The best All-Mountain West skis have the capacity to grip hard snow and pounce off the soft stuff, all on the same run. The Rossignol Blackops W Blazer gets its gripping power from a Titanal beam underfoot, which helps the entire ski stay in contact with a firm surface. The poppy spring off the bottom of a powder turn comes from a high camber line and reactive Diago fibers that run in a crosshatch pattern from tip to tail.
Making powder skiing easier by deploying a high, spring-loaded arch underfoot has been a Rossignol trademark since it introduced the first 7 series. Fans of the insanely successful Soul 7 will rediscover in the Blackops W Blazer the same load-and-release effortlessness that makes deep powder skiing feel as natural as walking.
The Blackops Blazer’s energetic rebound is all the more notable because most of today’s all-terrain skis don’t have a particularly lively turn finish. It’s such an important – and under-appreciated – trait that Rossi has wisely given it a marketing name to call attention to it, Pop Factor. The main reason the Blackops W Blazer is able to porpoise rhythmically up and down through powder is that its Pop Factor is high. It’s a sensation few other AMW models can deliver as well.
Rossi athlete Jill Beers grew up racing on Vermont ice until emigrating to the Wasatch five years ago. Here’s her take on the Blackops Blazer.
“The Blackops Blazer can handle any terrain and conditions I’m thrown while ripping around my home resort of Alta, Utah. From railing turns on hard-packed corduroy during chilly early mornings, to cutting through the afternoon crud post-pow day, this ski proves to be an extremely stable yet playful option. The 98mm waist makes it my ideal one-quiver ski for West coast shredding, but I was equally impressed with how it handled when I took it to the East coast for a week. This Blazer has come a long way from when I was able to help out during early testing a few years back and has since become the perfect ski for all the lady shredders that want an all-mountain charger to take them from bell to bell.”