Rossignol Experience 100 - 190cm

I figured that for my first review I would start with one of my favorite pairs of skis. I have had the chance to ski on quite a few pairs of skis including the Rossignol Soul 7s, the Volkl Mantras, the Blizzard Bonafides, the Head Venturi 95s, the Head Collective 105s and a whole lot of other skis that fall in the range of 95 mm under foot to 106 mm under foot. But each day, when I get up to the mountain, the skis that I go for are almost always my Experience 100s.

There are a few reasons why I almost always pick the Experience 100s, the first being that they are fantastic all mountain skis. The next reason is because they feel a lot like a World Cup GS race ski, and lastly they are a good ski in the powder. I can pick this ski on any given day and will more likely than not have a good time.

 I can ski on these in almost any conditions that the mountain has to throw at me, and I know that they will be fun in those conditions. The only exception to this rule is moguls. I was at Heavenly Ski Resort and decided to ski down the "Gun Barrel" and while it was a lot of fun the Experience 100s in a 190 cm length are really heavy, a bit fat for being a good mogul ski and really long. Because of this, I was gassed about halfway down the run. Luckily for me it was the last run of the day and I could take breaks every once in awhile. Though that meant that my wife, who took the chair lift down, was stuck waiting for me at the bottom of the hill. The point being, if I am uncertain of the mountains conditions this is the ski that I will pick.

The Experience 100s feel a lot like my World Cup GS race skis and they are so much fun to make fast, full speed turns on. They are a lot softer than my World Cup GS race skis, which makes them easier to ski on when I'm with others that don't have a racing background. With that being said I haven't had any problems keeping up with others that do have a solid racing background.

Lastly, while I said that they are fun in almost any condition, they are a lot of fun in the powder. They are 100 mm at the waist and 140 mm in the tip. To put that into perspective, the Rossignol Soul 7 is 106 mm in the waist and 140 mm in the tip. While the Experience 100 is 140 mm for a much smaller section of the ski they are still a great powder ski. They don't float as well as dedicated powder skis and the tip may sink more often then the Soul 7, but I know that if I go find some deep powder they will be a blast and, as long as I ski with good form, I will enjoy them.

All of this being said, the fact that they can ski in almost any condition makes them my go to skis, and not necessarily because of how floaty they are. I can ski in cut up powder (crud) and know that they are going to be stable, if I do hit a larger pocket of untouched powder I will still have enough float to enjoy myself. If I hit the groomers, I will be able to make nice large GS turns all of the way down the mountain.

Many people say that the Rossignol Soul 7 is Rossignol's "Quiver of 1"; I disagree. I think that it's the Experience 100. The Soul 7 gets a tip flap in the crud, and they don't do well at high speeds. As a powder ski, the Soul 7 is an amazing "Quiver of 1", but if you are looking for a true all mountain ski that does it all, I would highly recommend the Rossignol Experience 100.