Depending on how you look at it, this could also be a pre-season review, since I was able to get my hands on a pair of next season's Rossignol's 2010/2011 S3. The end of the current ski season is when I like to start thinking about next year's gear choices, so this review might actually be ahead of the curve.
I was looking for that elusive do-everything ski to replace my now 3-year old Rossignol Scratch Brigade 178 twin tips. I heard Rossignol was taking the rocker thing further down the line from their S7 skis. What really got my attention on the new S3s was their 98 underfoot width, and mid radius 23 meter sidecut. I wondered how they would perform in a variety of conditions, which is why I chose to demo them during an all-day Interconnect. From hard and fast groomers, to powder, to crust that crunched underfoot, to creamy custard, to full-on corn, we skied just about everything all in one day. Only in Utah.
Rossignol credits the versatility of this ski on the combination of their Amptek camber shape. From their press release:
"The S3 features AmpTek, Rossignol’s unique ski design concept that combines traditional and reverse camber to deliver more versatility, rebound, boost and ease-of-use than conventional skis. The traditional camber underfoot delivers power, energy and edge grip under foot where you need it most. The reverse camber “rocker” at the tip and tail delivers more flotation, easier steering and more forgiveness."
Amen to that, sister. But you might get the impression from the above paragraph that this ski is some kind of cheater. Whatever. After a 9 hour tour that saw all kinds of off-piste and in-resort conditions, plus the need for speed in order to avoid getting left behind by my hard-charging tour posse, let me testify, this ski is legit. The only drawback for me was hauling these things up the bootpack, since they were unfairly weighted down with bindings mounted on demo tracks. I'll throw some Fritschis on mine when I get them to keep the weight down. Yup. I'm that sold.
The demo pair I skied was the 186 length. Like the S7s, they seem to ski shorter than that.
Check them out on Rossignol's website. They still have the 09/10 model shown, but you'll get the general idea.
