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Philpug

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FREERIDE COLLECTION
We don’t freeride. We Ride Free.
Full tilt. All in. Imagination run wild. We commit. We unleash. We let so loose, we out-freak the freaks.
The first rule: there are no rules. This isn’t about pushing
limits. This is no limits allowed. And we’re going full free ahead. On the mountain. Off the mountain. In our crew. Out of our minds. No two turns are alike. No two lines go the same way. We’re doing things how we want, when we want, where we want, and why we want. No holds barred.
This is freedom in motion. Living as art. Skiing as life. Forget figure 8’s. This is figure 11’s. We find our own way down. And sometimes up.
Cuz brother, we are free. Free and wild. Free and weird. Free and fun. Free and dumb. Free and fast. Free to laugh. Free to stomp. We’re free and stoked. We’re locked and loaded. Let’s drop the rope.
This is the freedom to see the mountain however we want. The freedom to send it. The freedom to not. The freedom to see the world through a whole new lens. Break away from the pack.
Ride Free my friends.
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fatbob

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Oh lordy spare us from brand copywriters that want to reinvent a brand as cutting edge as your uncle's chinos as hip and edgey

 

Eric267

Gettin after it
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Kings Beach
Wow, a 194 with only 106 under foot and 21r.. curious if they ski short. @Philpug do you have any stats on effective edge in the upper sizes? Or mount point?
 
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James

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Why do “Black Ops” skis have senseless graphics, and a name like “Rallybird”?
They could’ve called it “Freebird” and included a free Bic lighter. Since that’s not pc, maybe a lighter app.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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Mine arrived in a really cool box...
7A0890FA-9B7C-4E45-840A-F47C05B7DB30_1_201_a.jpeg


Although the Gold Pivot 15 would look good, the RAW is badass
67D9803F-EE39-493C-A6C5-212A34DEA9F2.jpeg


Base bevels look good out of the box
926EC6CA-9718-4708-9ABC-CEC2EA048D7E.jpeg


Raw Pivots mounted
B1B550AB-D7E5-43DE-838C-84D8344B4D27.jpeg


F87999C4-8505-4E52-BE9D-A672E4DB1F6C_1_201_a.jpeg


Dims:
F5772D08-1A55-405B-B20F-72B60137E74A.jpeg


Promo shots:
AD4F438E-A6B5-48C9-AC76-89F39E9A6448.jpeg

D1EFF7DC-87E0-44ED-8F8B-4DF29E078BDE.jpeg


Tomorrow...SNOW.
 

Analisa

Making fresh tracks
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Why do “Black Ops” skis have senseless graphics, and a name like “Rallybird”?
They could’ve called it “Freebird” and included a free Bic lighter. Since that’s not pc, maybe a lighter app.

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

ScottB

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1.6 base bevel looks good?? They will be "free" when you hit some boiler plate
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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1.6 base bevel looks good?? They will be "free" when you hit some boiler plate
I have skis for boiler plate. 1.6* is pretty good for an early production ski. I'll take it.
 

fatbob

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I detect a dash of impertinence in your comments!

Noted. I'm just exercising my freedom to see the world through a whole new lens.


Well maybe it should be the subject of a different thread because it's not necessarily Rossi specific but it seems to me ski marketing is still back in the dark ages and it's boring as hell. The last really remotedly edgy thing Rossi did were the nipple silhouette graphics on the Slash way back when, which went largely unremarked in Europe but seemed to give the N American market an attack of the vapours. Now that was an era in which Head were putting (clothed) porn stars on the Jon Olsson pro models so wouldn't really be #metoo sensitive these days.

But just look at the amount of BS in that Rossi press release, it's almost self satirising except I fear they mean it - i.e. "damp tech" is a real thing they want store staff to be able to talk up. Plus it's sexist as hell - the men's model gets all the GTI Turbo Injected buzzwords and the women's model gets the "blended" and "aesthetic" fluffiness/ vagueness.

I've kinda been into keeping up with what's new gearwise in skiing and go out of my way to demo stuff even when I have no immediate need. But increasingly I'm finding I no longer care to swim through the tsunami of BS to find the odd pearl of progression. Maybe it's just grumpyoldmanness, maybe I've reached zen enlightenment re mere material goods.

Mods feel free to move this nervous breakdown to a new thread...
 
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fatbob

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Correction above - the Rossi Nipple Ski was of course the Scratch. Maybe confused it with the Slashed Throat silhouette of the Scratch BC was it?
 

Kindbuzz

Booting up
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So Rossi has a huge success with the masses in the soul 7 and releases a single black ops with some mystery and actual cool factor

Now they change the whole brand to black ops nomenclature and slightly more charger oriented. Smells like a marketing grab to attract the coolness factor of This years black ops pair to make up for “rental” sneers folks shoot at the soul 7

How they ski is the real question but this looks like more marketing than actual skiing technology nor design evolution

Also the names get worst of the year and it’s only January. Sender ? Come on it’s like an old man awkwardly using terms used by younger folks
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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I had them out today....Oh boy, these rip. First and foremost, these are NOT , repeat, Noooo-ooot as in no effing way like the Soul 7 they replace. Peer-ree-odd. I will work on a full review over the next day while we start driving towards Colorado for Outdoor Retailers, so stay tuned.

147F2E82-B357-433A-A733-7E0CED22FF83.jpeg
 

fatbob

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I had them out today....Oh boy, these rip. First and foremost, these are NOT , repeat, Noooo-ooot as in no effing way like the Soul 7 they replace. Peer-ree-odd. I will work on a full review over the next day while we start driving towards Colorado for Outdoor Retailers, so stay tuned.

P⁰plop View attachment 91251
So there is every chance they'll be less successful than the easy to ski Soul 7 which had mass appeal. The 10something segment is a crowded one with everyone producing their benchmark skier's skis in that size. Maybe they'll get enough on the hill thru proform to grab public attention but then the graphics are a bit meh to remember.

I'm sure they ski just fine.

Me, I think I'd have made more of the Bird logo and branding over time. But then a young French upstart came along and ate their lunch on that......
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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Great to see everything is well in the Rossi Hater Section.
Great to hear Phil.
Man that snow looks good !!
Blind hate is just as bad as blind loyalty when talking about a product. Both can make the person's opinion meaningless when there is no basis for it.

So there is every chance they'll be less successful than the easy to ski Soul 7 which had mass appeal. The 10something segment is a crowded one with everyone producing their benchmark skier's skis in that size. Maybe they'll get enough on the hill thru proform to grab public attention but then the graphics are a bit meh to remember.

I'm sure they ski just fine.

Me, I think I'd have made more of the Bird logo and branding over time. But then a young French upstart came along and ate their lunch on that......
Yea, this will not be the sales volume success the Soul was and Rossi is OK with that. The Soul 7 did what Rossignol wanted and needed it to do, get the R out there on the hill and onto the feet of a lot of skiers...and people who ski.

As far as graphics? Honestly this is a trend in this segment, very umm understated designs, look at the Salomon Stance or the Dynastar's new collection, very muted. Maybe it is a French thing, not sure. But as I have said over and over, graphics won't sell a ski but they will stop a sale, I don't think the designs of the new Blackops will stop many sales.

I can only assume you are referring to Black Crows as the young French company, well while they are becoming more popular, they are hardly eating Rossignol's lunch in sales volumes...I am not even sure they're are eating their afternoon baguette either.
 

fatbob

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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.
 

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