Rossignol Demo Day at Pico Mountain: Ski Vermont’s Top Ski and Snowboard Picks

Great For: A one-ski quiver, all-mountain fun, fanboy creation 

Less Great For: Keeping dust off your other skis

One-Liner: These are the ones.

Review:

Coming off the Arcade 84’s (review below) carviness I had tempered expectations going back to a (relatively) wider all-mountain ski, but the Soul 92s felt noticeably sturdy (thanks to an underfoot metal plate, according to the rep) on the first run, moving easily over some chunked-up snow and holding an impressive edge on ice. I tried to ski them like the Arcade 84s and they showed surprising agility, allowing for quick cross-piste cuts with similar ease. For a stiffer ski they had great float and moved smoothly through turns in the pockets of slopeside powder I could find, which made me wish there was more around (don’t we all).

Not being an expert, I focused on my one strength: skiing above my ability. Late turns, careless line choices, deliberate targeting of icy patches--I aimed for speed and aggression to see how forgiving they’d be of an intermediate/advanced skier cosplaying as an expert. After making sure the slope was clear, Yard Sale Probability was increased beyond reason.

I went as fast as the skis allowed, made sharp turns, hit every hiccup on the trail. When would the 92s would tire of my nonsense and end it with that familiar snowy explosion of skis, poles, and limbs? After an unplanned—but invigorating—detour into the air defied the odds with a successful one-ski landing, it was clear these planks were very forgiving to those of us without dialed-in technique.

I’m not sure I've ever enjoyed a pair of skis more. For my kind of skiing, the Soul 92s are perfect. They were versatile, incredibly forgiving and stable without sacrificing agility. If a skier at my casual-but-hopeful level can have this much fun with them, I can only imagine how much they have to offer to a legitimately advanced skier able to unlock the Soul 92’s true potential.

Great For: Easy carving, on-piste play (in any conditions), thumbing your nose at ice

Less Great For: (Maybe) powdery glades? I’d take it into packed glades in a heartbeat.

Review:

I hate these skis. I‘ve got enough on my plate as a skiing dad and de facto family gear manager without these things pulling me out of the trees and giving me another set of planks to wrangle, but here we are.

I haven’t been on a ski with a significant sidecut in almost 20 years; I don’t live for speed and I don’t race. Now I have skied them, came to love that Ginsu-slicing speed, and am hinting to my friend about his (casual) race league’s sub policy.

To be clear, these aren’t race skis but they move.

The morning corduroy had piled up as I tentatively skied the smaller underfoot but immediately noticed their steady maneuverability. They cut smooth, uniform lines around and through the piles of softening snow.They carved with ease, making clean arcs in the snow. Utilizing the full edge was incredibly simple, and I noted how effortlessly they moved through variable snow conditions. The turning radius was much tighter than I’m used to and found myself making sharp turns just because I could. Let’s be honest—I’ve been skiing wider-underfoot all-mountain skis for most of my ski career. Am I reporting how cutting-edge “streaming” platforms are more convenient than Blockbuster*? Almost certainly. But I can’t be the only parent too busy to break away from the familiar and comfortable when it comes to skis.)

Off-trail, the Arcade 84s** held their own, though didn’t have quite as much float as the Soul line for me. That said, they were still pretty fantastic for anything sidecountry-- but if you’re on-piste only to get to the trees, you might be better suited by a Sender, Soul, or even Super Black Ops for arbor-play. If you love ripping it up on-piste in any condition and knowing the woods are still 100% in play these are your skis.

*Blockbuster was a video rental store that specialized in inciting family arguments about movies and rarely having the video you wanted anyway. Ask your parents.

**The Arcade 88 was also raved about and I did get a chance to try them—and they’re another great option. I found them stiffer and slightly less responsive for me. That’s almost certainly user error. It seems the 88 is a little stiffer and a more advanced skier could probably ski these like they were stolen. But at my level, the 84s were really easy to step on and go from the jump.

Great For: all mountain fun with an eye toward East Coast powder

Less Great For: Exclusive groomer cruising

Review:

Initially, I wasn’t really up for taking this ski out; we test on groomers and I’m used to most wider skis performing ok on-trail. If you’re a skilled skier, carving with more underfoot is probably easy but not optimal. But the Soul 102’s performance surprised me and earned my number three spot.

It’s not a massive increase underfoot, but my widest skis are a stretch at 98mm, so anything in the triple digits feels novel. They handled much like a Sender does, and that’s why I love the design so much. While not as stiff and aggressive-feeling as the Soul 92s (nothing’s a fair fight against those), they were still grippy on turns and holding an edge was a piece of cake. I didn’t experience any chattering or movement that I’m used to with skis on the wider end. In general, they felt like they had a bit more flex, and that made them really fun in the powder. I spent a little more time making turns in the cached stuff on these and it was easy and flowy.

They also handled speed well, turned fine on ice, let me carve—all the things. I could feel that extra few milometers in width on the turns and it wasn’t as snappy as the Soul 92, but that’s more terrain selection than design. I think these would be fantastic on powder days but also the days after when the snow has settled but isn’t packed down yet—I bet they’d be exceptional in those conditions, which are pretty frequent here in New England.

A true powder board tested on the East Coast. Rossignol staff couldn’t truly test it out west this year due to the less-than-stellar snowfall. I wouldn’t say our conditions were the best for a powder board, but I’m so glad they brought it here.

This is Rossignol’s first truly powder-focused board. Historically, I’ve never liked boards like this; I’m a directional camber girl through and through (still powder boards, but, in my opinion, typically more fun in variable conditions). But this thing blew my expectations out of the water!

My first impression when I got off the lift was how light it was. I had to skate a bit to the trailhead, and it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had skating, which still gives me anxiety all these years later—let’s not even talk about lifts. Even with one foot strapped in, it turned on a dime and felt comfortable all the way to where I could strap in.

Once I actually started cruising, I couldn’t believe how fun this board was! It was like it was reading my mind. I didn’t have to think; I barely had to shift my weight, and it responded like a dream. I was able to do ground tricks with minimal effort; it was almost too easy, but in the best way!

The most shocking thing was when I got up to speed, and it held its edge. I was able to cruise at a decent pace without too much chatter. It was able to handle the choppy conditions on the sides of the trail, and I didn’t feel any leg fatigue. I took it over ice, and it maintained its edge.

While I wouldn’t use this as a hard-charging ripper, it’s so fun if you’re just cruising and playing around. Honestly, anyone could ride this board. Beginners to experts, and everyone would have fun.

I’m buying this board next year. My husband doesn’t know it yet, and he wouldn’t approve, but it’s happening. This is probably going to be my daily rider. Unless I know that conditions are hard-packed, and I’m only going to stay on groomers, this will be my go-to.

The Diva was my number two choice. It was just a great all-around board. It is a hybrid board, so it has the grip of camber and the ease of rocker. It's on the stiffer side of a women’s board, but, as someone who’s been on men’s boards for years, it felt soft and light in comparison.

This would be a great one-board quiver for an intermediate to advanced snowboarder. You can go everywhere on it, and it performs beautifully. I took it through ice and chop, and it held up. I could do wide turns or quick turns with minimal effort. If I could only have one, this would be it.

At first, I didn’t love the Slashimi. But by my second run, it really grew on me and became one of my favorites. It almost felt like my current snowboard, the Rossignol Revenant, and the Wuji (my number 1 favorite) had a baby. It was stiff and heavy, but it was also snappy and fun like my favorite powder boards.

Usually, when I’m on a stiff and heavy board, I have to alter my stance to be more aggressive. For this, it still had the hold of an aggressive snowboard, but I could still be my relaxed, surfy self. It was really grippy and barely chattered on big, wide turns over hard pack, but when I took it into the slop, it was still responsive. It’s not a slow board; it performed best with a bit of speed. But I would honestly take this board anywhere comfortably. I would say that this would be a good board for more advanced riders who are very intentional about their turns. It was fun!

Specs: 155, AmpTek Zero Rocker with RadCut, Reverse Directional Flex

The Ride: This board was just a vibe! Offered in smaller sizes, 147-159, it falls into a unisex category which is nice for us ladies who prefer a shorter board. I would reach for the 151 if I was bringing it home, but the extra length on the 155 was still very maneuverable. We didn't get to test it in powder, but the Wuji rocker and shape seems like it would help keep the nose up and float nicely. Its ride was surprisingly playful for an all-mountain board but also felt controlled at moderate speeds. It’s one of those rides I was stoked to tell a friend about but selfishly could have stayed on all day. Lift lines had those who hadn't ridden it inquiring, and those who had were singing their praise.

Specs: 146, Flex 5/10, Rocker Camber (AmpTek) with Serrated Edges, Directional

The Ride: 

This board was pitched as a fun board for progressive riders and easy to turn while staying stable at moderate speeds. I would agree. Softer and shorter than what I would normally reach for, this board had a lot of energy but surprised me with its edge grip on the variable terrain. I learned the 5S serrated edge, which gives the board a visible wavy edge, adds multiple contact points to provide better control, and I experienced less chatter or wash out than I was anticipating. The soft flex made it easy to pop off side-hips and let me ride out of some sloppy 180s that a less forgiving board may have punished me for. If your winter rides include classic groomers, light powder tree runs and the occasional small jumps, the Aires would handle it all.

Specs: 154, Flex 8/10, Rocker Camber with RadCut & 5S Edges, Twin

The Ride: 

Initially this board felt heavy and long to me on the way up, so I was skeptical how it would ride. Once I put it on snow though, I enjoyed how it responded. Our East Coast conditions the morning of my demo day were the perfect test for this board. It effortlessly handled the variable terrain, letting me carve right through ice patches, with no skid or chatter. It easily pushed aside sugar snow, laid down some deeper carves and held speed across longer flats. I liked how relaxed I felt after just the first ride on a new board. A progressive rider will like its maneuverability and forgiveness, while a more aggressive rider can charge harder with control. While the Super Revenant didn’t feel as light underfoot as the other two on my list, I enjoyed the confident ride this board delivered in our testing conditions.