The Rossignol Sky 7 HD is back for 2018 with some updates and changes in both its design and construction. The new ski features Rossignol’s Air Tip 2.0. This redesigned tip has a new reinforced 3D structure and ultimately construction that makes the ski both lighter and stronger. Essentially Rossignol is attempting to give the ski more balanced performance from tip to tail and a stronger overall feel. The Sky 7 HD has always been known for its maneuverability, so how did the new tip construction change the ski?
According to our testers the Sky 7 HD retained its easy-going, maneuverable feel, but the new ski does feel more solid on your feet. Steve Brown, who’s a pretty big guy and was skiing the 180 cm length commented that it’s “quick, playful, and felt light, but sturdy under foot.” He admits that the 180 cm ski is probably too short for him, but adds in that the “tip shape made the ski playful and easy to smear.” Actually, 5 out of the 6 total testers marked that the 180 cm length felt short to them. Something to consider if the Sky 7 HD is on your list of potential skis: you can usually upsize from your typical ski length due to the light weight, rocker profile, and early taper.
Not surprisingly the Sky 7 HD received the highest scores for forgiveness and playfulness. It also received good scores in both the flotation and maneuverability categories. These are attributes that have always been associated with the Sky 7 HD, so it’s nice to see Rossignol retain its personality. Mike Aidala offers up some nice advice in terms of who the ski might be best for: “solid intermediate to advanced ski for skiers looking to learn and explore off piste, fresh snow at slower speeds.” Mike gave the ski 5 out of 5 for both flotation and forgiveness, which is an excellent way to think about the Sky 7 HD.
According to Danielle Nichols Rossignol successfully achieved their goal of making the ski stronger. She comments that the ski is a “crowd pleaser” and that it’s “good for a range of abilities, but capable of standing up to more aggressive skiers.” It’s important to note here that Danielle was the only tester who did not say the skis felt short, even though she was on the 172 cm, so if our larger testers had been on longer lengths we may have seen similar responses from them as well.
Bob St Pierre was pleasantly surprised by the skis performance. He’s one of those bigger testers who skied a 180 cm ski and did comment that it felt short, but he followed that up with some positive feedback: “Easy to turn. Mostly short to medium radius turns. Turns on a dime. I took it into the woods and it excelled!” The Sky 7 HD has always been a ski that excels in off piste terrain and it’s nice to know that the new version still has that performance, but going back to Danielle’s thoughts, we do think the ski has more power than the previous version, just pay attention to lengths and don’t be afraid to size up a little compared to your typical ski length.
Steve Sulin is known for short, honest opinions on skis, and we think his feedback on the ski is a great place to leave it:
“Easy skiing ski that’s quick and nimble.”
