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Renoun Z90-- carving excellence

Crudmaster

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Yes, the stuff actually works.
As advertised, the Renoun Z90s, which are reasonably light and amiable carving skis on groomers, seem to get stiffer at high speed.

After two days on them, I agree with Renoun’s claims about their special stuff— their Hyper Damping Technology. The Z90s feel easy and hold a good edge at moderate speeds, and then at speeds over 25mph or so, they feel stiffer and stabler than you’d expect. It’s a pretty nifty trick.

They have normal camber, a medium flex uniformly from tip to tail, and average rebound.

They carve medium radius turns really well at all speeds, and they should be a favorite groomer ski for a lot of skiers, as they are for me.

They have wide tips, no taper, only the tiniest bit of tip rocker, and their medium stiffness mid-ski is continued out to the tip, so the tips (and tails) do engage a lot. This is terrific for carving, but not so great for moguls nor crud, where they are hooky. In spite of being 90mm underfoot, they should be thought of as carvers, not all-mountain skis.

I’d call them 80% on-piste / 20% off-piste.

Most of the time they feel stable at speed, but they are fairly light and they don’t feel particularly well damped nor stable when skiing at slower speeds in steep, rough crud. It seems there isn’t yet a substitute for traditional heavy wood-and-metal skis for crud busting.
 

Tom K.

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Yes, the stuff actually works.
As advertised, the Renoun Z90s, which are reasonably light and amiable carving skis on groomers, seem to get stiffer at high speed.

After two days on them, I agree with Renoun’s claims about their special stuff— their Hyper Damping Technology. The Z90s feel easy and hold a good edge at moderate speeds, and then at speeds over 25mph or so, they feel stiffer and stabler than you’d expect. It’s a pretty nifty trick.

They have normal camber, a medium flex uniformly from tip to tail, and average rebound.

They carve medium radius turns really well at all speeds, and they should be a favorite groomer ski for a lot of skiers, as they are for me.

They have wide tips, no taper, only the tiniest bit of tip rocker, and their medium stiffness mid-ski is continued out to the tip, so the tips (and tails) do engage a lot. This is terrific for carving, but not so great for moguls nor crud, where they are hooky. In spite of being 90mm underfoot, they should be thought of as carvers, not all-mountain skis.

I’d call them 80% on-piste / 20% off-piste.

Most of the time they feel stable at speed, but they are fairly light and they don’t feel particularly well damped nor stable when skiing at slower speeds in steep, rough crud. It seems there isn’t yet a substitute for traditional heavy wood-and-metal skis for crud busting.

This echos my one day demo, though the ski may have changed a bit in the two years since that time (March 2017 IIRC).

What I don't get is why somebody would want an 80% piste/20% off-piste ski with a 90 mm waist?!

I don't get a chance to demo much, but I loved the Monster 88, liked the Z90 and REALLY loved the Motive 95s I already owned, so I remained a few hundred dollars better off by buying nothing at the time!
 
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ADKmel

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I'm on 165cm Z-90's They have become my 1 ski quiver. This past 2 weeks out west I have taken them on plenty of groomed sometimes very hard packed, you western folks would say it was icy, lol- I took them to Mt Tremblant early Dec on real ice and they still worked great. I thought 90 under foot would kill my old knees but no way.
I love to make big and small fast turns, the zoom factor is there, the more you give them the more they give back. I love to Ski fast.I think they are nimble. I've loved them in off piste with piles of snow sometimes up to my knees last couple of days at Taos, they are a JOY in chopped up snow. I continue to challenge them to see if they won't work and it just hasn't happened for me, they are my 1 ski quiver. thank you @Cyrus Schenck for truly the Greatest Ski I have ever skied in 56yrs!!
 
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TS
Crudmaster

Crudmaster

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...but I loved the Monster 88, liked the Z90 and REALLY loved the Motive 95s I already owned...


I'm with you Don K. I just picked up some years old Motive 86s to fill that middle spot in my quiver. They aren't a current ski, but they still cost $530.
 

Wilhelmson

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Sounds like a nice ski. What's the rationale for a groomer ski so wide?
 

Philpug

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Sounds like a nice ski. What's the rationale for a groomer ski so wide?
Whats the rational for an SUV that can go 150+ MPH or 0-60 in 3.4 sec? ;)

The width adds to the versatility. Personally I would sooner ski a wide carver at 90 underfoot than a narrow powder ski at 88. It is a ski for the conditions you actually ski verses the conditions you hope to.
 

Wendy

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Whats the rational for an SUV that can go 150+ MPH or 0-60 in 3.4 sec? ;)

The width adds to the versatility. Personally I would sooner ski a wide carver at 90 underfoot than a narrow powder ski at 88. It is a ski for the conditions you actually ski verses the conditions you hope to.

I have skied mine on hard groomers, up to 6” of fresh, icy crud, bumps, and they shined in all of it...in fact, made all these things easier for me. I think they are fun for snappy short radius turns...I like to do that down the side of the runs where there is better snow. They do not feel 90mm wide underfoot at all. They are the best ski for when you do not know what conditions to expect. They have made many of my other skis obsolete.
 

David Chaus

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^^^^ What she said. I have used my Z-90’s as a one ski quiver this season. One morning I brought out my Rev 105’s, for 6” of fresh snow over crust, and after a run a two when back to the Z-90’s. And it’s been a great teaching/clinic ski for me (though I do have a little edge of topsheet damage from skiers riding over my skis; I’ve learned to relax about this....).

That said, I’d still like to try the Endurance 98.
 

ADKmel

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I'm a total Renoun Junkie.. I want to try the z-77's for daily east coast ski, the 103 Citadels for West Fatties.
Yes, My Z-90's have been my 1 ski quiver 2yrs now, while I don't 'need' another ski, I want them all because they are such great skis!!
 

mikel

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^^^^ What she said. I have used my Z-90’s as a one ski quiver this season. One morning I brought out my Rev 105’s, for 6” of fresh snow over crust, and after a run a two when back to the Z-90’s. And it’s been a great teaching/clinic ski for me (though I do have a little edge of topsheet damage from skiers riding over my skis; I’ve learned to relax about this....).

That said, I’d still like to try the Endurance 98.

Agreed. I have 2+ seasons on my Z90's and still love them. Overall they seem to work well for me. Are they a magic ski for all conditions? Nope. I just did an all mountain/bump clinic and wished I had been on my Factions instead of the Z90's. I really struggle with them in the bumps but as the video showed it was mostly my technique … or lack of. I'm hoping for a bunch of fresh snow for my next clinic and I will probably try my Citadels. Haven't had them in the bumps yet. I also still have my Rev 90's but only use them during the very early or late season.

Lots of really good skis out there and the Z90s are definitely one of them.
 

Wendy

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Agreed. I have 2+ seasons on my Z90's and still love them. Overall they seem to work well for me. Are they a magic ski for all conditions? Nope. I just did an all mountain/bump clinic and wished I had been on my Factions instead of the Z90's. I really struggle with them in the bumps but as the video showed it was mostly my technique … or lack of. I'm hoping for a bunch of fresh snow for my next clinic and I will probably try my Citadels. Haven't had them in the bumps yet. I also still have my Rev 90's but only use them during the very early or late season.

Lots of really good skis out there and the Z90s are definitely one of them.

What do the Citadels feel like? Not a ski for the conditions I normally ski, but I am curious as to how they ski compared to the Z90.
 

Wendy

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I'm on 165cm Z-90's They have become my 1 ski quiver. This past 2 weeks out west I have taken them on plenty of groomed sometimes very hard packed, you western folks would say it was icy, lol- I took them to Mt Tremblant early Dec on real ice and they still worked great. I thought 90 under foot would kill my old knees but no way.
I love to make big and small fast turns, the zoom factor is there, the more you give them the more they give back. I love to Ski fast.I think they are nimble. I've loved them in off piste with piles of snow sometimes up to my knees last couple of days at Taos, they are a JOY in chopped up snow. I continue to challenge them to see if they won't work and it just hasn't happened for me, they are my 1 ski quiver. thank you @Cyrus Schenck for truly the Greatest Ski I have ever skied in 56yrs!!

I’ve got bad knees..arthritis.....last year my knees always ached after skiing. This year, on the Z90s....no knee ache. Go figure!
 

PisteOff

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I agree with many of the sentiments above regarding the Z-90. Even with regards to my knee issues. Two days at Taos here recently on my Z's and my knee never swelled up like it normally does. I picked up a pair of Z-90's from Renoun out of their returned/demo fleet over the off season. I got them in 174 and mounted a pair of Attack 13 Demo bindings I had on them. That way @ChunderBlunder could get on them too. Snow and conditions to keep the local MI hill open came early to Michigan this year opening our local ski hill in Mid November. I wasted to no time getting out there. After several days out I had to leave MI for work. I finally got back out last weekend at Taos. My first chance to put the Z's on some real mountain terrain. I absolutely love them on piste. They have improved my skiing measurably. The biggest way they've done that is simply due to their stability at all speeds and by the confidence they inspire. I'm not worried about what may lay in wait over that next roller. If it's chopped up bad, the Z will blow through it. If I need to make a quick and nimble move, the Z will do it. On a couple pair of Rossi's I've recently owned I had to be careful not to over pressure the ski and get launched. No such worries with the Z. I put all 200+lbs into it and couldn't fold them up. I'm still slowly pushing the limits with this ski and learning it. It's been fun. Like other posters, I too found them to get the tails hung up occasionally in the bumps. But, I also believe that is more my lack of ability than the ski. A little tail rocker or rise or whatever would be nice. I did a lot of bump skiing in Taos. I'm progressing.

I own a pair of Endurance 98's in 184 length. I've written about them here a few times. I've had some issues with edge hold, turn release, etc. Others have posted similar. Many had issue with the mount point being too far forward. (I was one of them on the factory line) A number of issues with the ski were addressed by Renoun with the release of V2.0 or this years Endurance. I've not had a chance to ski that ski. I will be remounting my 98's at Jackson Hole next week -2 with an Attack 13 Demo and I'll see what I think of that.

I just received a pair of Citadel 106 in the 191 length. I mounted the Atomic Shift binding on them. I had them mounted by Alain Veth when I was in Taos. I've not had a chance to ski them yet. Had fresh snow fallen while I was at Taos I would've taken them out the last day I was there. I intend to ski them at Jackson Hole next week and Big Sky immediately after that. I will find the appropriate thread to post there about my experience. I will say this.....this ski/binding combination is INCREDIBLY LIGHT. Unbelievably light. I am looking at making a touring set out of this ski. (obviously given binding choice). If I like the way it skies at 191 in the bumps and trees I may get a shorter version of it. I'm also curious to see how it rides deeper powder. My Armada ARV 116's could end up on the chopping block depending on how the Citadel does in the deep stuff.

Like I said, we'll see. Depending on how the remounted 98 handles and what I think of the Citadel..... The 98 could get passed on to the son and a shorter length Citadel purchased giving me the Z-90 and Citadel as a two ski quiver. Leave the 191 as a dedicated touring ski. Only time will tell. Can't wait until next week!!
 

chilehed

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So how about the Z77 vs the Z90?

I've got a pair of Endurance 98's (which I love), but given the prevalence of hardpack in SE MI I spend most of my time on my 2014 Head Rev85 Pros, which need to be retired before long. I want something playful and snappy, something you can drive hard but will also let you relax without having it kick you in the teeth - like the Rev85s were vs. my old 65 mm slalom skis. I'm wondering if it makes more sense to try the 77's since the 90's are similar in width to the Endurance. OTOH, I don't want to go so narrow that I give up much ability to handle deeper crud.

Thoughts?
 

PisteOff

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So how about the Z77 vs the Z90?

I've got a pair of Endurance 98's (which I love), but given the prevalence of hardpack in SE MI I spend most of my time on my 2014 Head Rev85 Pros, which need to be retired before long. I want something playful and snappy, something you can drive hard but will also let you relax without having it kick you in the teeth - like the Rev85s were vs. my old 65 mm slalom skis. I'm wondering if it makes more sense to try the 77's since the 90's are similar in width to the Endurance. OTOH, I don't want to go so narrow that I give up much ability to handle deeper crud.

Thoughts?
The Endurance and the Z-90 are two entirely different skis......
 

Philpug

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Well, yeah. But I'm wondering specifically about the Z77 vs the Z90.
The new Z77 is indeed a blast of a ski. Between that and the Z90..it really comes down to how you want to set your quiver up. DO you want a dedicated frontside ski, the Z77 or a ski that is but more versatile, the Z90.
 

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