All mountain skis
Product 2026
Woman, Man
Arcade 88 or Arcade 95—which one should you choose? We lean toward the 88, mostly because it feels a touch lighter, though it’s still on the heavy side thanks to plenty of material underfoot. That weight sits notably toward the tip, but overall construction feels robust and serious.
The Rossignol Arcade 88 pivots more easily than the 95 and, crucially, holds edge pressure just as well at high speed. On groomers it’s a joy, and in variable or transformed snow it performs admirably. It’s not a wide ski, yet it manages to skim over soft piles. The stiff tip demands vigilance in bumps—despite decent rise, it can catapult you if you’re not centered. On a positive note, the integrated metal tip looks fantastic and avoids the usual bolted-on design. Fit and finish are excellent, giving the ski a premium, durable feel.
The Arcade 88 is built for speed. Carved turns are a real pleasure, and it excels in its natural turn shape—or even stretched out into slightly longer arcs. It never washes out. The limitation comes when trying to force it into tighter radii on edge: it resists and eventually breaks loose. A very powerful skier might muscle it into submission, but much like its bigger sibling, the Arcade 95, it tends to stay fairly mono-radius.
We appreciated that the Arcade 88 feels powerful underfoot without being tail-dominant. There’s no sense of the ski pulling you into turns—it’s balanced, trustworthy, and ready to accelerate when asked. It rises to the skier’s ambitions, putting its stability and edge hold at your service.
Vibration damping is excellent, and grip on hard snow is first-rate. Short skidded turns come easily, with only minor inertia felt in the shovel. Glide is smooth, and the ski adapts well whether you initiate turns with a skid before carving or go straight into clean arcs. Transitioning out of a carve is equally smooth. On very hard snow, our test pair was over-sharpened at tip and tail, making it a bit catchy, but underfoot stiffness is the real characteristic to manage—you need to stay engaged and on top of it.
Even though the shovel engages turns nicely and the ski delivers solid carved support, we did wonder if the Arcade 88 lacks a touch of fluidity. You have to be well-positioned to get the most out of its flex. Still, this is a strong, powerful ski capable of holding very high speeds with confidence.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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