We usually judge a race ski for its Power properties and let the Finesse chips fall where they may, but the new Rossignol Hero Elite ST Ti stands out for its easy-going temperament in a field of more finicky rides. For example, both the Hero ST Ti and Atomic S9 can be described as “quick” and “agile,” but they go about their business in different ways. The S9 practically detonates at the end of the turn, while the Hero is more mellow, even allowing a little drift between turns. The Hero ST operates comfortably from a centered stance, slinging short turns side to side with the reliability of a metronome.

Corty Lawrence, erstwhile co-owner of Footloose, had just come off the Head i.Speed Pro when he took out the Hero Elite ST Ti, a clear contrast in styles. Afterwards, Corty recorded these impressions of the Rossi: “Really fun ski, very predictable, not super demanding – not a bad thing – just a comment. Very much easy to ski on, dead even flex tip to tail, nice symmetry to it, can be smeared more than the Head Pro.

“Nice short, snappy turns, super predictable,” Corty continues, “not a shitload of rebound, which is okay, too, because it makes it very predictable with no surprises, just fine for a quasi-race ski. Stability not an issue – rolled it out at pretty decent speeds at my size. Still really fun in medium-radius turns, if you wanted to bring it around a little bit, drive the heel down and it comes around, but not in as quickly or explosively as the Head. More friendly, typical Rossi characteristics,” he concludes.

The Hero Elite ST Ti gets its quiet determination from the Titanal Power Rail, a vertical laminate in a shock-absorbing sandwich in the center of a poplar core. It helps the ski maintain snow contact and trajectory. It also helped it to earn the highest aggregate score among this year’s Recommended Non-FIS Race skis.