Curated Ski Experts Jessica Whittam and Sara Beeken tested the Rossignol Rallybird 92 this spring at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. If you have any questions about the Rallybird 92 or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

One final point before we dive in: It's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Rossignol claim about this ski? [Jessica] They are labeled as an expert ski, but again, I don't think that you have to be an expert skier to rip these. I think these would be a really good intro ski for somebody looking to branch into big mountain skiing because these are really great on groomers, really great in the trees, really great in the moguls, and just altogether, they are a fantastic all-mountain ski.

But again, they are really nimble and very easy to control, which is why I think that they would be a good option for the intermediate skier looking to progress and a good start-out ski to get to exploring the whole mountain.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? [Jessica] My first impression of the ski was actually, I was shocked by them. They're labeled as a very beginner ski, so I thought they were going to be soft and not respond very well and just be an easygoing ski, but they were really responsive to everything that I threw at them, which is why I think these are a really good ski for everything. They're a do anything, ski everywhere type of ski for all different levels.

[Sara] So my first impression of these skis was a little skeptical. I saw the air tip that they have up here. Cruising down the groomers, it looked like they would be a little bit just floppy. And so, I was worried about stability right off the bat. And then I started gaining a little speed, and this ski really held up. It's definitely an advanced ski. It can carve really well on groomers. We took it in some trees. It did well in the trees. There were some bumps in there. It did great on the bumps. There were a lot of places that I took this ski, and it performed better than I expected.

Yeah, these definitely impressed me. I was a little bit surprised at how well I could really get into a carve on the groomer with these. I did some shorter turns at slower speeds, just to kind of see how they're going to do for that beginner, intermediate skier, and I think that it's a really easy maneuverable ski that's going to progress with you.

So, they have this thing called the Air Tip Technology. You can almost see through it there, that's how light it is. So, when I was skiing just down the cat track, I could see it kind of flopping around, and I was expecting it to not hold up well on the groomers, but it did really well.

How is the shape of the ski and the ski profile? And how does it impact the ride? [Jessica] As you can see, these skis have an early rise, which makes them have a very playful feel. They are cambered underfoot, so they're really snappy. I really enjoyed these skis.

Carving

How does it turn? [Sara] Whenever I was making carved turns, I could really feel the power in the ski coming from the camber profile. It has a 16m turn radius, which is longer than some skis. But it's got a rocker tail a little bit here, so it wasn't really difficult to turn. It held the edge really well when doing big carve GS turns.

What is the edge hold like? [Jessica] They responded to everything that I wanted them to do. Super great edge hold.

Freestyle

How playful are they? [Sara] These do have a flat back, so I probably wouldn't be doing any switch skiing on these. They do have a good decent amount of camber in them. So when I took them over some jumps, they had some really good pops. They also had that pop across the hill.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? [Sara] The only place I think it's not going to perform well would be in deep powder. It's not quite wide enough for that, but it can handle the chop.

How is its maneuverability riding in the trees? [Sara] It can handle quick turns. It's nimble enough for trees and moguls–stuff like that.

What kind of terrain does it perform well on? [Sara] These skis are a great freeride, all-mountain ski. They can do well on the groomers as well, even though they're a little bit wider. So you can take them pretty much anywhere. Except for really deep powder. They can definitely handle a few inches, but other than that, anywhere on the mountain is going to be a great time with these.

What would be the best location for it? [Jessica] We've had a lot of dust on crust and ice and crud today, which is very similar to what East Coast conditions would be. I would recommend these to an East Coaster as an everyday driver as well.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to? [Sara] I'd recommend this ski for typically an advanced expert skier, maybe an aggressive intermediate that's looking to progress. It's just so versatile. You can take it anywhere.

[Jessica] They're a do anything, ski everywhere type of ski, for all different levels. I could definitely see that this would be a really great option for a beginner, because it's really just responsive, and you feel in control in whatever you're in. But at the same time, I could rip these as hard as I wanted, and they responded just fine. And so, I think that this would be a great progression ski, if you want. If you're looking for something, and you're a beginner to an intermediate skier but want to keep a ski for a long time and ski everything, this is the ski for you.

Who should avoid this ski? [Jessica] These skis would not be ideal for beginners, but I think that an intermediate skier looking to advance would love these. Also, a skier looking for a powder ski, these aren't the skis for you.

Skis work differently for different types of people. If you want help finding the best skis for your needs, reach out to Jessica, Sara, or any other Ski Expert here on Curated. They’ll help you find the right skis for you.