2022 Rossignol BLACKOPS W Blazer

The Rossignol BLACKOPS Blazer is a versatile twin tip ski that blurs the line between all-mountain and freeride skis. In our Test, it falls into the all-mountain category, but the freeride/freeski influence in its shape and feel is undeniable. It is the only twin tip in the women’s Rossignol ski line and is intended to be both playful and fun as well as stable and damp. They use a poplar wood core that’s enhanced by their Diago Fiber and Damp Tech technologies. Damp Tech utilized rubber in the tip of the ski to drastically reduce vibration damping, while Diago Fiber provides additional torsional stiffness and edge grip. We also get Rossignol Titanal Beam, a sheet of metal underfoot to help with binding retention, which also gives the ski a stronger, more stout feel underfoot. Its shape is best described as a directional twin tip. There’s tip and tail rocker too, which is slightly longer in the tip than the tail. A wide range of mount points allows the skier to potentially go a little further forward if you want more of a freestyle/freeski feel, or keep it back on a traditional line for someone who won’t ever ski it switch. It’s really good in both applications.

Alli Ruschp skied the 160 cm length, which is a little shorter than what she would typically choose, especially in a twin tip, but still performed really well for her. “Very impressed, not normally a twin tip skier, but was very comfortable and confident on these. Also thought it might be too short, but was able to power turns with lots of energy and dampness. Impressed with the edge hold and stability at speed. I’d love to ski the woods with its easy tail release and maneuverability.” We got some impressive scores from Alli too. Almost full 5 out of 5 scores across the board. Only flotation, forgiveness, and versatility dropped to 4 out of 5, which by no means are bad scores. We’ve seen a similar reaction to the men’s BLACKOPS Holyshred, which shares the same design and construction with the Blazer. In regards to combining playfulness and maneuverability with stability and a damp feel, we can’t really think of many skis that do it as well as the Blazer.

Ann MacDonald also skied the 160 cm length and also thought it was a little too short. Despite being on a shorter length than she might prefer, Ann was quite impressed by the stability the Blazer provides. Ann’s highest score was for flotation at 5 out of 5, followed by stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness/edge grip, and overall impression at 4 out of 5. “This ski liked to get up to speed to perform. Not particularly lively but stable! Probably great in powder. In corn snow, it was stable even though too short a length. Fun to lay over but good smearing too!” In our experience, most people who ski either the men’s or women’s versions of these skis are impressed by its stability. The amount of vibration damping does take away some energy and that lively feeling Ann is referring to, but that’s just fine considering how smooth the ski is. Danielle Nichols also skied the 160 cm, and she too thought it was a little too short for her. As was true with Alli and Ann, however, that didn’t stop her from giving us a nice analysis of the BLACKOPS Blazer. It also didn’t seem to drastically hurt her scores, with versatility, forgiveness, and overall impression all earning 5 out of 5 scores and flotation, stability, quickness/maneuverability, and playfulness right behind at 4 out of 5. “Too short for me but loved this ski. Super fun and playful. Easy to ski through everything. Like bubbles. Can’t say enough good about this ski. Would be a great ski for anyone.”

The BLACKOPS Blazer is a really fun ski and a great option for a wide range of skiers. It takes twin-tip playfulness and combines it with a more damp and stronger feel than you typically get in this shape. That satisfies more aggressive skiers without the ski feeling too demanding for more casual or intermediate level women. You can play around in soft snow, but then rip some turns on groomers. You could even take it into the terrain park and play around with some switch landings and jibbing. As Danielle pointed out, it really would be a great ski for just about anyone.