The Rossignol Hero Elite Plus Ti is a brand new ski for 2019 and benefits from Rossignol’s new Line Control Technology. Instead of horizontally laminated metal, Line Control Technology uses vertical metal in the middle of the core. This reduces weight, while providing excellent control, vibration damping, and keeping the ski on the snow as much as possible. This Hero Elite Plus Ti has a relatively small turn radius ranging from 12 to 15 m depending on what length you choose. This should give it a very responsive, almost slalom-like feel. The poplar wood core is the perfect wood to use alongside Line Control Technology as it’s relatively lightweight, yet provides good torsional stiffness. In a world where all mountain and/or freeride skis seem to get most of the attention, carving skis like this often fly under the radar, but we think they deserve more attention as we’re more often skiing firm groomers than deep powder.
Jason Krupsky tested the 174 cm length and gave it high scores for playfulness, quickness, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. Those are performance characteristics we expect to see in a ski that’s mimicking slalom race performance, and Jason is a very accomplished skier, so those scores are quite impressive. Jason thought it “skis like a slalom race ski wrapped in a velvet coat.” We’re not 100% familiar with that analogy, but it sounds like plush, luxurious slalom turns to us. “The wider platform (78 mm underfoot) makes it more stable, but the short turn radius makes it a quick turner.” It’s nice to know the Hero Elite Plus Ti won’t get bogged down in soft snow. 78 mm is definitely wide enough to handle some softer conditions while still delivering that responsive, quick edge to edge feel.
Benny Wax tested it in the 167 cm length and thought it felt like a “beer league slalom ski,” which sounds about right to us. It’s definitely a ski you could use in a local slalom race league. The turn radius is a bit short for use in a GS course, but if you’re lucky enough to have a local recreational slalom race you should consider picking these up. Of course, you don’t have to be racing to enjoy them. Anyone who values quick turns and prefers a smaller turn shape when carving will have a blast. Benny went on to describe them as “quick and turny with medium stability.” Makes sense to us. They aren’t built to be quite as burly or stiff as a World Cup race ski, so medium amounts of stability isn’t surprising. Also, skis with short turn radii tend to feel less stable than those with longer sidecut profiles.
Hans von Briesen, like Jason, tested the 176 cm. He noted that he doesn’t get to ski a lot of carving skis in this category, and he was thrilled that he got to do so in our test. “Hero does make you feel good about your skiing. It’s easy to ski at different speeds and various turn shapes, but does behave better the faster you ski it.” That’s really good feedback, especially after Benny’s thoughts on stability. Hans definitely found he could ski it as fast as he wanted to, so perhaps if Benny had also been on the 174 cm length he would’ve felt the same way. Hans thought it would be “great for a proficient skier looking for a go-to carving ski, or an up and coming hard frontside skier.” Line Control Technology and that strip of metal in the middle of the ski definitely delivers great carving performance and a responsive, quick feel.
The Hero Elite Plus Ti is the type of carving ski that will help take your skiing to the next level. It’s not outrageously stiff, so can be enjoyed by a range of ability levels. It’s also a little lighter than skis that use full sheets of metal, which makes it more fun and less tiring over a long day of skiing bell to bell. Grab a pair, get out there, and go make some slalom turns!it might
