Sneak Peek: 2021 Rossignol BlackOps Freeride Collection

[Primoz]

I'm probably not going to be on new Rossi freeride skis anytime soon (it's harder for me to get single pair of store available freeride skis, then whole set of race ski, which most of WC racers would droll about ), but I somehow don't really get this "let's all hate Rossi" thing. Yeah there's marketing BS, but I doubt Rossi is the only one in this, just think of imagionary technologies like Kers, liquid metal, holes in tips that make ski 3 times better then any other etc.. I admit I'm far from any real freerider, even though I probably ski more and harder then majority of people, but personally I'm perfectly happy with "crappy" Rossi stuff, either old Soul7 (especially after I changed heavy Marker Dukes with Dynafit Speed Turn and move them extremely back), Seek7 or Super7 RD. And even if I would pay for skis, I would still rather go with something from normal ski company then with something made in some garage with no experience in ski making, but with some huge cool factor based on few Instagram/FB videos. But that's just me

 

[peterm]

I was really talking about branding but also remember the guys like Black Crows aren't and never will be a full spectrum offering with rental, piste performance, race etc. so of course they'll never be the size. But won't have to scrap a season's worth of inventory either.....

And I saw a hell of a lot more being skied than I expected in the US last trip. More than Mindbenders for instance as we've already talked about. DPS should be looking over their shoulder for starters. ( Admittedly I have no data as I'm just a punter and a lot of stock could be being dumped on the market for penetration purposes as friends and family/proform).


And maybe I'm a freak but I liked the Soul 7. It was fun. It was flattering. It was easy to ski. I never really got the snobbery against it from serious skiers - obviously if you were used to charging on a high metal Mantra it would feel a little underpowered. I do wonder the point of all brands chasing the same segment - serious skiers who still want the big brand experience when there are far more people who ski out there.

I'm somewhat puzzled by how much interest some of these 2021 ski threads get when there's the most amazing 2020 ski out there (Black Crows Atris) that almost no Pugs are talking about . Requested cage match: Sender vs Atris.

 

[SBrown]

^^ I have been trying to get on Black Crows, but my past few demo days have been on somewhat firm scratchy conditions, not Black Crows' forté.

A good ski buddy who buys lots and lots of skis was pooh-poohing Rossignol last year when we were all praising Black Ops; he called them "Walmart skis"! But he bought them anyway (like I said, he buys lots and lots), and now they are his favorites.

 

[Eric267]

My question of the ski was very much more about being a little confused rather than being a hater. The BLACKOPS 118 Is such a “bro” type ski was curious how it translates to something that replaces the 7 line for the general public. I think of the 118 as a niche ski made by a large brand kind of like the D* legend pro rider. The 118 is a center mounted(-2?) tank that tops out in a 186 and is probably the heaviest ski for its size available on the market. Keeping the BLACKOPS name and adding a second name does seem a slight bit gimmicky

Blister has the mount point at -7.5 in a 187 so not nearly the centered 118 but not quite a more traditional mount point. Further back than the 98 which is kinda more freestyle/park oriented. Seems at 2200g it’s a little on the heavier side for a 187 but nothing crazy

The other thing that intrigued me is the sizing of the ski. Coming in 180-187-194 is a pretty big jump for a mainstream ski. Your average skier doesn’t likely ski a 187 and 194s are some big planks! De we assume the bottom size (180) is what will be the most popular rather than the middle. This is where my curiosity of EE comes in.. does the 187 ski short and is the range for most skiers? The radius is a smidge on the longer side of average @21 in a 187 also.

I think the graphics are pretty standard. Looks like the 4frnt msp 107 sort of. It also has the same sort of dimensions and build as the msp 107 also.

Interested in getting on a 187 and 194 to see the characteristics of each length. On paper it doesn’t look like a ski for the masses but who knows..

 

[Philpug]

I'm somewhat puzzled by how much interest some of these 2021 ski threads get when there's the most amazing 2020 ski out there (Black Crows Atris) that almost no Pugs are talking about . Requested cage match: Sender vs Atris.

Honestly in the past we have had issues with getting on Black Crows and I will say it wasn't from our end and our the lack of effort. We have a meeting with them next week at OR and we hope that will change.

 

[Philpug]

My question of the ski was very much more about being a little confused rather than being a hater. The BLACKOPS 118 Is such a “bro” type ski was curious how it translates to something that replaces the 7 line for the general public. I think of the 118 as a niche ski made by a large brand kind of like the D* legend pro rider. The 118 is a center mounted(-2?) tank that tops out in a 186 and is probably the heaviest ski for its size available on the market. Keeping the BLACKOPS name and adding a second name does seem a slight bit gimmicky

Blister has the mount point at -7.5 in a 187 so not nearly the centered 118 but not quite a more traditional mount point. Further back than the 98 which is kinda more freestyle/park oriented. Seems at 2200g it’s a little on the heavier side for a 187 but nothing crazy

The other thing that intrigued me is the sizing of the ski. Coming in 180-187-194 is a pretty big jump for a mainstream ski. Your average skier doesn’t likely ski a 187 and 194s are some big planks! De we assume the bottom size (180) is what will be the most popular rather than the middle. This is where my curiosity of EE comes in.. does the 187 ski short and is the range for most skiers? The radius is a smidge on the longer side of average @21 in a 187 also.

I think the graphics are pretty standard. Looks like the 4frnt msp 107 sort of. It also has the same sort of dimensions and build as the msp 107 also.

Interested in getting on a 187 and 194 to see the characteristics of each length. On paper it doesn’t look like a ski for the masses but who knows..

Stay tuned, I address many of your points in my upcoming review.

 

[Tricia]

Making a motion for a Black Ops Rallybird TI vs Secret, especially if the Rossi is mounted fairly far back.

Better than BlackOps Dreamer or BlackOps Stargazer. Weird, weird name combos.

My Rallybirds showed up yesterday.
Didn't have time to ski them before leaving for OR, but they're in the @Packasport

I somehow don't really get this "let's all hate Rossi" thing.

Right???? Rossi does a lot of things right.
In the back of my mind I have my nephew's voice in my head asking..."Why all the hate, man?"

I'm somewhat puzzled by how much interest some of these 2021 ski threads get when there's the most amazing 2020 ski out there (Black Crows Atris) that almost no Pugs are talking about . Requested cage match: Sender vs Atris.

We're trying.

^^ I have been trying to get on Black Crows, but my past few demo days have been on somewhat firm scratchy conditions, not Black Crows' forté.

Same here. The two times I did get on Black Crows the tune was so bad they were almost un-skiable.
I think the skis should ski fairly well, but just can't get on a pair that are tuned properly.

A good ski buddy who buys lots and lots of skis was pooh-poohing Rossignol last year when we were all praising Black Ops; he called them "Walmart skis"! But he bought them anyway (like I said, he buys lots and lots), and now they are his favorites.

I got on the Black Ops 98 at Snowbasin last year and got a kick out of it. Not the ski I thought it was going to be.
And that ski is a completely different product than the Rallybird in my possession.
Its probably a bit short for you in 171, but you're welcome to try it.
See you in a few days.

 

[GregK]

Another person who doesn’t understand why they are using the Black Ops name for these new skis as they aren’t freestyle skis and it makes it far more confusing for the consumer. Should have just kept the Black Ops names followed by the width and maybe called the new ones Sender(followed by their width) and Rallybird (followed by their width). A name change away from Soul 7 isn’t enough I guess and they are using their new found street cred” from one model (Black Ops 118) to start a new line with very few similarities to the original BO 118.

Most of the uproar online of this new series isn’t that they have used the Black Ops name of these new skis, it’s that they didn’t bring out a Black Ops 108 with similar shape, a solid weight and flex from the 118 but in a 108 width. A 108 width with a nice flex and 2200gram weight in the 182 would be perfect. Instead, their partner Dynastar build the BO 108 everyone wanted and it’s called the MFree 108. It’s been getting rave reviews online already.

Thought they might tweak the Black Ops 98 by tweaking the flex a bit and adding more weight to it which would give it a big stability upgrade but didn’t hear of any changes for 2021. Instead, Faction beefed up the CT 2.0 and changed the shape so it’s more of a “narrow Black Ops 118” than the actual BO 98 is now. Lol

The new Black Ops Sender Ti is not really a Soul 7 replacement or a new width of Black Ops ski. The new ski looks more similar to skis like the Enforcer and Mindbender than to skis like the Atris, QST 106, Rustler 10 and ARV 106. The Sender Ti won’t be as easy to ski as an Atris or others in that range but the Sender Ti should be more stable and have improved edge grip based on it’s weight and shape.

Look forward to the reviews of the Sender Ti and getting on them myself! Although I’m looking forward to the MFree 108 demo even more.

 

[markojp]

I think K2 owns the name, but I'm waiting for someone to make a 'Smooth Johnson' signature ski... "You want big air? Pull my finger." Long live 'Smooth'.

 

[DoryBreaux]

Shut up and take my money.

 

[Tricia]

Shut up and take my money.

 

[BS Slarver]

BO Ti’s out in the wild here in MT - like the look of the tail rocker.

 

[Philpug]

BO Ti’s out in the wild here in MT - like the look of the tail rocker.
View attachment 91289

Note the RAW Pivot 15.

 

[Hottomatos]

Any info on the sender squad 112?

 

[Wildbear]

I was really talking about branding but also remember the guys like Black Crows aren't and never will be a full spectrum offering with rental, piste performance, race etc. so of course they'll never be the size. But won't have to scrap a season's worth of inventory either.....

And I saw a hell of a lot more being skied than I expected in the US last trip. More than Mindbenders for instance as we've already talked about. DPS should be looking over their shoulder for starters. ( Admittedly I have no data as I'm just a punter and a lot of stock could be being dumped on the market for penetration purposes as friends and family/proform).


And maybe I'm a freak but I liked the Soul 7. It was fun. It was flattering. It was easy to ski. I never really got the snobbery against it from serious skiers - obviously if you were used to charging on a high metal Mantra it would feel a little underpowered. I do wonder the point of all brands chasing the same segment - serious skiers who still want the big brand experience when there are far more people who ski out there.

I just bought some Soul 7s after I saw how versatile they were for my strong skiing buddy. I love the ski. Great in the bumps ....plenty of hold on hard snow....and a delight in the powder. I have Bonafides in 187....Fischer Big Stix 120....the Rossi will be my one ski for all conditions.
Quick turning which is critical in the bumps, steeps and trees. I really could care less about a carver for groomers as that is boring no matter the speed. Silverton Mtn. in a couple weeks so it will be a good test.

 

[Tricia]

My Rallybirds showed up yesterday.
Didn't have time to ski them before leaving for OR, but they're in the @Packasport View attachment 91284

I finally got a chance to put the BlackOps Rallybird through its paces at Grand Targhee.
We arrived to a bluebird day so I started my morning on a groomer ski, but realized before lunch that we were finding some nice north facing stashes of chalky cut up powder, so I switched.
It was such a drastic difference from what I'd been skiing on in the morning that I had to change my mindset and charge. What a hoot!

The Rallybird Ti was absolutely unflappable, and it made me feel unstoppable. So much so that I skied to last chair.
Now I wait for snow so I can Rallybird again!

Any info on the sender squad 112?

@Drahtguy Kevin got on them at Winterpark.

 

[Drahtguy Kevin]

Any info on the sender squad 112?

The Squad is A LOT of ski. It definitely leans more toward the charger category. It is stiff and holds an edge nicely for it’s girth. I found it playful enough in trees and bumps but needed to pay attention so it didn’t get taken for a ride. It was marvelous in the chopped up crud. The Squad seems to favor big, open spaces with room to let’r run.