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SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
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18 E88 HD.png
Rossignol Experience 88 HD
Dimensions: 135-88-124
Radius: 17m@180cm
Sizes: 156, 164, 172, 180
Size tested: 180
Design: Carryover/NGT

Philpug: (from last year) In the words of the immortal Jimi H…Are You Experienced? In bringing back the Experience 88 with an updated construction to go with its proven shape, Rossignol accomplished what it set out to do: make the E88 a better ski. It is smoother on the groomers and, with the addition of the HD construction, it has more horsepower.
  • Who is it for? Groomer zoomers. The E88 with its aggressive shape loves to be up on edge.
  • Who is it not for? Skiers who spend more time off piste.
  • Insider tip: Lay it over and rip, but stay out of the trees.
18 Sky 7 HD TC.png
Rossignol Sky 7 HD
Dimensions: 128-97-118
Radius: 18m@180cm
Sizes: 156, 164, 172, 180, 188
Size tested: 180
Design: All New

Drahtguy Kevin: The 7 Series is moving in the right direction. The new Sky is beefed up and more stable. This model arcs better than previous years, but tip flap is still evident. It is quick underfoot for a 98mm ski, likely because the rocker makes the ski feel much shorter that the stated length. It is a softer ski with a top end that isn’t difficult to reach.
  • Who is it for? Lighter-weight and finesse skiers wanting ~100mm do-it-all planks.
  • Who is it not for? Burly chargers.
  • Insider tip: Order up, this guy rides short.

Philpug: I could never figure out the old Sin/Sky 7, it just felt as composed as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, just too nervous. Although the dimensions are similar, the elongated Air Tip 2.0 combined with a more balanced flex makes this newest incarnation a whole new ski.
  • Who is it for? Just who it is intended for, an aspiring advanced skier.
  • Who is it not for? Still not for the charger.
  • Insider tip: No need to size up, yay!
18 Soul 7 HD TC.png
Rossignol Soul 7 HD
Dimensions: 136-106-126
Radius: 18m@180cm
Sizes: 156, 164, 172, 180, 188
Size tested: 180
Design: All New

Philpug: It is no secret that the older 7 series was never my favorite bunch of skis. Not that they weren't fun and playful; they were just too noisy and turny for my liking. The previous generations were stiff in the center and floppy at the extremities, but Rossignol fixed all that: these new ones have a much more balanced flex. For all of you who quickly found the limitations of the older ski, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the new one. I know I was … even in the 180cm length!
  • Who is it for? Still biased to soft snow, but handles the firmer snow better.
  • Who is it not for? Still not for bigger, stronger skiers.
  • Insider tip: Forget what you didn’t like about the outgoing Soul; you might not need to size up.

UGASkiDawg: I thought the old Soul 7 was downright scary at speed on anything but the softest groomers and would fold like a cheap suit at any kind of speed in crud or other tough snow conditions. It was a playful blast in untracked and really soft snow, though. I may need to get these new ones out for a longer test ride in the conditions they were designed for, as I took them down one of my favorite groomers in fairly firm conditions and was impressed at the edge hold and tracking for One Oh Something ski. (I’m not a One Oh skier on anything other than a powder ski so didn’t have the test conditions to give these a true shakeout.) The first-gen Soul 7s scared the bejeebus out of me on firm snow, but on these I was flying on the blue groomer with a look of pleasant surprise on my face.
  • Who is it for? If you liked the old playful Soul 7 but found it lacking in tougher snow conditions, this new ski will be right up your alley.
  • Who is it not for? People who like a more traditionally shaped ski; very powerful skiers.
  • Insider tip: This ski is surprisingly stable even without sizing up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Fuller

Semi Local
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Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
Is there any Pugski feedback on the Rossi Pursuit 600 CAM? I'm thinking about adding a frontside carver as part of a 3 ski quiver. I already own an older pair of Exp 88's and Sky 7 HD 98's. The Rossi Pursuit 600 seems like it might be an easier to manage version of the Head iRally - my other item of interest.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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Is there any Pugski feedback on the Rossi Pursuit 600 CAM? I'm thinking about adding a frontside carver as part of a 3 ski quiver. I already own an older pair of Exp 88's and Sky 7 HD 98's. The Rossi Pursuit 600 seems like it might be an easier to manage version of the Head iRally - my other item of interest.
I did not ski the 600 but I did ski the 800 in the past. I have actually found the Rally to be a bit easier to ski than the Rossi's. But is comes down to what you are looking for The Rossi has a bit of a smaller sweet spot but when you are in that sweet spot the ski can be more rewarding. Since you have the E88 (the Sky is feel unto itself) and If you want to duplicate the Rossi feel, the one of the Pursuit's would be a great option.
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
Thanks for the input - the iRally and the the Rossi Pursuit will be on my demo list this winter. You skied the P800 but looking at the Rossi site, both the P700 and P600 have different lay ups and might be quite different from each other. Gotta try them all now...

Anyway, I like the idea of having a dedicated front side ski, there's plenty of days in Whitefish where the off piste is a dangerous place for my knees / skill set and I prefer to work on my fundamentals on the hardpack. Besides, I own 4 bicycles, 5 surfboards and 13 pairs of underwear. AND ONLY TWO PAIRS OF SKIS!
 

Viking9

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Posts
788
Location
SO CAL
Hey Phil, did you notice that the original sin 7 , with a beautiful new paint job has been brought back by POPULAR demand .......interesting very interesting.
 

Viking9

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Posts
788
Location
SO CAL
Hey fuller I have the pursuit 16 , previous version of the 600 and am a big Rossi fan.
I look at the 600 as a very versatile front side ripper, it is purposely built to be more forgiving than the 800 which I think is a good thing , the way it's built in my opinion makes it a great bump ski and plenty of edge hold for the west.
Something to think about , I'm looking to replace my 16 because like you I have two other skis that are taking up 5 out of 7 days from a typical one week storm cycle, with that in mind and being west of the Mississippi like you I'm leaning on getting a ripper that is more in the actual race catagory for days that are actually hard conditions for us out west , less versatile because of how good the other two skis are and how much fun they are.
I believe there are a lot of people out west who would consider that 88 as a frontside ripper because of the softness of our hardback.
I'm looking at the hero st in a 172 as my replacement, can't wrap my arms around that FIS 167 as my all day ripper, I like the idea of a little more length for frontside adventures.
Good luck.
 

keven

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Posts
1
Im looking to buy the Sky HD in the 172cm I really like to do off piste and some freestyle. I consider myself intermediate Im skiing since 4 years but evolved a lot is the Sky HD too expert for me
weight: 140lbs
heigt: 5 feets 9"
 

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