Völkl Blaze 94 vs. Renoun Endurance 98 Review
Völkl Blaze 94 vs. Renoun Endurance 98 Review
The Völkl Blaze 94 came onto the market with an immediate attraction for its uphill capabilities, and downhill performance. When looking at competitors for this ski, it’s no question that the Renoun Endurance 98 gets brought up. With its innovative design and unmatched performance, the two will really duke it out when side by side.
Stability
Renoun's proprietary Vibestop™ The Endurance 98 is recognized for its all time stability due to its unique technology featuring non-Newtonian polymer in the core. This technology provides impressive dampening, making it stable at high speeds and capable of handling variable terrain and conditions confidently. The Blaze 94 offers good stability, but it might not match the Endurance 98 in terms of vibration absorption. While stable, it might rattle the skier a little more with heavier vibrations and chatter.
Playfulness
Despite its stability, the Endurance 98 doesn’t sacrifice playfulness. It maintains a lively feel that allows for snappy turns and slashing around any part of the mountain. The Blaze 94 tends to lean on the more playful side, feeling nimble and lively, particularly in softer snow conditions. It might feel a bit easier to maneuver due to its lightweight construction.
Edge-to-edge:
The Endurance performs admirably when transitioning from edge to edge due to its construction, offering a smooth and predictable ride while maintaining stability. The Blaze 94 is known for its quick edge-to-edge transitions, making it more agile and responsive, especially in tighter turns. This may be a bit of a trade off when it comes to stability though.
Versatility:
The Endurance 98 is highly versatile, conquering all conditions, including groomers, mixed terrain, and even powder. Its stability and playfulness across different types of snow make it suitable for all-mountain adventures. While versatile, the Blaze 94 might lean a bit more towards softer snow conditions due to its slightly more playful nature, making it a great choice for all-mountain skiing but potentially favoring off-piste adventures slightly more.
Powder:
Renoun’s ski performs surprisingly well in powder due to its width and rocker profile. Having the construction that uses Vibestop™ is also a massive benefit for the Endurance. The Blaze 94 provides a decent float in powder, although it might not match the Endurance 98's float in deeper snow due to its narrower profile, it does have a softer flex pattern which may have some fun benefits in the powder.
Conclusion:
It’s impressive to see Völkl is stepping out of their cage of heavy, racer oriented skis, but is it worth the lack of stability this company is known for? In this case, it is definitely worth gaining a few more grams to have a ski like the Endurance 98 that has more stability, versatility and overall life to it.
"...a ski like the Endurance 98 has more stability, versatility and overall life to it."
