2022 Rossignol BLACKOPS W Rallybird Ti

The Rossignol BLACKOPS Rallybird Ti is the real deal. This women’s freeride ski features a strong build and a slew of different technology making it a great choice for advanced to expert level skiers. At 102 mm underfoot, you’ll get good soft snow performance, but also some reasonable edge to edge quickness, which makes the ski quite versatile for its category. Rossignol uses a lightweight paulownia wood core, which is supported with a full sheet of metal along the base of the ski and a partial sheet on top for binding retention and more torsional stiffness in the mid-body of the ski. In the tip, we get Rossignol’s Damp Tech construction, which utilizes rubber to help absorb unwanted vibrations. We also get a rubber Visco material running in two vertical struts through the core of the ski, similar to how they use metal in their race skis. This further dampens the ski, then Rossignol adds in their Carbon Alloy Matrix material to boost torsional stiffness. There is, undoubtedly, a lot going on in this ski, but it all works really well together. The shape marks a significant departure from the abrupt early taper used on skis like the Soul 7, but we still get substantial tip rocker and a little tail rise as well.

Alix Klein skied the 163 cm length in the Rallybird Ti, which interestingly is actually the shortest length you can get. If you need a shorter length, consider the non-Ti Rallybird, which features a 154 option. On the other hand, this high-end women’s freeride ski is available in a 178 cm length, which is notably long for most women’s skis. That said, the 163 cm worked well for Alix and she didn’t feel a need to size up from there. Impressive scores from Alix, with nothing dropping below the 4 out of 5 range. Quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression all earned full 5 out of 5 scores. “I felt that the ski was an extension of my body and just responded the way I needed it to in each time of turn radius, speed quickness. It released well at the end of a turn while also being quick edge to edge and railing turns like a true carving ski. I enjoyed short radius turns and sweeping GS turns all in one run!” Alix is a very strong skier and spends a lot of time on freeride skis like this. We love that she found it relatively easy to ski in the sense that the tail edge released well for her, but not everyone will be able to manipulate the Rallybird Ti like Alix. It does take some skier input and a strong skier.

Even Alli Ruschp, who participates in a ton of our test days and has a lot of experience on skis with metal, found it a bit much. “Too burly a ski for me. Meant for a strong aggressive skier that wants to plow through everything. Too demanding for my legs, hard to get the swing around. I could see this being great for a west coast skier looking to crush all conditions.” That feedback was reflected in her scores, with forgiveness dropping to a 2 out of 5 and quickness/maneuverability to 3 out of 5. We still got high scores for flotation, stability, and torsional stiffness/edge grip, but it’s a nice reminder that you do need to be a relatively aggressive, strong skier to get the most out of the Rallybird Ti. Louise Lintilhac falls right into that description with her background of professional level competition on the Freeride World Tour. She had a much easier time handling the ski than Alli and like Alix, also skied the 163 cm length. 4 out of 5 scores from Louise across the board for all our criteria, which is always indicative of a well-rounded ski and one that works well for that particular tester. “This ski is an approachable way to bust through variable conditions. It’s wide enough to give a bit of flotation and with the rocker, it can navigate crud well. Did not move so quickly edge to edge but did well at medium speeds with medium radius turns. While not the stiffest, most stable ski, it is relatively playful and fun on a corn snow day. Good for intermediate to advanced skiers looking for a do-it-all ski for most conditions.” It’s interesting that Louise found it to be relatively approachable, while Alli felt like it was a lot of ski to handle.

The varying feedback from our testers on the Rallybird Ti is a really good reminder that ultimately ski performance is a very subjective thing. If you’re an aggressive, strong skier like Alix and Louise, it’s a versatile freeride tool that will take you anywhere on the mountain. If you’re a less aggressive skier or prefer softer and lighter skis, you might find it a bit much, but that’s why Rossignol makes the non-Ti version of the Rallybird!