• The “R.I.P.” Award •
Rossignol S7
While we were slightly tempted to give the S7 the “Good Riddance” Award, that would be disrespectful to a ski that played a huge role in modern ski design and shape.
Many, many people loved this ski. Some of us hated it. But it was unquestionably important, and we’d like to acknowledge it and Rossi’s designers for making a significant contribution to skiing as we now know it.
Having said that, we are glad to see it gone, and we think that Rossignol has made a very good move here. (More on this below.)
Runner Up: Rossignol Sickle
Ouch. BLISTER reviewer Jason Hutchin’s favorite ski of all time has been tossed on the scrapheap of history. The 11/12 Sickle was a very good ski, but it seems like Rossignol marketed this ski far too narrowly, just to park and jib rats. Truth is, the Sickle was an extremely capable all-mountain ski, as pretty much every Sickle owner will tell you.
Jason, we send our condolences. Let’s all keep Jason in our thoughts and prayers.
2nd Runner Up: Moment Bibby Pro
It wasn’t only a tough week for Jason. Our beloved Bibby Pro has been changed.
Admittedly, sometimes change is good, and we promise to keep an open mind when skiing the new Bibby. But, man, the Bibby Pro was sooooo dialed.
And, yes, Moment now has a ski in their lineup called the Exit World that is a whole lot like a lighter-weight Bibby. Who knows, the Exit World and the new Bibby could be amazing. We’ll find out soon. (See rocker profile pics of the Moment Exit World and the new Bibby.)
But it still feels like Josh Bibby decided one day that he’d go tinker with the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel, so, forgive us if we’re a little nervous.
But you have to respect Moment for not resting on their laurels. Josh wanted a new ski. The guys at Moment had been touring on the Bibby Pro, and decided they wanted to make a lighter version of it. They’re building what they want to build, simple as that.
Maybe that’s why Moment’s 2013/2014 catalog shows a guy facing the sun and embracing a new day …
…or a guy facing us, throwing up his middle fingers.
• Extreme Makeover Award •
Rossignol
The S7 is gone. The most excellent Sickle (formerly called the S6) is gone. The very good Scimitar? Gone. The best-selling S3 has been retooled. They introduced the new Soul 7. They completely overhauled the Super 7—a ski that one of BLISTER’s brash reviewers declared “obsolete” after Rossi introduced the outstanding Squad 7. Oh, and they messed with that outstanding Squad 7, too.
It reminds me of the scene from Kill Bill, Vol. I, where Uma Thurman mows down all of The Crazy 88s in a blood bath, and no one is left unscathed.
Nevertheless, it looks like Rossignol has made some very good moves.
But while there’s a good chance you’ve seen Rossi’s marketing campaign that highlights the honeycomb-construction tips of the 7 SERIES…
…we actually think the most exciting update has to do with the lineup’s new tails.
Rossignol basically took the tail of the 12/13 Squad 7—a ski we love—and implemented it all the way down the 7 SERIES line. Nice.
Here’s the quick run down:
Rossi Sin 7: The very good Rossignol S3 has morped into the Sin 7. It is a bit stiffer through the tail than the S3 (Nice), and it has more subtle tail rocker than the S3 (Nice).
Rossi Soul 7: The new ski in the S7 lineup, the Soul 7 comes in at 136-106-126mm, which nicely fills a gap in the old S7 lineup. And yes, it’s got the Squad 7 tail.
Rossi Super 7: We felt that the 12/13 Squad 7 had rendered the Super 7 obsolete. Well, the Super 7 is back, and we want to ski it. Basically, the new Super 7 is the old S7, but updated. It’s got a stiffer tail, and it now has that Squad 7 tail shape (cue Händel’s Hallelujah chorus). It also has a more subtle, less abrupt tip rocker. Rossi also got rid of the metal that they’d been putting in the Super 7, so we expect the Super to feel far more lively than its predecessor. Really looking forward to skiing this one.
Rossi Squad 7: The new Squad 7 has undergone the least transformation in the line, which is probably obvious given that the rest of the line was made in its image. We wouldn’t have been mad at all if Rossi had left this ski exactly the same, but by lightening up the tips and tails, they have made the Squad more accessible and less demanding.
Ski design always involves tradeoffs, and we have little doubt that the Squad 7 will ski well. What we don’t know yet is how much friendlier the Squad 7 got at the expense of crud-busting ability. We’ll see.
• The Swagger Award (Which Might Retroactively Become the “Most Innovative” Award) •
DPS
DPS is doing two big things this season:
(1) Spoon
DPS has introduced their “Spoon” technology to the Lotus 138 Pure and the Lotus 120 Pure, in addition to the Spoon 150, which is now finally ready for the market. And we’re excited to check this out.
But frankly, the spooning of the Lotus line isn’t even the biggest thing happening at DPS. That would be Pure3. (Well, actually, the biggest thing might be that DPS skis are now being built in Utah, but whatever.)
(2) Pure3
DPS is calling this “the next big leap in carbon construction,” and claiming that their Pure3 skis are now “even more powerful, damper, and more refined,” and that they have “significantly altered the way the ski reacts to bumpy terrain that transmits energy into your body.”
If you’ve been reading our DPS reviews, you know that this is where we’ve felt that DPS skis have left the most room for improvement. We don’t expect the Pure3 construction to suddenly feel like very heavy, metaled-out planks, but we are curious, and we are excited to find out for ourselves if, in fact, this is “the best DPS construction to date,” and “revolutionary both on paper and on snow.”
Our testing of the Pure3 construction begins immediately.
How about some Softgoods awards?
Cf. part II.
Did you guys check it out the slightly stiffer Blizzard Gunsmoke and the lighter Scout? What are your thoughts on both of them? Would the stiffer gunsmoke a contender agains the 115?
Hey Marcel,
While I didn’t get the chance to take a close look at the new Gunsmoke or Scout, I will say that I don’t really see either of them as being in the same category as the 115. The Gunsmoke favors a more upright, light and centered stance (where the 115 can be skied from a more forward , aggressive position) and has more tail rocker than the 115. The new stiffer flex may make the Gunsmoke’s tails a bit more reliable, but in any case the 115 is going to feel more directional and less playful. Quest 115 = big mountain powder ski. Gunsmoke = surfy, very playful, backcountry jib ski. The Cochise (the Scout with metal laminate construction) is more big mountain oriented, but is less of a powder ski than the 115 at 108 underfoot. It has a longer turn radius, does great in light crud and chop, but wont float as well as the 115. That’s how I see the three differing. We look forward to getting on both the Scout and new Gunsmoke soon. Hope this helps!
Will
When I came across the Soul 7 footage that is already available on youtube since a couple of weeks, my immediate thought was that someone in their R&D department must have spent a significant amount of time on blister. Seriously, it just cannot be that all of Jonathan’s complaints and concerns on how much the tails of the S7/super7 sucked was not heard by someone at Rossi and this all happened by accident.
Well, there is another possibility; some superior force said: “Well, ok Jonathan, I am going to fix your s7 super 7 problem. Yet, I’ll start messing around with the Bibby instead”.
Can’t wait to read your first impressions on the new Rossi lineup and please when publishing pictures, choose one where Jonathan is grinning from ear to ear while skiing the new super 7…
I was told that Rossi had at least a few people interested in an update, including Dan Treadway. So who knows, and let’s just say, Good going, Dan!
As for your notion that a Superior Force is messing with me, well, that does seem like the most plausible explanation.
If anyone at Blister doesn’t feel like hiking up 50000 m of vert to test the new Dynafit Beast 16 AT Binding, well then I’m your man! Looks like a compelling choice for the new breed of backcountry huckers. Perfect for those who want to ride at Revelstoke Mountain Resort when the Avi is high, and then head of to Rogers Pass when things calm down a bit. It would be nice to be able to hit the big drops in the BC without worrying about premature release. Hopefully it will have some serious pre-sales testing to ensure it does release properly.
Then again, maybe being the first to test a new kind of binding isn’t such a great idea?
All good thoughts. We’re going to start putting time on the Beast in the very immediate future, so we’ll let you know.
I demoed a Soul 7 today. It was the first time I’ve ever skied any of the Rossi S-series skis. Unfortunately, conditions weren’t great (a few inches of dust on crust) and it was 180 cm length (I’m 6’1″/185# and would’ve preferred the 188). Those caveats aside, it felt pretty stable despite the light weight and short length. It was snappy and super easy to throw around. I’d be interested in the larger version.
Cool. And it definitely seems like you ought to be on the 188.
Any more detailed information on the El Capo? Turn Radius? Is it a short 185 or true 185 in length? That ski has me very interested as well.
I’ve skied the El Capo for a day in piste. It’s a big, stiff and strong ski. Felt like a big Mantra that wanted to be skied fast and aggressively. Despite this, it turned easily due to the tip rocker and could be smeared in the icy piste.
It just jumped on top of boilet plate but that might be expexted. All in all, not my kind of ski.
It dove for another skier during a powder day and required quite a lot of weight on the tail not to dive in the pow.
Hmmm, felt like a big mantra? You’re not dissuading me, Magnus, especially since I wouldn’t regard this as a pow ski (as I don’t regard the Cochise as a pow ski), but more of a variable / chop ski. Thanks for the feedback!
Of course not, I just thought it felt like a big, stiff ski. From the day in the pistes of Chamonix I had with it, I thought it felt a bit like a tank, mowing through chop and becoming a handful on more icy patches. Definitely wanted a firm driver and wanted to go crazy fast when railing groomers.
Personally, I thought it was a little too much ski for me but there’s two layers of metal and 107 under foot to you… :)
Also, I think it was the 193 cm version I skied.
Definitely would seem (at least for me) like a lot of ski at 193cm. But those 185s….
Per usual a great article, but I was wondering, wouldn’t the experience 98 be better with some carbon fiber in it for its stiffness instead of the heavy titanal??? I actual was kinda waiting for an update like that…
I could see that, Kevin, but I personally wouldn’t want to see the titanal removed for carbon stringers. I think it would feel like a pretty different ski—lighter, yes, but almost certainly less damp. Might improve the E98’s all-mountain game, but it’s just so much fun to rip these on edge at speed over smooth or rough groomers, I wouldn’t want to tinker with the formula. Mostly, I just need to get back on this ski soon.
Thanks, Im studying engineering so I’m really interested in the dynamics of the skis, so that was a really helpful reply!! :)
I just finished a fantastic week of skiing in the French alps (Paradiski, La Plagne), with about 2 foot of fresh powder, on my new Rossignol Squad 7’s, which I bought thanks to the fantastic reviews on this fantastic site ;)
These ski’s are absolutely amazing!!! They’re perfect for the French alps, they ski well in chopped up snow in the beginning of a route, then they absolutely charge the open fresh powder, and when you arrive at the tree line they still are super!
They also handle really good on the slopes, especially short turns. One thing though, I suddenly have the sides of my legs bruised up because of the effort it takes to put them on the edges on the slopes :) , good thing I work out up to 4 times a week!
After skiing powder on Rossi 9s for a long time and then full camber twin tip Blizzard Titan Chronus for about the last 8 years, I notices I had to change my technique completely! No more backseat skiing! I wiped out the back about 3 times this week :) mostly on harder snow, but I like it because on the slopes I’m used to pressure the front a while lot.
There is only one thing I really didn’t like about these skis, when on very icy slopes, when turning/slipping they would start flapping very violently!! Maybe it has to do with the edges I’ve set, at 0.75 base (which im going to change to 0.5, I think) and 2 side angle????
but overall, I’m in love :)
Do you guys sometimes ski in Europe??? I’d love to join if possible :)
Oh yeah and one more thing, those squad 7’s turn on a dime in powder, which absolutely awesome for the technical routes!! :p
I am shocked the bibby pro has changed. Dear moment: no paulownia ever again. The weight savings gains you what? Nothing! We can all loose two pounds off our fat asses or stop being such massive VJJs and we will be able to rock the OG bibby pro for more vert than whatever that paulownia noodle saves us.
Now c’mon, Tommy – you sound almost as bad as me. I think for everyone out there who felt like the 190 Bibbys were too much ski, this could be a good thing. And for the rest of us … well, we ought to ski them first. Hopefully we will be able to let you know ASAP.
Unfortunately for me, while the new bibby might be better than the original, the 190 length is perfect. I don’t want it to be wider…but could deal with that. Longer or shorter? No thanks. I think we’ve seen enough of paulownia in skis over the past few years to know one thing: it just isn’t as damp as other core materials. Frankly I’m selfish with my infatuation with the original bibby so I just don’t care if Josh Bibby himself wanted another ski. The obvious solution is giving him a second ski AND keeping the original in the line up.
So…I’ve gone ahead and purchased another pair of the 12/13 bibbys, knowing they’ll have to last me until they are brought back (an inevitable conclusion to this story).
What about the Black Diamond Megawatt? Is this years model the golden goose or should we be frothing to jump on next years model?
Good question. But my understanding is that the changes to the Megawatt are subtle, the ski has been lightened up a little bit. But we’ll look to get on the 13/14s to see exactly how similar or different these are.
Looking forward to trying the new bibby. loved the 190, hopefully it hasn’t changed TOO much
any news on the k2 boots? Blister’s thoughts on them?
damn the night trains and ghost chants are gone too. now we get the ghost train. i’m not so sure moment should have tweaked three of there best skis or gotten rid of them.
Didn’t get a chance on the new Bibby, but the Exit World feels just as stiff if not slightly stiffer. The ride is definitely damper than the current Bibby and perhaps some changes will be made before production. Honestly, I felt the Exit World could use more carbon fiber to add more pop. Doesn’t feel quite as lively as the Bibby.
As far as the Ghost Train, that ski is the tits! Didn’t get it in fresh snow, but felt plenty stable on it at high speeds everywhere else.
Appreciate the comments, Tommy, thanks.
I took note of the big changes w/the Moment line up, including the ghost chant/night train mating, the more powder oriented Bibby, the reworked Belafonte and Tahoe, the newly redone Governor which was itself just redone and now the Exit World.. Many seem to have some portion of the Death Wish’s multiple sections of minicamber. As someone commented above. paulonia is great in ultralight bc skis ( I have a 5 1/2 lb ski though it is only 83cm wide and has a definite, i.e. low, speed limit and range, qualities not normally associated with Moment). What was the thinking driving these changes and when will you get your hands on these models? Thanks
Pretty simply, Moment liked the dirty mustache rocker enough on the Deathwish to add it to the Belafonte and Tahoe. The Paulownia was a result of the fact that they were touring a lot on the Bibby Pros, and decided to lighten it up – 1/2 a lb. per ski. As for when we will review the new lineup, hopefully as soon as possible.
Any more details on the Redster Pro 120?
After trying a variety of boots this year I have come to realize that I am one of those people who likes a bit more forward lean than current boots offer (other than when standing in line!) Given that the Redster seems to be one of the only boots that offers this feature, it is on my short list.
Does the Pro 120 have a different boot board or other features that make it more of a ‘freeride” boot? I know Atomic offered three stiffness options in the 110/130 boot board anyway so I am curious what, if any, differences there are between the red 110/130 “race” boot and next years 120?
As always, thanks for the great reviews of next year’s gear!!