When big-mountain freestyle phenomenon Kye Petersen wants to throw down all over town, he reaches for the Rossignol S5 with the custom topsheet by Will Barras. This ski packs a full clip, with a centered stance and twin tips for huge park airs, and a 98mm waist, full wood core, and progressive sidecut for unleashing hell on the rest of the mountain. “Only 98 in the waist” you scoff, “and no 190-plus length?” Ok, Bro-Magnon, so the S5 isn’t the biggest, fattest, burliest ski ever created, and it isn’t made for moon landings or thermonuclear warfare…but that’s exactly the point. Because whether you leave gapers gaping at Squallywood or thread silent trees solo at Jay Peak, the S5 Barras has the variable-condition versatility to rip it up, send it, and stomp it switch from Cali to Maine. Better keep an eye over your shoulder.
Bottom Line: Rossignol’s bi-coastal ace in the hole.
This ski destroys pretty much anywhere. I stole my buddy's for a weekend of great pow and a park in good condition, and they were awesome. From slashing trees to floating big open pow faces, dropping pillows or throwing down, it was an almost perfect set-up for a quiver of one. My only grip with it is that it didn't feel like it weighted enough for how I normal like skis, like my ObSethed's. But surprisingly that wasn't a problem, they held up applaudably at the end of the weekend when it was all windswept crud and chopped out. The ability to lean really far into them and snap out to the next turn was amazing, something my damper feeling K2 didn't feel like. They have a good width to them for all but the most epic of pow days, and super stable on huge landings.
I rode these last year and absolutely love them. They have great edge to edge control and you can rip through anything. I am 6 foot and 190 lbs and could take em through the park as well as rip on fresh days. The whole line for 08/09 was great and 09/10 is going to impress too. I was happy with the overall stiffness of the ski for blasting through crud too.
I demo'd these at Jackson.
NOT the typical Jackson day.
It was 40 degrees and felt like a spring day.
I skied soft crud, corn groomers, and lots of 3 day old moguls.
They did really really well. In fact - I was super surprised how well they did on the bumps and groomers. Granted - these were not spring-haven't-been-groomed-in-three-weeks bumps - but they were bumps.
Very lively and playful. I bopped them around through the trees and felt pretty darn invinvible ;)
Day two was on Mt. Hood with about 2 feet of snow that had accumulated over several days. Choppy - but deep and cold. Here they were great as well.
I feel they are a little les meneuverable in tight tress than my Atomic R:EX's....but that could have just been me on that day.....
I will updated this after I get 4 or 5 more days on them.
