ROSSIGNOL SUPER 7

The 2016 Rossignol Super 7 features a slightly narrower width (116 mm) than the flagship Squad 7, as well as more forgiving performance. It’s lighter, has a tighter turn radius (20 meters at 180 cm), and is offered in lengths that are more manageable for most skiers: 188, 180, 172 and 164 cm.

It’s part of Rossignol’s highly successful 7 series, a five-model line of powder and soft-snow surfers ranging in width from 120 mm (the Super) down to 92 mm (the Smash). All are rockered tip and tail for buoyancy in soft snow and shock absorption in rough terrain. More importantly, most models (Smash 7 excepted) feature tapered tip and tail shapes, where the widest parts of the ski are moved closer to the foot. That makes them loose and smeary in deep snow and allows for quick speed checks and direction changes. The tip is honeycombed with translucent air pockets that reduce swing weight—a technology Rossi calls Air Tip. In this way the mass of the ski is effectively concentrated underfoot, and because the tip is lighter, tip flap is also noticeably reduced. Rossi’s Powder Turn Rocker combines early rise in the tip and tail with camber underfoot for flotation in powder and carvability on hardpack. All are straight-ahead wood-core laminate constructions (except the Smash, which is a softer cap construction).