Soul 7 HD W

Rossignol recognized some years ago that their off-piste unisex skis came out of the mold ready for the women’s market. What hadn’t Rossi already done to the Soul 7 (or Savory 7, as renamed for womankind) to make it female-friendly? The tip and tail were fashioned from Koroyd in see-through patterns reminiscent of stained glass, so swing weight was already low as basso profondo. Every shred of metal not named “edge” was omitted a priori.

Soul 7 HD

The Carbon Alloy Matrix proves to be the perfect partner for the metal-free Soul 7, magnifying its playful properties and stiffening its resistance to chatter without adding heft or stifling snow feel. The overall reinforcement of the Carbon Alloy Matrix gives the new Soul 7 HD more stability when traveling through day-old crud and more edge grip on those occasions when it has to cruise a groomer.

But please do not confuse “better on groomers” with “made for groomers.” While there’s no question the alterations to the Soul 7 HD palpably improved its stability and edge grip, they didn’t alter its width or the deliberate disengagement of its pretty Koroyd tips and tails.

Sky 7 HD

If Rossi’s E100 woke up on Bizarro world, it’s alter-ego would be the Sky 7 HD. While the E 100 forebody shows up for carving duty at the top of the turn, the Sky 7 tip is always AWOL. The E 100 feels as solid as a vault, the Sky 7 as loose as spring break. Soft and...

Pursuit 800 Ti

Built like a GS race ski but with a shape closer to a slalom stick, the Pursuit 800 Ti bites into the top of the turn so decisively that it’ll bury if the snow is too soft. It filed teeth were meant to sink into snow that’s racecourse hard, which is where Scott Sahr rom Aspen Ski and Board took it before penning this report.

“One of the fastest none-WC skis on the market. Unreal edge hold, power transmission and stable as a brain surgeon. This ski dissects any Frontside trail and will leave all your buddies with an “I can’t keep up!” attitude.”

Santa Ana

Upon re-examination this past winter, our panelists’ scores and comments regarding the Santa Ana continued to illustrate an instructive point: when a wide-waisted ski has a small meter-radius measurement, which trait will dominate? As we’ve asserted in these pages for...