If you’re in pursuit of the latest iteration of Rossi’s Pursuit 800, you can call off the hounds; you’ve found it. The Pursuit name will live on as part of the European collection, where carving skis have a more avid audience. In North America, the Pursuit’s position as the preeminent carving ski not linked to racing has been assumed by the new Hero Elite Plus Ti, or Hero +, for short.
Although the Hero + has been officially accepted into the Hero Elite family and shares many of the family traits, it differs from the rest of the clan in shape and surface area. In short, it has more of both, with a 78mm waist width and a 130mm tip that together with a 110mm tail deliver a tidy, 12m-turn radius.
No Frontside ski can make the cut as a Power Pick if it can’t cope with speed. This isn’t an issue for the Hero +, which can trace its tech roots back to the Rossi Race Department. That’s where Line Control Technology (LCT) was born, a vertical strip of Titanal (named Power Rail) buffered in an elastic laminate. (Rossi history buffs earn two points for recalling the 1980’s-era dampening device LCT would resemble if it were horizontal instead of vertical.) LCT’s big contribution is to stifle rebound, aka counter-flexing, so the ski stays in contact with the snow and on its intended trajectory.
LCT has big shoes to fill. It’s playing the role usually reserved for twin laminates of Titanal, but with far less mass. A little lighter weight (the Hero + has an all-poplar core) and Prop Tech, which allows the ski to deflect slightly torsionally to preserve edge contact, help this quintessential carver feel quick edge to edge. It’s a gas to make short turns that are as tightly connected as pearls on a choker.
The Hero + is quick without demanding quickness, with a smooth turn entry intent on holding a clean line. “Stable and forgiving into the turn,” cites Scott from Aspen Ski and Board, “without compromising edge contact.” The Hero + initiates a turn so effortlessly it could be appreciated by an intermediate, but it’s serenity at speed is best savored by someone with well-established carving skills.