Ski: 2019-2020 ON3P Wrenegade 96, 184 cm
Available Lengths: 174, 179, 184, 189 cm
Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 184.6 cm
Stated Weight per Ski: 2080 grams
Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 2050 & 2089 grams
Stated Dimensions: 126-96-116 mm
Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 126.6-96.4-116.6 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius: 23.7 meters
Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 82 mm / 33 mm
Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: ~2 mm
Core: Bamboo + 2” Unidirectional Carbon Stringers (Top & Bottom) + Fiberglass Laminate
Base: 1.8 mm 4001 Durasurf
Factory Recommended Mount Point: -9.3 cm from center; 83.0 cm from tail
[Note: Our review was conducted on the 18/19 Wrenegade 96, which was not changed for 19/20, apart from graphics.]
Intro
The ON3P Wrenegade has been around in various forms for what seems like forever, and the original Wrenegade garnered a bit of a cult following for it’s hard-charging, crud-busting performance.
But as the Wrenegade line has evolved and expanded, it’s gone through many changes. And while we found the 17/18 Wrenegades to be predictable and intuitive skis, they fell more on the “pretty easy and forgiving” side of the spectrum, rather than the “burly charger” side.
Now ON3P has updated the Wrenegade line for 18/19, adding the Wrenegade 114, tweaking the Wrenegade 108, and replacing the Wrenegade 98 with the brand-new Wrenegade 96.
We’ll be dropping our full review of the Wrenegade 96 soon, and Blister Members can check out our initial on-snow impressions in our Flash Review. But for now, let’s take a look at the Wrenegade 96 to see where it differs from the Wrenegade 98 it replaced and how it compares to some other options in this class.
What we said about the 17/18 Wrenegade 98 in our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide
To provide a little context, here’s how we described the 17/18 Wrenegade 98 in last year’s Buyer’s Guide:
“It seems this bears repeating: the Wrenegade lineup (88, 98, 108) is quite easy to ski, and the 98 might be the easiest ski in this section. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be skied hard, it’s just that ON3P has their suspension dialed, creating a line of stable, intuitive, predictable, and easy skis that work just about everywhere. The 98’s tails are a bit softer than the Wren 88’s, and this ski will provide more float in pow than any ski in the group. If maximum damping and stability is what you want, go Monster 98. But any intermediate to expert skier looking for a solid, easy, and predictable everyday ride, go Wren 98.
And here’s what ON3P says about the new Wrenegade 96:
“New for 2019, the Wrenegade 96 is our most versatile daily driver. A progressive rocker profile improves float in powder snow while the thinner waist ensures solid edge hold on groomers and hardpack in all conditions.
For 2019, we’ve introduced a slightly narrower waist width, stiffer flex throughout the forebody of the ski, and tighter turn radius. The stiffer flex increases the skis’ high end speed and power out of a turn while the tighter radius better suits the terrain this width excels in.”
Alright, so the Wren 96 is a bit narrower (duh), has a slightly tighter sidecut radius (23.7 m vs. 24.1 m for the 184 cm Wren 96 and Wren 98, respectively), and is supposed to be a bit stiffer than the Wren 98. So just how stiff is it?
Flex Pattern
Hand flexing the Wrenegade 96, we’d sum up its flex pattern like this:
Tips: 8.5-8
Shovels: 7.5-6.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 8-9
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 8.5-7.5
Tails: 7-8.5
This is a solid “medium” flex. Not burly, not noodly. The back half is a bit stiffer than the front half, but it’s not a drastic difference. So while the Wrenegade 96’s shovels are a bit softer than its tails, the overall flex pattern is pretty symmetrical, and we’re definitely not mad about that.
Shape / Rocker Profile
The main story here is obviously the Wrenegade 96’s narrower waist and slightly tighter sidecut radius.
Other than that, the Wrenegade 96 retains a very similar shape to the Wrenegade 98, with a moderate amount of tip taper (its tips look fairly similar to the Nordica Enforcer 100’s) and a minimally tapered tail.
But like pretty much all of the ON3P skis we’ve reviewed, the Wrenegade 96 has a lot more tip splay and a much deeper tip rocker line than most other skis of similar widths. The Wren 96 also has a deeper tail rocker line than a lot of skis in its class, but its tail splay is less extreme than its tip splay.
So while ON3P slimmed down with the Wrenegade 96, they didn’t really dial back it’s rocker profile that much (if at all), and the rocker profiles of the Wrenegade 96, 108, and 114 actually all look remarkably similar. It’s not all that common for a 96 mm ski to have such a similar rocker profile compared to a ski that’s 18 mm wider, especially given how generous the rocker profiles of the 18/19 Wrenegades are. But this is something we also noticed with the 17/18 Wrenegades. The 17/18 Wrenegade 88, 98, and 108 all had extremely similar rocker profiles, to the point where they were almost indistinguishable when looking at all three from the side.
Weight
The Wrenegade 96 comes in at a very similar weight to the 17/18 Wrenegade 98 — right around 2060 grams per ski.
And really, the thing that sticks out to us when looking at the list below is where the Wren 96 and Wren 98 fall compared to skis like the Nordica Enforcer 100 and Blizzard Bonafide. Because the Wrenegade 98 felt like it skied heavier than it was, which, coming from us, is certainly a compliment. So we’re happy that the Wrenegade 96 didn’t drop a ton of weight.
For reference, below are a few of our measured weights (per ski, in grams) for a few notable skis. As always, keep in mind the length differences to keep things apples-to-apples.
1629 & 1684 Elan Ripstick 96, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1734 & 1750 Renoun Endurance 98, 184 cm (18/19)
1896 & 1919 Dynastar Legend X96, 186 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1921 & 1968 Head Kore 99, 189 cm (18/19)
1925 & 1937 Liberty Helix 98, 186 cm (18/19)
1931 & 1932 DPS Foundation Cassiar 94, 185 cm (18/19)
1956 & 1999 K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti, 184 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1966 & 1973 Liberty Origin 96, 187 cm (18/19)
1998 & 2044 4FRNT MSP 99, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2007 & 2029 Armada Invictus 99 Ti, 187 cm (18/19)
2049 & 2065 Volkl Mantra M5, 177 cm (18/19)
2050 & 2080 ON3P Wrenegade 96, 184 cm (18/19)
2053 & 2057 Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, 188 cm (18/19)
2054 & 2059 ON3P Wrenegade 98, 184 cm (17/18)
2114 & 2133 Nordica Enforcer 93, 185 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2115 & 2149 J Skis Masterblaster, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2124 & 2137 Blizzard Bonafide, 180 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2131 & 2189 Nordica Enforcer 100, 185 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2373 & 2397 Head Monster 98, 184 cm (17/18)
Bottom Line (For Now)
The ON3P Wrenegade 96 isn’t vastly different than the Wrenegade 98 it replaced, but it still sticks out from most of the other skis in its class due to its very generous rocker profile. Keep an eye out for our full review, and Blister Members can check out our initial on-snow impressions in our Flash Review linked below.
Flash Review
Blister Members can now check out our Flash Review of the Wrenegade 96 for our initial impressions. Become a Blister member now to check out this and all of our Flash Reviews, plus get exclusive deals and discounts on skis, and personalized gear recommendations from us.
NEXT: Rocker Profile Pics
The Wren 96 looks quite similar to the 17/18 Liberty Origin 96 except that it has a more rearward mount point. More similar than the current Origin 96?
Best ski ever. I mainly ski trees in east coast and VT while also spending 7ish days out west each year. I have a pair of 108 kartels and previously arv 106’s but dang I never want to use them. My wrens just check every box. The exaggerated rocker profile allows them to punch way out of their width class. These are comfortable in upwards of 2ft of snow and a dream in chop, moguls, tight trees, chutes, cliff drops, and at Mach 7. And fast and durable as all heck and carve like a boss. They definitely ski different than the Jeffrey’s/kartels but they’re not as unforgiving as people make them seem. These are beast mode skis for people who go big. They give you the confidence that if you’re going to die on that sketch line, your skis won’t be the reason.
Hi, is it possible to get a deep dive for this ski? Obviously there are a lot of skis between 95 and 105 under foot fighting for “quiver of one supremacy”. Are there other deep dives where the Wren 96 is included for comparison.
I noticed that this ski placed near the very bottom in the buyer’s guide for ice performance and was wondering what ski construction characteristics contributed to this? Is it just poor grip compared to other under 100 underfoot skis? In other words would it still be miles better on ice compared to pretty much any 105 + ski?
What other skis have comparable “pop” or are even “poppier” as well as have a stable/damp ride?
Looking at the ski profile pics am guessing the comparatively reduced edge hold would be down to the amount of rocker and shorter effective edge. But better that the Blister experts answer!
Any chance of a full review of this ski along with the Woodsman and Kartel/Jeffrey. Would be an interesting comparison. As it would with the 2 wider widths