The 2020 Rossignol Sky 7 HD is a fantastic choice for skiers who are looking for a light, versatile, and maneuverable ski for all-mountain terrain and conditions. These are built to hit a huge swath of skiers from intermediates to lighter-weight experts. Unchanged for 2020 except for graphics, the Sky 7 retains the quickness and sharp-turning nature with a fresh new look. Made with a Paulownia wood core and a carbon/alloy matrix laminate, these skis remain stable underfoot at some pretty high speeds. The Air Tip 2.0 Technology makes them super-light in the swing weight department, so be prepared for some quick turns. Great for bumps and trees, these highly-maneuverable skis are perfect for exploration and adventure. At 98 mm underfoot, they have a versatile shape that can be used for freeride and all-mountain applications. Our testers were pretty high on their quickness, maneuverability, and forgiveness.
Evan Caha skied the 180 and found it to be a bit short. That said, his high scores for playfulness and versatility fit right in to what Rossignol is going for with the Sky 7. “Great ski! Tight turns, holds an edge on big carves, and is a good floater in powder and crud.” Evan also notes that the five-point sidecut and long tip taper does make them feel short: “Taper on tip is far back so size up. Floaty tip and great camber underfoot when on edge. Feel free to go anywhere and do it all better!” Great info from Evan, while being on the big side for this length, he’s still able to point out the benefits and versatile construction of the Sky 7.
Phil McGrory also skied the 180, and like Evan, found it to be short. Phil gave top scores of 4’s out of 5 for flotation and versatility. This is usually indicative of a strong soft-snow performer. “Very versatile but excels in soft snow. Carves well for its waist width once on edge.” Again, that longer tip and tail taper really makes for a positive experience in soft snow because it is so darn smooth. Phil pegs these skis to be “appropriate for intermediate to advanced skiers.”
Dave Carter liked the 180 that he tested, and his high score of 4 out of 5 for forgiveness is strong evidence of the softer and lighter tips and tails. All of his other scores were 3’s out of 5, indicating that the ski is a well-rounded all-mountain ski. Like the other testers, David liked that it’s a “soft-snow ski that performed well in bumps and trees.” That five-point sidecut and the light swing weight do make it a lot of fun in those shorter turns, and our testers certainly are picking up on this personality.
Elissa DeGolyer found the 180 to be the right length for her and loved the flotation, stability, and quickness of the ski. The rest of her scores were all 3’s so it echoes David’s sentiments of the versatile nature of the Sky 7. Elissa does a great job pointing out potential audiences “Great ski for the new intermediate to graduate into an all-mountain ski. The actual effective edge feels a lot shorter than the ski, which opens up options in terms of types of turns made.” Great analysis from Elissa here, noting that the shape and radius of the ski really make this ski stand out in a crowded field of ~98 mm underfoot all-mountain boards.
Our testers all were pretty stoked on the quickness and maneuverability of the Sky 7. They all picked up on the five-point sidecut and longer tip taper shape. This definitely makes a difference, and since it’s unique to Rossignol’s designs, certainly is worth checking out, especially if you enjoy making more and shorter turns in variable terrain and conditions.
