2021 Rossignol Black Ops Sender Ti

The all-new Rossignol Blackops Sender Ti is the big and burly ski of the group. Not quite a replacement for the Soul 7 (as that title is more reserved for the Sender), the Sender Ti has new shaping, a stronger build, and longer length options for aggressive freeride skiing. Big improvements in the freeride line from Rossignol will usher in a new set of fans for sure. The Sender Ti benefits from a titanal laminate underfoot as well as carbon and fiberglass laminates. This gives the ski a fair amount of heft, coming in at about 2200 grams per ski in the 187 cm length. You can feel the weight in terms of stability and strength, but not as much when it comes to getting bogged down-they're actually quite lively. When you give them room to run, they really start to come to life. There's less taper and rocker than the Soul, so they function as more directional skis for sure. Point and rip with the longer 21-meter turn radius and you'll be rewarded with stability and power throughout the carve. Pretty stiff tails make the ski very supportive both at speed and on firmer snow, so be prepared for that difference over the Soul for sure. At 106 mm underfoot, we're seeing some good flotation, but the lack of rocker and taper means it's not quite the floater that its predecessor was.

Bob St.Pierre got to ski the 187 and found it to be a good size, but he's also impressed that the skis come in a 194 as well-so tempting! 4's out of 5 were given for flotation, stability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression, so we're starting out pretty good with these new skis. The 3's for quickness and forgiveness aren't too surprising given the stiffer and bulkier nature of the ski. Bob calls it a "big improvement over the Soul-a totally new ski. Stable, stiff, and damp, but neither cumbersome nor planky. In fact, I was surprised at how lively and responsive they were given their weight and shape. I would love it on deep days at high speeds." And Bob concludes noting that the Sender Ti is "a very strong ski!" Jeff Neagle skied the appropriately sized 180 and had top marks for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, with each of those categories earning 5's out of 5. 4's for all the rest except forgiveness, so it's plain to see that Jeff had some favorable thoughts and impressions of these skis. "The Sender Ti is the real deal. It is powerful, has superb vibration damping, and aggressive expert skiers are going to love its capabilities." Jeff notes the rubber makes a good difference as well. "I'm a big fan of the unique feel the rubber in these skis provides. It's a little different than metal-maybe it's better at vibration damping? I'm not sure, but the skis have a distinctly smooth feel that's found across all the Blackops skis, and not really as prevalent across other brands."

Mike Thomas, like Bob, also skied the 187 and was a huge fan of the flotation and the maneuverability, with both of those categories earning 5's out of 5. Overall impression as well earned a coveted 5. Mike says "this is the best Rossignol freeride ski I've been on in years. Smooth and very damp with plenty of power when you want it. A great snow feel, I really like the width for a soft-snow biased freeride ski, plenty of float without completely sacrificing edge to edge quickness on harder snow. Just a really nice shape combined with a really good feel." Interesting that all of our testers note the unique character of the ski, as that seems like something Rossignol was really shooting for.

New skis are fun, and when the manufacturer takes a leap and nails it, it's going to work out well for all of us. The damp and stable feeling of the Sender Ti will put the skis on the map as a serious contender in the high-performance freeride division for sure.