Everyone’s got to start somewhere, right? One of the big problems in the ski world is that there aren’t a lot of good starter and entry-level options. Rossignol seeks to fix that in the skate world with the Delta Sport skate skis. These skis share the same shaping with the upper-end models, but with a different construction that not only makes them a bit heavier, but also less expensive, so if you’re looking more for value versus performance, this is going to be a good place to be. As an entry-level skate ski, the Delta Sport features Rossignol’s LDC wood core and active cap construction, so the bones of the ski are still good, they’re just denser bones overall, making for a heavy(ier) ski, coming in at 630 grams per pair. Still light and maneuverable overall, they’re not quite the feathers of the X-Ium line, but they are also hundreds of dollars less, so it’s more up to the skier and where they want to see the value.
Jeff Neagle would rather spend more money, from the sounds of his comments, yet he still does note that these skis have a better place than on his feet. He skied the 180 and his highest score was a 4 out of 5 for maneuverability. All other skis were 3’s showing that the ski does have a well-rounded nature. “Kinda meh,” Jeff begins. “I want to compare to the price of some other skis as I liked the Fischer Aerolite 70 more than this Delta Sport. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just a little slow and clunky. I think someone without much skate experience would think they’re just great. Just hard to appreciate them compared to skiing some of the nicer stuff.” As a side note, Jeff did compare prices and found these Rossi’s to be far cheaper.
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For the ladies, Carol Van Dyke was also on the 180, and gave top marks of 4 out of 5 for stability. 3’s dominated the rest of the scorecard, with the exception of a lowly 2 for weight. “Felt like skiing on railroad tracks as they weren’t lifting off the snow. These are an inexpensive skate ski for people who don’t care about performance but only price.” Sam Purnell notes that the Sport was a “good starting ski. Light weight, maneuverable, and good glide, and this makes it easy to learn proper technique and get the hang of skate skiing before moving up to a more technical ski.” She was also on the 180 and gave 5’s out of 5 for stability and maneuverability. Sam found them to be on the lighter side, so there’s perhaps a bit more than just a cheap skate ski in Sam’s mind. Shelby Parenteau was on the 160, scoring 5’s out of 5 for glide and overall impression. She’s the type of skier who these skis are made for—someone familiar with Nordic skiing, but has never really skated before. “I’d never skied on a skate ski before, this was a great intro skate ski. Fast, light weight, and seemingly stable to me. Was also able to step turn when needed and not die. As I get more into skate skiing, I’ll be looking into purchasing a ski like this.” Great to have a target market right there at the test, as she doesn’t have much to compare it to, it seems great for a skier like Shelby!
There’s really something for everyone out there, and for beginner skate skiers or budget-oriented folk looking to save some really big bucks, the Rossignol Delta Sport skate skis are the way to go. If you’re looking to get out there and learn a new sport, get some exercise, and improve and progress, the Delta Sport can do no wrong. There’s a lot to like about these skis, and sometimes we get lost looking for the best possible stuff and we forget that everyone had to start somewhere.
