OVERVIEW
For most of the 1970’s, 80’s and into the 90’s, Rossignol was king of the roost, the most recognized trademark in a market crammed with brands that did not survive this epoch. It built a race department that was the envy of all, with stars like Alberto Tomba and what seemed like every significant female racer in the world. Eventually, maintaining its race stable became too expensive, other companies innovated while Rossi held eroding ground and Quicksilver’s brief flirtation with ownership did neither brand any favors. Now Rossignol’s star is ascending again.
For brands that make technical gear like skis, a successful renaissance is always led by product. A couple of years ago, Rossi shored up the core of their All-Mountain offering with the introduction of the Experience series, headlined by the terrific E98 and E88. In 2013 it re-staked its claim to Carving excellence with the HP Pursuit. In 2014 it knocked the cover off the ball with the Super 7, Squad 7 and Soul 7. It’s rare for skis this forgiving to also deliver OMG performance, but Rossi has found a fresh way to deliver the stability only length provides without making a Big Mountain ski feel big when flipping edge to edge. With the Super 7, Rossignol restored the word’ “playful” to the Powder ski lexicon, a nearly forgotten attribute among these tanker-sized skis.
During their brief tenure in the wilderness, Rossignol gave up rack space in the women’s market to arch rivals (in the US) K2 and Völkl. As has transpired in every other category, Rossi has regained a lot of lost ground among women. Counting all categories, Rossignol is now once again number one in unit sales in America, and its still growing.
The 2017 Season
Rossignol was already riding a hot streak into 2017 when it opted to double down and extend an innovative new product feature throughout its entire non-race collection. The element it gambled its immediate future on is called Carbon Alloy Matrix, identified by the “HD” suffix appended to each affected model’s name.
Most of Rossi’s Experience and 7 series models were built without metal laminates, so the addition of a structural component with the chops of the Carbon Alloy Matrix had a profound, palpable effect on performance. Unlike Titanal, the Carbon Alloy Matrix didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the fiberglass with which it co-exists, allowing the trademark liveliness of models like the Soul 7 HD to shine through.
Where the new HD mesh is most noticeable is in enhanced edge grip, resulting in a calmer ride wherever its magic touch was applied. The acid test of its effectiveness was its incorporation into the Experience 88, already a highly decorated veteran of the All-Mountain East brigade. The results are exhilarating. Everything feels tighter and firmer, like plastic surgery that worked for once. (“Say, have you lost weight?”)
Rossi showed brass you-know-whats by changing nearly every ski on which its commercial success depends. After enduring a dreadful 2016 snow year in both central Europe and the eastern US – potentially devastating blows to market leaders like Rossi with so much to lose – Rossi is fighting back with its strongest line-up ever, top to bottom and side to side.