2022 Rossignol BLACKOPS W Rallybird

The Rossignol BLACKOPS Rallybird is a versatile freeride ski that loves to rip around the resort, handles a wide range of snow conditions, and is even light enough to use as a hybrid resort/AT ski. These skis helped mark a fundamental shift for Rossignol from their previous freeride skis like the Soul 7. In general, they have a more stable and more powerful feel than the skis they replace, while still retaining a relatively maneuverable, playful feel. To achieve this, Rossignol has extended the sidecut to give the ski a longer effective edge when you’re arcing turns, but there’s still substantial rocker, so when you keep a flatter base, you can still pivot and wiggle the ski through technical terrain. The construction strikes a similar balance as it achieves good stability and vibration damping without being too heavy. Rossignol uses a paulownia wood core to start, with Double LCT Visco struts. This technology comes from their race line, but instead of metal, the use of a rubber material gives the ski an exceptionally smooth feel without too much stiffness. Their Damp Tech tip construction uses more rubber, so when the tip happens to hit something firm, those vibrations don’t reach your feet.

Kristi Brown skied the 170 cm length in the Rallybird, which is the longest available length in this ski, and Kristi succinctly described it as feeling “perfect.” We got some incredible scores from Kristi, almost full 5 out of 5 scores across the board. Only stability and forgiveness dropped to 4 out of 5, but all of our other criteria received top marks. “Lions, Tigers and Rally Birds ~ Oh My!! One of the BEST skis and biggest surprises for me of the test! Freebird meets Sickbird - the Rallybird is a fun, vivacious varoom of a rally ride. The Rallybird offers more versatility than most 102's with a lightweight feel without compromising performance. Your legs will not need to negotiate between cruising or charging hard as the ski flies down the mountain leaving you feeling exhilarated, but not exhausted at the end of the day. Intermediate advanced to advanced will soar on the RallyBird all day long. Big surprise for me from Rossi - love it.” As the lighter weight option of two Rallybird skis, the other being the Rallybird Ti, we love that this ski still achieves a relatively stable feel. We also love the fact that they’re not too fatiguing. That means a wide range of skiers should be able to enjoy them, as Kristi points out as well. Those that loved the lightweight, maneuverable feel of the Soul 7 still have a ski from Rossignol they can associate with, while more aggressive skiers will enjoy the smoother, more stable feel of these skis when you point them down the fall line.

Ann MacDonald skied the 162 cm length, which she did mention felt a little short for her. She must have been testing at the same time as Kristi, as she also added that she “would have loved to try the 170 in this ski.” Interestingly, Ann didn’t quite find the ski as playful as Kristi. Multiple factors could’ve played into this from time of day and testing conditions to fatigue. We do think it’s fair to say it’s not quite as playful as the Soul 7, but we still think most skiers will find a reasonable amount of playfulness and maneuverability. Ann’s highest scores were for stability, flotation, and torsional stiffness/edge grip, all at 4 out of 5 scores. It sounds like Ann was on the Rallybird later in the day after conditions got pretty bumped up and heavy. “Good at speed through crud and I’m sure powder! I was getting bucked pushing this ski in these conditions, but I think a bigger ski would have plowed through the corn and chop. Overall, probably a good choice for chicks who like to play off piste and powder days! Wahoo!” Alli Ruschp went for the 170 cm length, and based on her reaction to that size, we can pretty much guarantee Ann would’ve preferred it as she typically skis longer lengths than Alli. “I was worried about the length, but for no reason. Stable and fun! Powerful feel without getting nervous. Confident in its ability to ski any conditions. Stiffer tail makes carving arcs so fun and easy. Relatively light and forgiving too.” Looking at her scores, Alli awarded the Rallybird 5 out of 5 scores for both stability and torsional stiffness/edge grip, with flotation, quickness/maneuverability, forgiveness, and overall impression right behind at 4 out of 5.

Overall, we think the Rossignol BLACKOPS Rallybird strikes an excellent balance between feeling stable and playful. It’s light and quick, but it’s also damp and powerful. Because of that, we think it’s an appropriate freeride ski for a ton of different women. Although none of our testers commented on this directly, at 1800 g per ski, it’s also light enough to use with an alpine touring binding for some touring and sidecountry adventures. In comparison to their past freeride skis, we also think it’s just objectively a better ski as it has a more even mix of performance characteristics compared to the previous “7” skis.