Review: Rossignol Sender Soul 102

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The term quiver-killer gets thrown around a lot these days, but having one ski to do it all, and do it well, is perfection worth striving for. Rossignol enters the fray with the all-new Sender Soul 102, taking cues from both their hard-charging freeride Sender Free line and the now retired cult-classic Soul line to create a modern all-mountain freeride ski that will make a lot of skiers very happy.

In a nutshell:

• Lengths Skied: 180, 188 cm
• Stated Weight: 2090 g
• Stated Dimensions: 135 / 102 / 125
• Stated Sidecut: 17 m
• Sizes: 156, 162, 172, 180, 188

Size, Shape, and Construction

Rossignol’s new Sender Soul 102 isn’t just a straight 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, tall underfoot camber, and a relatively flat tail, all paired with a medium-short turning radius and a mount point that’s quite centered. That should all add up to a predictable, approachable all mountain performance that’s equally at home 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. There’s full vertical sidewalls for enhanced edge grip.

The ski is available in 156, 162, 172, 180, 188 cm sizes, and testers found that it rides very true to size.

Where does the Rossignol Sender Soul 102 shine?

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, “This ski is probably the easiest ski I’ve gotten on this year. The Sender Soul 102 feels more similar to the Old Soul 7 making it more approachable and super easy to get that thing on edge.”

Where does the Rossignol Sender Soul 102 make some compromises?

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.

What would a perfect day on the Rossignol Sender Soul 102 look like?

It’s all in the name. The 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.

Related: Review: Atomic Bent 100