You can tell a lot about a ski by its immediate family. Rossi’s Hero Elite Plus Ti is closely related to the Hero Elite LT Ti and ST Ti, both legit non-FIS Race models, even though the Plus Ti’s plus-sized shape (78mm) is many mm’s more ample than the 71mm waist of the LT Ti and 68mm midriff on the SL Ti. The Hero Elite Plus Ti not only uses the same construction as its gate-bashing sibs, its sidecut radius is the same as the ST’s in the167cm size preferred by slalom specialists.

Two years ago, Rossi converted all of the Hero Elite clan to a new damping system, Line Control Technology. (LCT). Instead of using horizontal sheets of Titanal, as has been the case for decades among race models, LCT uses a vertical Ti laminate down the center of the ski so the forebody is more resistant to deflection. Torsional rigidity is softened a tad to allow the deep sidecut to engage gradually and progressively as the ski is tipped and pressured. “Stable and forgiving into the turn,” assures Scott Sahr from Aspen Ski and Board, “without compromising edge contact.”

Advanced skiers who wouldn’t ordinarily care to expend the energy required to control a true race ski shouldn’t allow the Hero Elite Plus Ti’s pedigree to scare them away. This Rossi rides a softer, subtler edge that is as amenable to shallow edge angles as it is to steep ones. (Note to non-racers: a lot of genuine race models require total commitment from the skier to find a high edge angle that can’t be engaged by halfway measures.)

We don’t ordinarily recommend race-bred skis for skiers with an AARP card, as they can be the antithesis of easy, requiring both high skill and sustained force to manage. Relatively speaking, the Hero Elite Plus is a pussycat, willing to be guided with a neck-rein gentleness. For making high power feel like low maintenance, we again award the Hero Elite Plus Ti a Silver Skier Selection.