prolonged après.
The firm’s said aim is to cease you from enthusiastic about your skis, and that was my expertise—as I used to be reviewing them, I needed to pressure myself to cease and take into consideration them relatively than simply having fun with the view from the gondola. My solely different thought was that the blue-gray colorway regarded dangerous with my inexperienced and orange boots, and I want they’d be somewhat bolder in fashion.