SHOWDOWN: Renoun Endurance 88 vs Rossignol Arcade 88
Just because I’m a fan of the Renoun skis, and absolutely the Endurance 88, doesn’t mean I’m not always on the lookout for a better ski. As a passionate skier who isn’t endorsed by anybody, I’ll take any advantage I can, whenever I can. So my gear radar is always scanning.
With each passing season, the trend seems to be slowly and sensibly moving back to narrower skis. And even here in the west, the 85-90mm underfoot ski makes a great all-mountain daily driver.
Why did I choose the Rossignol Arcade 88 for a test drive comparison? Because the Arcade 88 seems to be one of the bigger buzz skis this season.
Rickety Ski Reviews gushes over it calling it one of the best daily drivers he’s ever skied.
SKI Magazine gave it the Best Frontside Ski of 2026 and one The 7 Best Skis for Moguls (Best for Experts)
Finally, only the Ski Essentials Review was a little lukewarm on this ski calling it “one of the stiffest skis they’ve ever flexed”, “a wide race ski”, and “less versatile than advertised” while still giving it overall praise.
First, let’s compare specs:
Rossignol Arcade 88
Dimensions: 135-88-124
Radius: 15m @ 178cm length
Weight: 4132g per pair @ 178cm
Renoun Endurance 88
Dimensions: 129-88-112
Radius: 16m @ 177cm
Weight: 3840g per pair @ 177cm
Next, let’s compare designs: (where things get different)
From the image below, it’s quite obvious that the Rossi has a very traditional race style “tip taper” (or the complete lack thereof), while the Renoun employs an obvious taper where the widest part of the ski is further back.
Disadvantages of taper are that it tends to reduce the effective edge of the ski which can result in less stability and edge hold, most notably on a hard packed surface.
Advantages, on the other hand, are that it tends to create a mellower turn transition, less hookiness, and slightly more directionality in deeper snow.
The image below shows the differences in “tail taper”. The Rossi, once again, in a very race like design, has very little taper, while the Renoun has a noticable amount.
Disadvantages of tail taper, just like the tip, is decreased effective edge and also a less powerful turn finish.
Advantages of the tail taper on the Renoun would generally contribute to a mellower turn finish and less tail hookup in moguls.
The image below shows the difference in “tip splay” or “early rise”. While the Rossi has some, the Renoun has more.
Advantages of tip splay are mellower transitions, less hookup, and better floatation.
Disadvantages are slower turn initiations, less effective edge, and less stability at speed.
The image below shows the obvious difference in sidewall thickness. In this case, it correlates directly to the greater weight and stiffness of the Rossi.
On the snow: (5’11″/175lb, Copper Mountain, CO – 2/26)
I had an opportunity to ski them both side by side and chose to do the same four runs on each ski two times. So eight runs on each ski consisting of two mellow groomers, two steeper groomers, two easy bump runs, and two more difficult bump runs with variable conditions.
Let’s compare both skis in eight different categories:
Stability at Speed: This goes to the >ROSSI
- No real surprise here. Weight and stiffness tend to rule the day when it comes to stability.
Ease of Turns: This is a tie: RENOUN = ROSSI
- Both skis turn effortlessly. The Rossi hooks up instantly, while the Renoun has a mellower initiation. Both hold varying edge angles easily and intuitively.
Carving: Slight edge to the >ROSSI
- Both skis carve beautifully and have a similar sidecut and turn radius . While the Renoun takes less effort to bend, with the appropriate pressure management, the Rossi is a machine. The heavier, more race-like layup and longer effective edge on the Rossi gives it the slight edge.
Bump Performance: This goes to the >RENOUN
- The differing shape and layup of these skis favor Renoun by a mile. More early rise and a bit of taper in the tip and tails reduce hookiness. Less swing weight and stiffness reduce the workload.
Stability in variable conditions: This goes to the >ROSSI
- While the lack of any taper and a deep sidecut don’t really help with directionality, the Rossi’s sheer weight rules this category.
Quickness: This is a tie: RENOUN = ROSSI
- The Rossi boasts a slightly deeper sidecut and no taper resulting in instant hookup and turn initiation. However, through the shaping phase of the turn, it does take some continuing pressure to bend this rather burly ski and tighten your radius. On the other hand, the lighter weight Renoun with a shorter effective edge easily bends through an arc and feels quicker under foot.
Maneuverability: Slight edge to the >RENOUN
- While both skis are quick turners when laid on edge, when it comes to “maneuvering” other factors can come into play. Here, the reduced effective edge and swing weight both favor the Renoun. If I were skiing tight trees, I would prefer the Renoun all day long.
Versatility: The winner is >RENOUN 🥇
- This category is of the most importance to me. I am not one to typically ski only a certain type of terrain. With 88mm underfoot, I prefer an “all-mountain” character in my skis, since that is exactly where I end up skiing most days. The Rossi is a wonderful ski and will appeal to many skiers, especially those good enough to harness its capabilities. The Renoun, true to their DNA, takes advantage of specific design qualities that make it easier to ski on just about any terrain or conditions.
While there will always be a tradeoff between designing a ski for stability or quickness, I feel Renoun has done a great job of attempting to achieve both.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
While the Rossi Arcade 88 is a wonderful ski, it reminded me a lot of a ski I purchased last season and ended up selling because of it’s lack of versatility. That would be the Fischer The Curv GT 85. For me, just taking a race ski design and making it a bit wider doesn’t really translate to true versatility on the hill.
Regarding all the Rossi Arcade reviews mentioned in the introduction, I definitely have some questions:
Rickety Ski Reviews gushes about the Rossi as a great daily driver, but then he says if you tend to get off trail at all, there may be better choices. Is he referring to this ski as an “all-mountain” daily driver? Is he including ever present bumps as “off piste”? His review is heavily carving focused. He does mention crud performance, but concedes there may be better skis for that. He never mentions bump performance or tree maneuverability. So, as far as a daily driver, I’d say it would definitely hinge on your type of skiing and what “all-mountain” means to you.
Regarding Ski Mag’s “The 7 Best Skis for Moguls—Tested for Agility, Forgiveness, and Fun“: The Rossis are certainly fun, but agility and forgiveness are not its strong suits. They got the “Best for Experts” award. While it’s a fact that true experts can ski anything effectively through the bumps, some skis are obviously easier than others. I would say that a heavy, stiff ski with a mostly racing design shape is not making things the easiest. Really, nothing about their shape or layup, other than some tip splay, would be considered an attribute in bumps. I thought they were fine in the bumps, but other skis, such as the Endurance 88, would be much more at home there.
I thought the Ski Essentials review was pretty spot on.
Finally, where I definitely felt the most difference between these two skis, was on the second set of mogul runs on each ski. I started with the Rossis for the first four laps that day. That meant that I was on them for the third set of bump runs where I was definitely starting to feel slight effects of fatigue setting in. Then, I still had two more bump runs remaining on the Endurance 88s. On those last two runs, it literally felt like I had taken weights off of my feet. Even though my tank was starting to run on empty, I actually felt rejuvenated and my reaction time was back.
The main difference between these two skis is in the design approach. With the Rossi, you have a fairly traditional frontside carver design with a boost in width. With the Renoun, you have more of a frontside all-mountain approach incorporating some freeride characteristics like more tip and tail splay, tip taper, lighter weight, and mellower flex. The beauty is in the fact that while they incorporate these designs, they do it very judiciously so as to reap the advantages, but still keep the traditional frontside foundation.
