The Best Men’s All-Mountain Skis of 2022: Rossignol Black Ops Escaper
No metal? No problem! The Rossignol Black Ops Escaper dials up the playfulness and forgiveness scores thanks to its lightweight nature.
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Brand: Rossignol
Model: Black Ops Escaper
Overall Ranking: #7
Overall Score: 4.04 / 5
Specs
Tip / Waist / Tail (mm)
128-94-118
Lengths (cm)
156, 164, 172, 178, 186
Radius (m)
19 (178 length)
Waist Width (mm)
94
Gender
Unisex
Level
Intermediate through Expert
Rocker Technology
Yes
Core Material
PFEC-Certified Wood
Stability at Speed
3.95 / 5
Quickness / Maneuverability
4.14 / 5
Playfulness
4.18 / 5
Forgiveness
4.14 / 5
Hard Snow Performance
3.91 / 5
Crud Performance
4 / 5
Flotation
3.82 / 5
The Rossignol Black Ops Escaper deserves credit for being the highest-ranked ski in the All-Mountain category that doesn’t feature any metal. Considering the brand categorizes this ski as a “freetouring” option makes this ski even more notable because it has enough guts to hang out in the top ten of the category among very resort-oriented options, but is lightweight enough (under 4 lbs. per ski) to make ski touring downright pleasurable. “Quick edge to edge, stout enough to charge through crud, moguls were a blast, and yet it still shines brightest on groomed terrain,” gushes tester Jon Sexauer. “Not overly demanding to stand on, but the ski really came to life when the speed increased and more energy was driven into it.”
The versatility of the Rossignol Escaper comes from a near-perfect rocker profile that allows the ski to have a good time everywhere it goes. The ski’s Air Tip design also creates an ideal swing weight while helping the ski shed a few grams, and a lightweight paulownia wood core that extends just beyond the effective edge provides torsional rigidity and control in variable snow. “The early rise really provides the skier so much versatility across the whole mountain,” notes tester Matt Schiller. “I would recommend this ski to anyone.”
Lacking the metal of its peers, testers ever-so-slightly dinged the Black Ops Escaper’s performance on hard snow and at high speeds. The trade-off for this was top scores in Playfulness and Forgiveness, two characteristics that help make skiing more fun for a wider number of skiers. “Playful yet stable, extremely versatile, very balanced, and well-rounded on all fronts,” says tester Nick Loomans. “Great choice for high intermediate to advanced skier. Anyone at those levels could find a way to enjoy this ski.”
- Strengths: Playfulness (1st in category), Forgiveness (1st)
- Weaknesses: Stability at Speed (10th), Hard Snow Integrity (9th)
Buy the Rossignol Black Ops Escaper: evo
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