Last season, Rossignol somewhat quietly added a new collection to their lineup: Arcade. With an Arcade 84 and Arcade 88, Rossi pitched these as all-mountain skis that priortize precision and power. For us in Colorado, sometimes sub-90mm isn’t quite enough for an “all-mountain” ski. Thankfully, Rossi heard us loud and clear. New for the 25/26 season is the Arcade 94. Built on the same chassis and design as the narrower models, the Arcade 94 offers up a directional, stiff, and relatively heavy option for skiers looking for something in the mid-90s. So, how exactly does it stand up to all-mountain snow conditions? What does the Arcade bring to the table in a saturated all-mountain ski market? And how does it compare to the Sender Soul 92? We dive into all that, and maybe even more, in our Rossignol Arcade 94 review.
Field Notes
The Rossignol Arcade 94 offers a more directional alternative to the many playful ski options on the market. There’s significantly less rocker than you might expect, with moderate tip rocker and quite little tail rocker. The shape offers minimal taper in both the tip and tail.
Looking inside, the Arcade 94 hosts a spread of Rossignol’s tech. Rossi adds a power rail in the middle of the wood core to give you better control throughout the whole ski, also known as Line Control Technology. They also add their venerable “Air Tip” found across loads of their skis to keep swing weight low. You’ll also get a titanal beam underfoot, along with a Poplar wood core.
Here’s some more details:
Sizes: 154, 162, 170, 178, 186
Weight: 2,000 grams/ski (178cm)
Radius: 16 (178cm)
Dimensions: 138-94-127
At the demo day, I skied on the 178cm. At 5’8″ and 135lbs, this is a little on the long side for me. While on freeride or more rockered skis, this would be closer to my preferred size, normally for an all-mountain ski I like something closer to that ~170 range for better maneuverability in bumps and trees. We’ll dive into how it felt on snow.
Groomers
Now, with a shape like the one that the Arcade has, with the hefty construction, we expected this thing to rail groomers. And it does. I don’t think I’ve skied so fast and had such a blast. Even though I was pushing the limits of my own personal speed records, I never felt out of control or like the ski was getting away from me. It rides incredibly smooth, and tracks well.
I also felt like if I needed to shut things down, it was pretty easy to force the ski to skid. It’s not how it would be preferred to be skied, but if you have some attention, you can push the ski to do what you need it to do. The Air Tip design helps quite a lot to keep the ski from feeling cumbersome to move around. It feels heavy—in a good way—where you can feel the ski has some power to bite and push through crud. But, you don’t feel like you’re lugging around two sheets of metal. The sidecut and tip shape also help keep things intuitive.
Of course, this is a slightly long size for me, so it certainly felt stable. But I think even in my more true to size length, I wouldn’t sacrifice much stability. From what I could tell, the dampness and control stemmed from the ski’s construction. It was smooth riding (like many Rossignol skis manage to balance well), without feeling cumbersome or heavy.
This ski also strikes a nice balance for energy and rebound when coming out of a turn. It wasn’t dead, but it’s not bursting at the seams with energy. It feels more balanced, which gives you a nice option if you don’t want something Gorilla Glued like a Nordica Enforcer 94, or a Blizzard Anomaly 94 that can feel like an Energizer Bunny. But, it does deliver the precision of those two skis, more so than a Salomon QST 94 or Elan Ripstick 96. Both those skis carve well, but aren’t as locked into a carve as the Arcade. That said, they do give the benefit of better looseness in bumps.
Bumps and Trees
Once you venture off trail, that’s when things start to get interesting. For shallow bumps that aren’t too chopped up or haven’t seen recent snow, the Arcade 94 is happy to slice and dice. Again, that Air Tip tech keeps things quick and easy to turn when you’re taking tighter turns. It doesn’t feel sluggish or cumbersome in any way, even despite the on-paper heavier weight.
The flex pattern felt quite balanced through this terrain as well. It’s certainly a relatively stiff ski through the midsection, but the tip has a softer flex that’s quite round as you get closer to the binding. That gives you a sort of “progressive” flex that isn’t soft or noodly, but just notably balanced as you engage the shovels. There’s not an on or off switch.
Sometimes skis feel as though they have a really narrow sweet spot when you’re engaging the shovels. The Arcade 94 seems to have a wide sweet spot. And, while it does prefer to have a somewhat experienced or technical pilot, you don’t need to think too hard while engaging the ski. It also makes it somewhat forgiving in this kind of terrain.
That said, it’s still a directional ski that asks to be driven in a fall line. Folks who enjoy linking up transfers in bump lines, or like to smear and drift through turns won’t find the mobility they’re looking for here.
Mixed Snow and Powder
Rossignol added a wider model to the collection for a reason. Instead of being a pure carver, the Arcade 94 should be able to tackle some softer snow conditions. And it will—it cuts through softer chop well, and the extra surface area will give you more platform to push through mixed snow. The heavier construction and super damp construction definitely helps this ski cut through refrozen snow.
That said, compared to other skis in the mid-90s waist width category, the Arcade 94 is more fine-tuned for frontside skiing. The more minimal tip rocker and heavier construction don’t make the most of soft snow days, compared to their more rockered and playful counterparts. Skis like the Salomon QST 94 or a Line Pandora 92 will give you a bit more balance if skiing soft snow is important to you.
Again, the Arcade 94 can cut through some soft chop. But it’s not my first choice if I’m exploring the whole mountain. That said, I think if you feel more comfortable on directional or traditional skis, the Arcade 94 will deliver.
Downsides?
Like I alluded to above, the Arcade 94 doesn’t float like a pow ski, or surf like a twin tip. I think if you’re graduating to buying your first ski, progressing all over the mountain, the Arcade 94’s more traditional shape makes things less energetic and playful feeling. I think it also requires enough input that if you’re exploring bumps and trees and slide into the backseat, it’s going to be a bit more punishing than you need it to be.
Bottom Line
I don’t want the tail end of this review deter you. I loved this ski. To me, it excels if you ride with a directional style, or if you like to ski mostly on groomed terrain. Advanced and expert skiers looking for a ski that rides smooth and predictable, but don’t want the feeling of heavy metal will adore this ski. It packs a punch for carving performance in this waist width. And if you’re used to maneuvering a ski like this in bumps and off trail, you’ll enjoy the predictable and consistent nature of the ski. Stoked intermediates who want something smooth riding that performs well on trail, and aren’t looking to go too much further (but live in areas with softer snow), the Arcade 94 will help you progress.
