• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
I was never a big fan of wider skis with lots of side cut. I remembering demoing the Experience 88 when it first came out and I hated it; it felt like a one trick pony.

Two years ago I bought a pair of Z90’s used here on Pugski. When this ski first came out, I was skeptical due to its side cut, but so many people raved about it. So I took a chance. This was a ski that felt amazing on the first turn because it is so well balanced.

You know how there’s a few ski days that you look back on and say, gosh, that was a special day? The first time I took the Z90 out in a foot of PA cruddy snow was one of those days. Yep, in the lowly little Poconos, not the West, I had a banner day. It was that ski. It just did everything so well, was so easy and fun. I admittedly am not a great shitty snow skier, but I felt like I was skiing on autopilot on the Z90 in the stuff. I’ve never felt super locked into a carve like I did on the old Experience 88....I can release the Z90 whenever I need.

So typically I’d say, yeah, a ski with a carving sidecut should be narrower, but this ski is indeed special. It is, like Phil said, a great choice to take on a trip when you don’t know what conditions you’ll get. I failed to bring it on my last ski trip, to Winter Park last February, and I was kicking myself the whole time I was there.
 

PisteOff

Jeff
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,331
Location
Las Vegas
I think it has been addressed but it is worth revisiting. The Z90 is a bit of an anomaly, it is more than the sum of it's numbers. THere are few skis that if I had to go on a trip...anywhere and not know what the conditions will be, the Z90 is one of those skis that I would not hesitate to have to take. It does a lot of things very very well. Wide carvers have fallen out of favor quite frankly because none were as good as this ski.
This is what I am saying as well. Wherever I go I can put the Z-90 and the Citadel in the SportTube and I am ready to ski anything the weather and the resort have to offer and the Z gets the call 75% of the time.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Alexzn

Alexzn

Ski Squaw
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,956
Location
Bay Area and Truckee
I think killing off Z90 was a silly move. I skied early prototypes of Endurance and was thoroughly unimpressed. Z90 was miles better and it is a format that really showcased the Renoun's technology. And that ski was popular because it hit the sweet spot for a certain type of a skier that was abandoned by mainstream companies who either cared for an off-piste "progressive" shape/sidecut or just imported their mass-production Euro carvers. A middle-aged skier who wanted to ski real (i.e. beat-up) groomers all day with fun and comfort is still forced to choose between either driving an off-piste crud weapon like Bonafide or Mantra or its derivatives, or deal with a twitchy race-ski derived carver. Z90 fit that demographic like a bullseye.
 

RobSN

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Posts
1,070
Location
Prescott Valley, AZ
A middle-aged skier who wanted to ski real (i.e. beat-up) groomers all day with fun and comfort
... can use the Atlas' which are excellent for that. But I make no comment about killing off the Z90 as I never skied them although after reading this thread I am beginning to regret that.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
I think killing off Z90 was a silly move. I skied early prototypes of Endurance and was thoroughly unimpressed. Z90 was miles better and it is a format that really showcased the Renoun's technology. And that ski was popular because it hit the sweet spot for a certain type of a skier that was abandoned by mainstream companies who either cared for an off-piste "progressive" shape/sidecut or just imported their mass-production Euro carvers. A middle-aged skier who wanted to ski real (i.e. beat-up) groomers all day with fun and comfort is still forced to choose between either driving an off-piste crud weapon like Bonafide or Mantra or its derivatives, or deal with a twitchy race-ski derived carver. Z90 fit that demographic like a bullseye.
The V3.0 of the Endurance is a very good ski, I am not sure you got on them, I know I didn't have a longer length for you to try. I think the Endurance 88 will also be a very good ski...again this is where the Z90 was a very good Renoun.
 

ADKmel

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Posts
2,344
Location
Southern Adirondacks NY
If Z-90's are going extinct, I'm SUPER Happy I have mine!! I was skeptical that a 90 could work all conditions. Z-90's do and I love the Zoom factor and they are so easy on my old knees. Z-90's have been a 1 ski quiver for me, like others it is my ski of choice when going West. I've skied it on ice, slush, corn and over a foot of snow, they excel in 3D snow. Z-90's never let me down.
 

David Chaus

Beyond Help
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
5,529
Location
Stanwood, WA
One wonders whether a small company like Renoun might be able to produce custom requests for the Z90, since they already have the template/jigs. They even provide the blueprints with each ski they ship, so I’m sure they kept a copy of the blueprints around.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Alexzn

Alexzn

Ski Squaw
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,956
Location
Bay Area and Truckee
The V3.0 of the Endurance is a very good ski, I am not sure you got on them, I know I didn't have a longer length for you to try. I think the Endurance 88 will also be a very good ski...again this is where the Z90 was a very good Renoun.

exactly. There are many very good skis. That’s not quite enough for a small company making expensive skis.

Endurance has plenty of rocker and taper, just like any other good all mountain ski. The problem is that the Z90 target customer didn’t really need that taper for where and how this customer has been skiing.
 
Last edited:

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
7,617
Location
Great White North (Eastern side currently)
OK, we've probably plowed some of this ground before, but....
Why would anyone want a primarily carve-oriented 90mm ski? As I re-read this thread, it seems the Z90 excels on the groom,ice/hardpack, and shallow chunder/crud and falls into the wide-carver category. But why a wide carver, when you can get all that kind of performance -- and more quickness and liveliness -- from a 76-84 waist ski?

For my own purposes, I'm now on an eastern carver (78), and eastern soft-snow/all mountain (90) and a western all-mountain (90). I don't see a purpose for a 90-waist carver.
Responses?
It seems we have the same preferences in skis, but me only more so (Fischer WC SC for carving, Volkl 108 or similar for deep). The Z90 is like a really good all season tire. I prefer to swap from Hakkapallita winter tires in the winter (and suffer from lack of grip on twisty dry warm roads when that happens in the winter) to Michelin Pilots in the summer (and put up with their lack of grip when inclement cold weather happens in the summer. However, lots of folk want an all-season tire. Different strokes for different folk.
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
It seems we have the same preferences in skis, but me only more so (Fischer WC SC for carving, Volkl 108 or similar for deep). The Z90 is like a really good all season tire. I prefer to swap from Hakkapallita winter tires in the winter (and suffer from lack of grip on twisty dry warm roads when that happens in the winter) to Michelin Pilots in the summer (and put up with their lack of grip when inclement cold weather happens in the summer. However, lots of folk want an all-season tire. Different strokes for different folk.
Eh, kind of sounds like you’re talking about a typical eastern all mountain ski instead of the Z90.
The Z90 has some astounding grip for its width. It carves an arc like a much narrower ski. That’s what makes it special.

And I’m one who loves narrow carving skis and generally prefers something in the 60’s-70’s for that purpose, and....even here in PA, I use snow tires in winter and higher performance tires come spring.
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Alexzn

Alexzn

Ski Squaw
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,956
Location
Bay Area and Truckee
It seems we have the same preferences in skis, but me only more so (Fischer WC SC for carving, Volkl 108 or similar for deep). The Z90 is like a really good all season tire. I prefer to swap from Hakkapallita winter tires in the winter (and suffer from lack of grip on twisty dry warm roads when that happens in the winter) to Michelin Pilots in the summer (and put up with their lack of grip when inclement cold weather happens in the summer. However, lots of folk want an all-season tire. Different strokes for different folk.

Because a race carver is a lot of fun but demands skills and can be twitchy on a lot of “real” terrain. A wider, dialed down and damped carvy ski hits a certain sweet spot and requires half of the effort.
Look at it differently. A Porsche will carve a twisty road, an SUV will haul gear or bikes, and a sports sedan will do both reasonably confidently and still be tons of fun to drive.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
Because a race carver is a lot of fun but demands skills and can be twitchy on a lot of “real” terrain. A wider, dialed down and damped carvy ski hits a certain sweet spot and requires half of the effort.
Look at it differently. A Porsche will carve a twisty road, an SUV will haul gear or bikes, and a sports sedan will do both reasonably confidently and still be tons of fun to drive.
And a Macan or Cayenne can run the twisties with most sports cars.
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
7,617
Location
Great White North (Eastern side currently)
Eh, kind of sounds like you’re talking about a typical eastern all mountain ski instead of the Z90.
The Z90 has some astounding grip for its width. It carves an arc like a much narrower ski. That’s what makes it special.

And I’m one who loves narrow carving skis and generally prefers something in the 60’s-70’s for that purpose, and....even here in PA, I use snow tires in winter and higher performance tires come spring.
I did say "realy good" all season tire :ogbiggrin:. (admittedly good all-season tire is a bit of an oxymoron :duck:)
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
I did say "realy good" all season tire :ogbiggrin:. (admittedly good all-season tire is a bit of an oxymoron :duck:)
Totally true! I did actually have a great pair of all seasons about 10 years ago....made by one of the manufacturers of excellent snow tires, but I forget which one. Like the Z90, a bit of a unicorn.
 

mikel

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Posts
1,882
But didn't Spock come back?

Exactly, just maybe it will have "limited release" events in the future.


Because a race carver is a lot of fun but demands skills and can be twitchy on a lot of “real” terrain. A wider, dialed down and damped carvy ski hits a certain sweet spot and requires half of the effort.

nailed it for me. I'm not a racer. I do use my Z90s in a lot of scenarios on the mountain.

I will ski mine until the bases are gone.
 

Michael V

Getting off the lift
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Posts
276
Location
New Jersey
Been skiing the Z-90's for about 5 years, and love them. Best skied I've owned... until... Got on the Endurance 88's this past Sunday, and have to say, another home run by RENOUN. I think I like them better than the Z-90's. They will curve the hardpack with tenacity and grip and rip like the Z-90's, but feel much lighter, while still absorbing the crud.. Definitely much quicker and more playful in the bumps. Will need some time to get used to the light feeling, and the dampness; it is almost contradictory. The Look Pivot 15's seem to add some nice weight to the ski.
 

ADKmel

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Posts
2,344
Location
Southern Adirondacks NY
Been skiing the Z-90's for about 5 years, and love them. Best skied I've owned... until... Got on the Endurance 88's this past Sunday, and have to say, another home run by RENOUN. I think I like them better than the Z-90's. They will curve the hardpack with tenacity and grip and rip like the Z-90's, but feel much lighter, while still absorbing the crud.. Definitely much quicker and more playful in the bumps. Will need some time to get used to the light feeling, and the dampness; it is almost contradictory. The Look Pivot 15's seem to add some nice weight to the ski.

Great to hear! I've been worried what will I get when I use up my Z-90's!
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top