Video Transcript

My name is Leo, and I'm a curated.com Ski Expert. Today, we're talking about the Rossignol Rallybird 90 Pro versus the Atomic Maven 86 R. Both of these are great beginner to intermediate skis that include bindings, making them a great option for getting you out of rentals.

Rossignol Rallybird 90 Pro Skis + Xpress W 10 GW Bindings

Starting with the Rossignol Rally Bird 90, this is one of my favorite beginner to intermediate skis, especially for my skiers in the west. At 90 underfoot, this ski has plenty of waist width to handle a good powder day. Thanks to the nice rocker in the tip and the tails, it makes it extremely easy to turn even in technical terrain. This really helps you progress off the groomers into things like moguls, trees, and following your friends into those more technical environments without the ski being so demanding that it makes it really difficult.

It will help open you up to those more technical things. It still skis a groomer really well, it's got plenty of camber underfoot, so it'll handle well and make good turns for you on the groomed terrain. However, it does have a bit of a speed limit. So if you're skiing super fast, or if you're skiing on very icy surfaces, this may not be the best choice for that. But as you can see, there's a lot of good takeaways about this ski, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're looking at getting out of rentals.

Atomic Maven 86 R Skis + M10 GW Bindings

Now, jumping over to the Atomic Maven 86, this ski is very similar. It's still a simple wood core, but it's a bit more of a traditional cut. It's a little more directional, meaning there's a little bit more length of tip than there is length of tail as opposed to a more equal length. It has a more traditional tail that will be a little bit more square in the snow, which will really help improve carving performance. But this ski still handles getting off the groomed terrain very well, thanks to what Atomic calls HRZN Tech.

This is a nice beveled tip that adds a little bit of catch-free turn initiation, as well as additional float. So it helps you really develop progression. It has a nice little mount tip guard up there, so it will help protect your skis if you still have a tendency to cross your tips. This is a great ski to learn with. It's just a simple wood core, and it has what Atomic calls Omatic, meaning they mix some fiberglass in there to help give it a little bit more dampness. So, I found this ski can handle just a little bit more speed than the Rossignol in that case.

Similarities and Differences

By the numbers, they're very similar options. They appeal to a very similar crowd and they're both a great value in terms of getting you out of rentals and onto the slopes more easily and accessibly. They give you the consistency of having your own gear so that you can progress faster.

If you have any questions, you can come down here to this expert Q&A line. You can type in the box here and tell us what you want to know and ask us your questions, or you can just hop on right down here to the chat. Give your expert a shout out, let us know what we can do to take care of you, and we will get you dialed into that perfect pair of skis.

Comparison Table