2022 Rossignol BLACKOPS Holyshred

The Rossignol Black Ops Holyshred is a fantastic choice for skiers who are looking for a wide, all-mountain twin tip that has a whole lot going for it in terms of overall performance and playfulness. We're pretty big fans of the ~98 mm twin tips here at SkiEssentials.com, as they're just very fun and useful skis. The Holyshred is one of the more energetic and stable of the bunch, mostly due to the construction. Built with a poplar wood core and a titanal beam, Rossignol also adds their Diago Fiber to stiffen the flex of the ski both torsionally and longitudinally. The titanal beam is a vertical strut that runs the length of the ski in the central chord, and this keeps the ski smooth, quiet, and damp no matter what. In addition, the skis utilize Rossignol's Damp Tech rubber laminates to further silence the skis, with the end result being a very supple twin tip with a fair amount of power. This does make the ski tip the scales a bit on the heavier side of the spectrum, but with that weight you do get stability, so it's all about compromise with the Holyshred.

Built with that twin tip shape, the skis definitely have a freestyle personality and character, allowing for a versatile application both in and out of the park. Just because they have that freestyle influence, though, does not mean they're pigeon-holed as a park ski, quite the opposite, in fact, we think this shape works even better in an all-mountain and more directional format, with the added bonus of the ski being good for tricks. In the 182, these skis generate a 19-meter turn radius, and this is on the longer side for this length, creating a straighter cut that puts more emphasis on the skier and their desire to make differently-shaped turns in a variety of conditions and terrain.

Bob St.Pierre has skied stuff like this for years, and he touts the ability of these wider twins to be just fantastic one-ski quivers, especially here in Stowe, Vermont where we get a bunch of smaller amounts of snow, and have tight trees and bumps all over the place--that's where these skis really light it up. Bob got to ski the longest length, the 192, and found it to be perfect. He gave the ski top scores of 5 out of 5 for playfulness and forgiveness, with 4's for flotation, stability, quickness, maneuverability, versatility, and overall impression. This is a nice spread of scores from Bob, and it highlights nicely the overall well-roundedness of these skis. Bob calls it a "wonderful overall ski with a very damp, quiet, and fun-loving personality. This ski can really do it all--carve, bumps, powder, park, trees--what's not to like? This thing is a swift and silent killer of any and all conditions and terrain." The build of the ski definitely lends to that more damp and quiet feel, and it certainly works well in this shape and style of ski.

Advanced and expert skiers will be able to get the most out of the Holyshred, and the fact that it's a bit heavy does put it on the more demanding side of the spectrum, but it's really all about having fun out there, and these skis do it just about as well as any. From the park and pipe to the fresh and open bowls, these skis have it all in their bag.