2023 Rossignol Experience W 82 Ti

For the 2023 season, Rossignol has carried forward their Experience all-mountain collection for both men and women. This Experience W 82 Ti is the only women’s specific ski that uses metal, and in general, the Experience line is a little more focused on groomer and carving performance than ever before. This ski uses a poplar wood core with traditional horizontal titanal laminates. That sets it apart from previous Experience Ti models that used vertical metal struts. The construction gives it a more robust, more stable feel with increased vibration damping, but it’s still relatively lightweight too. Rossignol also uses what they call Drive Tip Solution. There’s a complex blend of fibers and visco material in the tip of the ski that’s designed to take harsh impacts and vibrations and turn them into usable energy underfoot. The shape of the Experience W 82 Ti is mostly camber, although we get some smooth progressive tip rocker. Differing from the last generation of Experience skis, there’s no early taper, meaning the higher you get the ski on edge, the longer the effective edge and the better grip you’ll get.

Alix Klien skied the 159 and found it to ski short. As a result, she notes that “The tip on this ski wobbles at higher speeds, it feels damp and slow edge to edge. Likes medium to small radius turns. Not a super aggressive ski, better for an intermediate skier.” She may have felt different about a longer length. Brooke Mars was also on the 159 and had a different experience. She noted that it was “slightly long, but I liked this size for myself.” All 4’s and 5’s for Brooke, with the 5’s going for overall impression, playfulness, and stability. This is a very high baseline of scores for the 82 Ti, showing Brooke’s favorable experience on these skis. “This ski is stable and wants you to stay balanced whether you hit an uneven groomer line or some chundery snow cookies. I would take this ski out in any condition and have no doubt it would be enjoyable.” The enjoyment is what a lot of skiers who are looking at skis to buy should be focusing on, and Brooke keys in on this nicely.

Susan Dorn was also on the 159, noting that it felt “ok.” She scored top marks of 4 out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, playfulness, stability, quickness, and maneuverability. All other scores were 3’s showing a well-rounded spread of scores in all categories. Susan notes that the Experience W 82 Ti is best for an “Advanced skier, and is a good all-around ski. Better with some snow under foot than a narrower ski on hard surfaces. Pretty good edge to edge. Had a bit of pop, and that’s great for rebound out of turns.” The metal in the ski does make it better suited for advanced skiers who are not concerned with skis that are on the stiffer side.

For most front-side and all-mountain skiers, the Rossignol Experience W 82 Ti represents a strong-turning option that has a good amount of versatility to boot. Thanks to the integrated technology and the advanced componentry, these skis are some of the better options in the low to mid-80's underfoot zone.