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Curated Ski Experts Jessica Whittam and Sara Beeken got their hands on the Rossignol Rallybird 102 and put it to the test 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 102 or need recommendations on which skis would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

Before we jump in, a quick note that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands, all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? [Sara] The Rallybird 102 really impressed me. I was actually pretty surprised at how well it did on groomers. I wasn't expecting that because they've got this Air Tip technology—an Air Tip core—which is technology that makes the tips really light. I could definitely tell right off the bat how light the tips of the skis feel.

[Jessica] My first impression of the ski is that this where we're at right now is not the ideal conditions for this ski. They felt like they were getting away from me a little bit. It's a lot of ski. I'm 5'7". I'm on 170s, which are about the same height as me. So it's an appropriate length of ski for me. But the conditions are very, very firm today and there are a lot of groomers here. These skis can carve pretty well on groomers so I wouldn't consider these short for that. But again, I did feel like this is a lot of ski. I felt a little bit unstable on them, that they were getting away from me just a tad.

Carving

How does it turn? [Jessica] The skis have a short 13-meter turning radius, so they can rip up the groomers, but these are ideal for a little bit more snow.

Is it stable? [Sara] I landed a few jumps on them and felt stable, there were no problems. I took it over some choppy snow and some crusty snow, but I didn't have too many problems. It is definitely a little bit of a lighter ski, so stability is not going to be its forte, but it was really easy to control in most conditions.

How does it perform at speed? Did you experience any chatter? [Jessica] A problem that I did see on the hill is that these skis weren't as responsive as I wanted them to be. At higher speeds, and in more difficult terrain, I really wanted to dig in deep but I didn't get the snap that I was looking for.

[Sara] I was expecting chatter for sure but I didn't have any of that. I could really do some pretty awesome stuff going pretty fast.

Freestyle

What about playfulness and pop? [Sara] These do have a pretty good amount of camber in them, so the pop was pretty good.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? How is its maneuverability riding in the trees? [Jessica] These skis are 102 underfoot, so they're going to be ideal for light powder, trees, and big mountain skiing.

[Sara] They were really easy to maneuver in the trees. I think the ski would do really well in powder because of that Air Tip and because of how wide it is. It should give you a lot of really good float. Unfortunately, we didn't get to ski any powder today, but I can tell that this is the type of ski that I would enjoy in the powder.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to? [Jessica] I would recommend this ski specifically to intermediate skiers who are looking to get better at skiing freeride on big mountain.

[Sara] I would recommend this ski to somebody who is an intermediate, advanced, or maybe expert skier. For somebody that's looking to get into freeride for the first time, this would be a really good option. It's not a super aggressive, wide ski, but it's just the right sweet spot for you to get into and start to learn more about freeride.

Who should avoid this ski? [Jessica] I think the ski is a little bit too advanced for beginner skiers. Also, I think if you are an advanced expert skier, you might want something a little bit stiffer and a little bit more responsive.

[Sara] I would not recommend this ski to somebody who's primarily sticking to groomers, or maybe a beginner skier that just wants to progress into intermediate level.

Skis work differently for different types of skiers. If you want help finding the right skis for you, reach out to Jessica, Sarah, or another Ski Expert on Curated for free, personalized recommendations. Note that the 2024 version of the Rossignol Rallybird 102 is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: