Review: Rossignol Sender Soul 102

Rossignol Sender Soul 102 Specs

• Size skied: 180cm, 188cm
• Lengths available: 156cm, 162cm, 172cm, 180cm, 188cm
• Sidecut: 135mm - 102mm - 125mm
• Radius: 17m (180cm)
• Profile: progressive rocker
• Weight: 2090g (180cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Rossignol’s new Sender Soul 102 isn’t just a pure mashup of the Sender Free 110 and the old Soul 7, though it does take quite a few design elements from both skis. The directional freeride shape features plenty of tip rocker, pronounced underfoot camber, and a relatively flat tail, all paired with a medium-short turning radius and a mount point that’s quite centered given the ski’s intentions. That should all add up to a predictable, approachable all mountain performance that’s equally at home both on- and off-piste.

Inside, the ski features the same poplar wood core and beam of underfoot titanal that’s in the Sender Free 110, paired with Rossignol’s hollowed-out Air Tip taken from the Soul 7 (and also seen in the entire Sender Free series). There’s also full vertical sidewalls, which when paired with the medium-stiff flex, give the ski very powerful edge grip on firm snow.

On-Snow Performance

Any all-mountain ski worth its weight should be able to handle a large variety of snow textures, terrain, and skiing styles, and the Rossignol Sender Soul 102 certainly fits that bill. What surprised us most was how a large variety of skiers, ex-racers, dad-turn perfectionists, park rats, and freeride chargers all seemed to get along swimmingly with this ski, all raving about how easy to control, yet fun and powerful the ski is.

On groomers, testers loved the powerful edge grip and felt that the ski was very responsive–that’s the short turning radius and titanal beam talking. Off-piste, at moderate speeds, they felt the stiff-but-not-too-stiff flex helped take the edge off moguls and chunky snow, but loved that the slightly softer tips and tails allowed for more playful and creative skiing. The Sender Soul 102 is not your average 2x4-stiff crud buster, instead it offers a more bouncy, poppy, and lively ride.

One tester who comes from a freeride competition background said, “I didn’t love the old Soul 7 much, but Rossi listened and learned and the Sender Soul 102 can really be driven all over the mountain. Even at 102 underfoot it rolls over nicely in bumps and can even handle a bit of pow with the wider shovel in the nose. You feel supported through each turn from start to finish.”

Despite that, while testers agreed that the Sender Soul 102 gets high marks on versatility, many pointed out that the same poppy and playful nature of the ski that makes it so fun and agile leaves with a definite speed limit. At really high speeds, busting through crud, or even on nasty re-frozen moguls, testers felt the ski could get a little overwhelmed and felt chattery and too light.

Comparisons

With so many similar skis in this category, it’s easy to draw comparisons. Perhaps the most similar ski (and one that comes out of the same factory) is Dynastar’s M-Pro 100.

Compared to the Dynastar, we found the Sender Soul 102 lacks a bit of the “fun” factor that the M-Pro offers with how much energy it gives back to you through each turn. On the flip side, the Sender Soul feels like you can be a little lazier skiing it, perhaps making it more approachable to a wider variety of skiers.

Compared to the über-stiff Nordica Enforcer 99, it’s clear the Sender Soul 102 is much better suited to intermediate skiers who are not looking for a ski that requires loads of power and finesse to harness its full potential. Where the Enforcer has more “get up and go,” the Soul prefers to chill and cruise around.

What type of skier is the Rossignol Sender Soul 102 best for? 

It’s all in the name. The Rossignol Sender Soul 102 is happiest on those days when you’re just out soul skiing–arcing smooth turns on the groomer, bouncing off sidehits, and hunting soft snow in the trees. It’s not for all-out charging, winning freeride comps, or stomping the biggest, baddest airs you can find. Instead, this is an approachable, friendly, and versatile ski that will make a lot of different skiers happy if it were the only ski to grab on any given day.