SkiKitInfo.com’s got all you need to know about Rossignol’s new breed of freeride skis, called Blackops, to replace their incredibly successful S-7 series.
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Last season there were some Black Ops skis released, as a little taster of things to come, and now Rossignol has gone full-tilt with their Blackops line of skis. Is this a sensible move, given how popular skis such as the Soul 7 have been?
GOODBYE SOUL 7
The S-7 series of freeride skis had a massive following, and primarily down to one model; the 106mm Soul 7, which had been in Rossignol’s arsenal since winter 13/14.
This ski was light, easy to use, loads of fun and pretty handy on the groomers. A lot of skiers put a freeride touring binding on the Soul 7, giving them one ski that can do pretty much everything.
The main issue people grumbled about with the S range was tip chatter. This is not an issue with the new Blackops skis, they’ve nailed that, so now it’s time to dive a little deeper on the new range.
HELLO BLACKOPS
Black Ops is the name of Rossignol’s athlete-driven freeride ski development programme. Now, some of this tech has come across into their retail line of skis, in the form of the Blackops range for men, women and teens.
It’s not a typo – they are written slightly differently by Rossignol.; two words for athlete Black Ops skis and one word for retail Blackops skis for this season; unless you’re in North America, then they’re both two words. Confused? Us too.
Rossignol has adult Blackops skis for most off-piste skiing, from the 118mm underfoot Blackops Gamer progressive freeride ski down to the 86mm Alpineer touring and Trailblazer all-mountain skis. For younger shredders there are three models, ranging from 74mm to 91mm.
An enviro step in the right direction
A feature Rossignol’s keen to highlight with these skis is their sustainably sourced wood cores.
The poplar woodcores are PEFC*1 certified, highlighting the fact the wood in the skis comes from forests that are sustainably managed.
If the skis use paulownia wood, then this again comes from sustainably managed forests, and are FSC*2 certified.
Use of recycled materials
Another positive detail is the use of recycled materials. The top sheet in the Blackops range uses up to 15% recycled material and the bases up to 30%. The edges of all the Blackops skis are made from 100% recycled steel.
Factories that are better for the planet
Adding to this, they build the skis in factories that are certified to ISO 14001; a set of standards to minimise a factory’s environmental impact, and they use clean energy.
At SkiKitInfo.com we’re really pro this kind of approach. Making skis is not the most environmentally friendly activity and anything brands can do to offset or minimise this impact is very welcome.
Pop Factor
Do Blackops skis have the ‘pop factor’? Rossignol certainly thinks so. This is essentially their rating for how much energy and zing the ski has. In their words ‘A high Pop Factor describes a ski with rebound and high-octane flex for young skiers. Whereas a ski with low Pop Factor offers stability and comfort for cruising-style skiing’.
BLACKOPS MEN’S SKIS
Even though we talk of these as men’s skis, they’re not solely for men, especially when you look at the Gamer, which is quite a specialist ski. In fact, this is the only model in the men’s range that’s not represented in the women’s models.
TESTED: Rossignol Blackops Sender Ti
Lengths: 180, 187 and 194cm
Sidecut: 138-106-128mm in 187cm
Radius: 21.0m in 187cm
Weight per ski: 2,050g in 187cm
Price: £650 / €749.99 / $849.95
This is the beefy, headline grabbing, king of the hill, when it comes to Blackops skis.
We managed to snaffle a pair from Rossignol for a day and you can see how we got on with them in the video below.
Why are we so confident of our assessment of these skis? Mark Jones is a BASI trainer, member of the British demonstration ski team and a director of ICE ski instructor training in Val d’Isere, France. He’s one of the most respected ski instructors, and instructor trainers, in the world and has tested well over a thousand different skis. Mark was there to push hard on the Rossignol Sender Ti, to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of this beast.
Want to see more review videos? Subscribe to SkiKitInfo.com’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss a thing.
If you’re proficient enough, and have the all-day power, you may love this ski. For most skiers the regular Blackops Sender is a better option.
Blackops Sender Ti Specs
This is a great ski if you like to charge hard. The sidecut depends on the length, with waist widths from 104mm on the 180cm up to to 108mm for the 194cm.
The Sender Ti is given a medium Pop Factor rating.
Rocker
This ski is designed for riding away from the groomers, so you may expect it to have a big old rocker front and back, but that’s not the case. The front rocker, while obvious, is not that long, and there’s just a teeny early rise in the tail. Remember, this is a magnificently stable ski for skiing hard; it’s not about playful butteriness.
Enhanced power with ABS inserts
The poplar woodcore has two ABS*3 inserts, called Double LCT ABS. These are vertical layers, shown in grey in the image, that run inside the woodcore for more power and control.
Titanal Beam
Power’s given another boost by a full width Titanal metal layer underfoot, called Titanal Beam.
Carbon Allow Matrix
Rossignol’s Carbon Alloy matrix, a blend of carbon fibres and basalt, also enhances power and dampening without adding too much weight.
The Sender Ti provides good levels of grip thanks to the beefy construction, camber underfoot and full sidewall.
Extended core
The woodcore is extended in the Blackops skis and runs almost to the tip of the ski. This is designed to improve snow contact and torsional stability. When we skied the Sender Ti you could feel how strong and powerful this ski is.
Damp Tech
In the front of the ski Rossignol inserts their Damp Tech layer. This is a shock absorbing material (elastomer) to deal with vibrations, and reduce the tip chatter some of the S-7 series skis were infamous for. As there was no noticeable chatter in any of the Blackops skis we used this seems to work.
New Air Tip
Rossignol’s used Air Tip construction in their skis for years. It reduces swing weight and keeps the skis light at the front and back. This means the skis are easier to control and move around, which can be especially helpful in challenging conditions off-piste.
Rossignol uses their new Air Tip construction in the front and rear of the Sender Ti to reduce swing weight. This is the new Air Tip honeycomb configuration, with a tighter cell structure to keep weight low while maintaining performance.
The Air Tip for most Blackops skis is their new, tighter cell structure. The only exception is the Alpineer, which has the traditional Air Tip cell spacing.
Rossignol Blackops Sender
Lengths: 164, 172, 178, 186cm
Sidecut: 138-104-128mm in 178cm
Radius: 18.0m in 178cm
Weight per ski: 1,900g in 178cm
Price: £585 / €649.99 / $799.95
The Sender is a better choice for most skiers
The Blackops Sender may be overshadowed by it’s burlier brother, the Sender Ti, but it’s a far more suitable ski for most skiers. Despite not having the ‘Ti’ in it’s moniker, the Sender still has a metal layer underfoot, albeit narrower than that of the Sender Ti.
The new Soul 7
This is the model that replaces the Soul 7, and has a similar width, but is a touch lighter (1.9kg in 178cm versus 2.1kg in 180cm for Soul 7).
Even though the Soul 7 was a belter of a ski when it came out, I think lots of people may prefer the performance you get from the Sender; it is a more stable offering and a lot of fun.
We always found the Soul 7 good enough for use on groomed slopes, but the Sender is even better there too.
Better than the Sender Ti?
The Sender is a far more versatile ski than the Sender Ti, with a smooth, consistent flex that allows you to readily change turn shape.
For most situations, and the vast majority of skiers, the Sender should be the stand-out model of the range, rather than the Sender Ti.
Suitable for freeride touring
It’s also a model you could happily mount a freeride touring binding on, like the Atomic Shift or Marker Duke PT, giving you a ski that’s not too punishing uphill while providing an excellent time skiing back down.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter, then check out the Blackops Escaper and Alpineer models.
Core
Shape and rocker profile is like the Sender Ti, but the core’s different, although the Pop Factor rating’s the same; medium.
Double LCT Visco
It uses paulownia wood and Double LCT Visco, so while it still has two vertical bands running inside the core they’re rubber, rather than the harder ABS plastic of Double LCT ABS. This means the wood and the LCT are easier flexing than those used in the Sender Ti.
Diago Fiber
Although lacking the Carbon Alloy matrix, the Sender’s core is bolstered by Rossignol’s Diago Fiber; a weave above the core that adds strength and power.
Don’t let this mislead you into thinking this is a noodle – far from it; the construction of the Sender just lends itself to a wider range of skiing.
Air Tip
The Sender also benefits from the Air Tip honeycomb in the tip and tail, with the Damp Tech insert in the tip.
TESTED: Rossignol Blackops Escaper
Lengths: 156, 164, 172, 178, 186cm
Sidecut: 128-94-118mm in 178cm
Radius: 19.0m in 178cm
Weight per ski: 1,800g in 178cm
Price: £475 / €529.99 / $599.95
Free-tour
Although the Sender can be used for freeride touring, the Escaper’s the key model for that type of skiing as it’s lighter with a softer construction. We found this was a really easy ski to use, thanks partly due to the soft flex through the shovel and tail. There’s enough tip rocker along with a short tail rise.
We tested the Rossignol Blackops Escaper in March and here you can see what we thought of its performance.
Rossignol call this their Freetouring model. However, it’s a bit heavier than many other free-tour models. It’s more suitable to think of this as an easy to use and light freeride ski. Ideal if you put one of the modern, light freeride touring bindings on this, such as an Atomic Shift or Marker Duke PT, giving you a great rig for skiing all about the resort, on and off-piste.
Construction
It uses Diago Fiber with a paulownia woodcore, providing good strength through the centre of the ski. The full sidewall, with a little top sheet rollover, adds to the levels of grip.
Air Tip
You also benefit from the Damp Tech insert in the front of the ski, along with Air Tip, front and back.
The Escaper has a less energetic rebound than the Sender models, and is rated with a low Pop Factor.
Rossignol Blackops Alpineer
Lengths: 154, 162, 168, 176, 182cm
Sidecut: 122-86-108mm in all lengths
Radius: 19.0m in 176cm
Weight per ski: 1,250g in 176cm
Price: £445 / €499.99 / $499.95
This is not really a new model, although it does carry the new Blackops name. This ski is basically identical to the Seek 7 Tour of last season, with a different graphic and now they talk about ABS Beam underfoot.
You can read our full report from last season’s Seek 7, to see what we thought of this ski.
Rossignol rate the Alpineer as a medium Pop Factor.
Wood and synthetic core
highlighted orange, running along length
The Blackops Alpineer combines lightweight paulownia wood and with a suitably light Divinycell synthetic composite for the core.
ABS Beam
There’s an ABS layer under the binding area for added strength across the ski, enhancing grip but without making the ski overly stiff or heavy.
Air Tip
Like the Escaper and Sender, the tip is further lightened with Rossignol’s Air Tip construction, with a honeycomb design in the shovel. The Air Tip is constructed a little differently in the Alpineer, using the older style, larger cell structure for the honeycomb.
The notch is for a touring skin’s bungee attachment. This is lighter than using a metal tip attachment and quicker to install and remove. It’s a common feature on touring skis.
Want to learn more about touring skins? Check out our Touring Skins 101 article.
Cap and sidewall
The Alpineer has cap construction front and back, with cap and sidewall combined underfoot. This keeps weight down while still providing grip underfoot. The cap, front and back, also means the skis are a little more forgiving through the edge when using lighter weight touring boots and kit, translating into a more relaxed turn entry and exit.
The tip rocker shape works well in a variety of conditions, and enough rise through the tail to easily release when things get more challenging.
How does it ski?
Check out our test write up from last season to see what we think of this ski, albeit in last year’s colours.
Rossignol Blackops Holyshred
Lengths: 162, 172, 182, 192cm
Sidecut: 131-98-121mm in all lengths
Radius: 19.0m in 182cm
Weight per ski: 2,000g in 182cm
Price: £535 / €599.99 / $699.95
Last season there was a real buzz about a rather enigmatic ski, the Rossignol Black Ops 98. This was an excellent ski and you can read our test report from last season. Don’t worry though, this ski’s still around.
The Blackops Holyshred is the Black Ops 98, with an updated name and graphic, in-line with the rest of the range.
It’s slightly wider than the Blackops Escaper but they’re quite different skis.
The Holyshred has a more powerful construction. It uses a poplar woodcore with Titanal Beam; a full width layer of Titanal metal underfoot. This is the same build as the Sender Ti, but the Holyshred uses Diago Fiber, like the Sender, along with Damp Tech in the tip. It doesn’t use Air Tip though.
Rossignol rate this with a high Pop Factor, along with the women’s version, the Blazer, and the wide-boy Gamer.
Rocker
The Holyshred has a steeper rocker than the Senders and Escaper, front and back, hinting at its more freestyle orientation. This is not a freestyle model, but it’s great fun to play with natural and man-made features on this ski.
Mount point
The binding mount point is further forward than either Sender and the Escaper, but this is still a directional ski and not centrally mounted.
Playful and powerful freeride rocket
The Holyshred is a fantastic freeride ski. There’s loads of grip thanks to a decent amount of camber, strength of the core underfoot and vertical sidewalls. Even though this is a strong ski through the middle section, the tip and tail have a more forgiving nature and provide a beautifully buttery flex fore and aft. It doesn’t have the longest rocker profile but it’s quite pronounced at both ends, adding to the playful nature.
The mountain’s your playground
If you wanted one ski to ride piste, park, powder and treat the mountain as your playground, the Rossignol Blackops Holyshred is a superb choice.
Rossignol Blackops Gamer
Lengths: 176, 186cm
Sidecut: 146-118-141mm in both lengths
Radius: 25.0m in 186cm
Weight per ski: 2,550g in 186cm
Price: £615 / €699.99 / $699.95
The fattest of the bunch, the 118mm Blackops Gamer is a true powder weapon.
Available last season as the Blackops 118, the Gamer is designed for treating the off-piste terrain like an aerial assault course.
Construction
Like the Holyshred, this uses a poplar woodcore and Diago fiber, but has ABS Beam. This construction offers a great blend of stability, smooth flex and snow feel; essential attributes when you’re pushing the boundary of what’s possible on skis.
The Gamer rates high on Rossignol’s Pop Factor scale.
Lots of rocker
The Gamer has the most pronounced rocker profile of all the Blackops skis, and it has some camber underfoot. The mount point is slightly back of centre, but it’s still further forward than the Holyshred.
This is quite a specialist ski, and won’t sell in big numbers. However, if you quantify the success of a ski by the size of grin then the Gamer’s not gonna worry.
BLACKOPS WOMEN’S SKIS
Rossignol Blackops W Rallybird Ti
Lengths: 163, 171, 178cm
Sidecut: 137-102-127mm in 171cm
Radius: 16.0m in 171cm
Weight per ski: 1,800g in 171cm
Price: £650 / €729.99 / $799.95
The burliest ski of the women’s Blackops range, the Rallybird Ti is almost identical to the men’s Sender Ti.
Construction
The key difference being the wood used inside the ski; the Blackops W Rallybird Ti uses paulownia, rather than poplar, with Double LCT Visco, not ABS.
Apart from that, they are the same. This is still a full sidewall ski with the Carbon Alloy matrix and Titanal Beam to provide a superb stable platform, plenty of power and smooth dampening. Damp Tech also aids the smooth, chatter-free ride.
The tip and tail are lightened with the use of Air Tip tech, helping to reduce swing weight a little.
As with the Sender skis, this has a medium Pop Factor rating.
The Blackops W Rallybird is a very strong ski and not for timid skiers. If you come from a race or competitive background, or are a technically capable skier with lots of power, then this is a superb, stable choice. For the vast majority of skiers the other Blackops W skis offer a greater range of use.
Rossignol Blackops W Rallybird
Lengths: 154, 162, 170cm
Sidecut: 137-101-127mm in 162cm
Radius: 13.0m in 162cm
Weight per ski: 1,700g in 162cm
Price: £585 / €649.99 / $699.95
This is the Blackops Sender in some alternative lengths and a different graphic. Like the Sender, the Rallybird has a medium Pop Factor score.
Yes, the three shortest lengths of the Sender read 154, 164 and 172cm, but that’s partly marketing; women’s lengths normally read shorter. The 164 and 162cm are the same, as are the 172 and 170cm skis. 2cm makes no difference, so it’s almost a moot point. It was the same with the earlier Soul 7 and Savory 7 (women’s Soul 7) models.
Construction
This is a paulownia woodcore, with Diago Fiber for added performance from the light wood. Air Tip, front and rear, again reduces weight and helps the Rallybird to be nimble; just what you need for nipping between the trees. The tip has Damp Tech to keep the shovel nice and quiet.
The Blackops W Rallybird is an excellent freeride ski for advanced skiers that want one ski to jump onto, no matter the conditions or the day that lies ahead. Hiking fresh couloirs, skinning for powder 8’s, cruising around the resort with your family; the Rallybird is versatile, light and stable enough to be your go-to model.
If you treat the mountain as a bit of a fun park, using features to slash, spray or land switch from, then check out the Blazer.
Rossignol Blackops W Stargazer
Lengths: 154, 162, 170cm
Sidecut: 127-92-117mm in 162cm
Radius: 14.0m in 162cm
Weight per ski: 1,600g in 162cm
Price: £475 / €529.99 / $599.95
Construction
The Blackops W Stargazer is the Escaper for women. Built around a paulownia woodcore, with Diago Fiber, it’s light enough for little day tours and skinning for fresh lines. Air Tip in the shovel and tail to keep them easy to manoeuvre, with Damp Tech up front.
The Stargazer has good power underfoot with an easier nature through the rockered first section of the ski, making them a breeze to get into the turn. A similar, forgiving nature at the rear means release is easy too. This can make life more pleasant when skiing difficult, grabby conditions away from the groomed runs.
Rossignol Blackops W Blazer
Lengths: 160, 170cm
Sidecut: 131-98-121mm in both lengths
Radius: 13.0m in 160cm
Weight per ski: 1,800g in 160cm
Price: £535 / €599.99 / $699.95
This is the women’s Holyshred. Actually, this is the Holyshred, with a different graphic and only available in the two shorter lengths (even though they’re stated as different to the Holyshred they are the same lengths).
We’ve mentioned this, but lengths may not be totally accurate. This is certainly not just a Rossignol tactic – if you measure any ski it’ll be different to the stated length most of the time but the difference is typically so insignificant to the skiing experience that it doesn’t matter.
Construction
It uses a slightly stiffer wood to the Rallybird and Stargazer. Poplar offers a good blend of power, grip and stability without being punitively heavy. It’s an incredibly popular wood for ski construction.
Diago Fiber, Damp Tech, Titanal Beam and a full sidewall complete the construction.
There’s plenty of rocker at the tip and tail to deal with changes in terrain and snow cover, while camber underfoot helps grip, pop and turn transition.
The graphic may be similar to the Blackops Rallybird Ti, but the skiing experience is different. The Rallybird Ti is a directional charger of a ski, it doesn’t want to hang around or be facing the wrong way. The Blazer is way more versatile and, apart from blasting big faces, it’s way more fun.
This is an advanced skiers dream if you want to ski park, piste and powder. A great choice for those heading to the mountains for a season too.
Rossignol Blackops W Trailblazer
Lengths: 154, 162, 168cm
Sidecut: 122-86-108mm in all lengths
Radius: 16.0m in 162cm
Weight per ski: 1,400g in 162cm with Xpress plate, no binding
Price: £515 / €589.99 / $649.95 with Xpress W 10 GW binding
Going by the specs, this looks very much like the Alpineer, but it’s not quite the same ski. It’s very close to the Spicy 7 from last season too.
Construction
While the Alpineer and Spicy 7 have a paulownia wood and synthetic core, the Trailblazer does away with the Divinycell foam, favouring a pure paulownia woodcore. You still get the same Air Tip, ABS Beam and central sidewall as the Alpineer.
The Trailblazer has the same tail protector too, with a flat central section to keep a touring skin tail clip in place.
The specs, above, list weight with the Xpress system binding plate on. The binding weighs 720g per foot so, if you need to compare with others, the total per ski weight for the Rossignol Blackops W Trailblazer ski with Look Xpress W 10 GW binding is 2,120g in 162cm.
Flat mount
You can get this ski as an Open option, so you can put any flat mount binding on it, such as a touring or free-tour binding.
The Trailblazer Open weighs 1,250g per ski in the 162cm length and retails for around £475 / €529 / $599.
There’s a good amount of rocker through the shovel to help pick the front up in soft or variable conditions off-piste.
The Trailblazer is an all-mountain style ski for those that want to venture off piste whenever the conditions are in their favour. At 86mm underfoot with a little sidewall, there’s decent piste performance, but if you do want to develop your off-piste skiing, having something this light and nimble, with good shovel rocker, makes it more fun.
BLACKOPS TEEN’S SKIS
Built for aspiring shredders, the three models for younger skiers still carry some of the tech seen in the rest of the range.
Construction
All of the teen Blackops models feature a poplar woodcore, offering good stability and snow feel, in a relatively light package. Damp Tech insert in the shovel absorbs vibrations, maintaining ski to snow contact.
The three models are given a medium Pop Factor score by Rossignol.
Rocker in the tip and tail keeps the skis easy to control, as well as aiding floatation off piste and versatility for a little switch riding, when the opportunity arises.
The Smasher and Dreamer are the same skis, just with a different graphic and length options. They’re both full cap skis, which can keep the skis looking better for longer; great if they’ve got to be passed on. They both feature Extended Core, to improve performance.
Rossignol Blackops Smasher
Lengths: 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180cm
Sidecut: 118-90-108mm in 160cm
Radius: 16.0m in 150cm
Weight per ski: 1,700g in 160cm
Price: £285 / €319.99 / $400
The Smash 7 of last season has been replaced by the Blackops Smasher, although it’s a very similar ski. The price above is for the Open ski, that comes without a binding. Rossignol also offers this with the Xpress binding set-up, like the W Dreamer, below.
Ideal for young rippers who can already parallel but want to work on their carving, venture into the park and enjoy the softer snow off the sides.
Rossignol Blackops W Dreamer
Lengths: 130, 140, 150, 160cm
Sidecut: 118-90-108mm in all lengths
Radius: 16.0m in 150cm
Weight per ski: 1,650g in 150cm
Price: £365 / €399.99 / $500 with Xpress W 10 GW binding
Rossignol’s replacement for the Sassy 7.
Even though this is the same ski as the Smasher, it comes mounted with the Xpress system binding, hence it’s a little more expensive. It’s not available as a flat deck ski.
Tip and tail rocker, full woodcore and decent width underfoot gives aspiring freeriders the opportunity to quickly develop skills across the whole mountain.
Rossignol Blackops Whizbanger
Lengths: 138, 148, 158cm
Sidecut: 104-74-97 in 138cm
Radius: 13.0m in 138cm
Weight per ski: 1,550g in 138cm
Price: £265 / €289.99 / $400
This is a new size teens ski from Rossignol, and at 74-80mm underfoot, depending on the length, it’s a superb all-mountain offering.
This ski has sidewall almost all around the edge, with a little top sheet rollover to keep them looking sweet for longer. A poplar core, sidewall and a good amount of camber provides energy from turn to turn and grip when on the edge.
Want more?
If you want to see video reviews for some of these models, along with with a host of other skis, check out SkiKitInfo.com’s YouTube channel.
To find out more about Rossignol’s kit for this winter, then head over to Rossignol.com.
Quoted Prices
*Prices quoted here can be a mixture of recommended retail price from the brand and prices that you can currently get the skis for from retailers in that territory. The prices may therefore be less or more than you can find in-store / online and are only intended to give you a guide as to what you may expect to pay for the skis.
Always ensure you do adequate research when buying ski equipment to ensure you’re getting the best service and advice from the retailer, combined with a price that works for your budget. Don’t always assume that cheaper means better value.
*1PEFC is the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, an umbrella organisation that endorses national forest certification systems.
*2FSC; the Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, non-governmental organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
*3ABS; acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, also used in the sidewall of many skis. To give you an idea of what it feels like, Lego is made of ABS.
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