• Rossignol S5 2008

      • Review by panojibber on Dec 31, 1969 @ 7:00 PM
      • Review:

        Overall

        Overall, this is probably the best ski I've ever owned, it gives me more confidence in more places, the ability to be aggressive as I want, and can make anything fun. If you want the experience though, you have to put in the effort. A burly, aggressive all mountain ski for someone who rips the shit out of the mountain. 10/10.

        Performance

        Despite my slight regret on the mounting point, I'm glad I was able to try the -3 mount as it let me experience the best of both all-mountain and park riding. I could hit and spin big kickers comfortably, they felt great on boxes and rails, and although they are quite big skis, felt surprisingly light and had an awesome spin weight. Outside of the park is where these skis truly shine however. They were awesome in pow, I hardly had to change my stance to get them to float properly, they were comfortable at speed and were overall great in the soft stuff. I was dropping 15 footers into moguls calmly because I knew that they could take it. Ice? no problem. Railed groomers, switch was perfectly comfortable, handled dust on crust easily, crusty moguls were not a problem, and neither was anything else. I've never been able to put these skis into a situation where I'm not confident on them.

        Design

        The skis look very good, not too flashy but not boring either. The artwork is fantastic, and the build of the skis looks awesome.

        Value

        I got these on a pro deal for around 350 Canadian, MSRP is 1000 Canadian, but I'm pretty sure you can find them for 500-750. I would say that despite these skis being expensive for the general public, if you're looking for a burly, aggressive ski that will handle everything you can throw at it, then you should probably go with the S5 despite the slightly higher price point. You won't find anything as quality for less.

        Fit

        I'm 5'10, 145 lbs, and got the 185 length. I mounted them at -3, which is one of the 3 suggested mounting points (true center, -3, -6). Despite being a good few cms taller than me, I found that they performed wonderfully, I'm comfortable at speed, and the skis stay stable anywhere. Despite their length they are not a hassle to turn, I can turn them on a dime and have comfortably skied slalom courses on them. The only problem I ever had with them was when I started using them, I was having some trouble getting used to them (I was being a lazy skier) and didn't use them for a while, but I decided I would put the effort into the skis and I couldn't be happier with the result. I wouldn't recommend the -3 mounting point unless you're using this for all mountain and park, I'm seriously considering moving them back to the -6 mounting point for better all-mountain performance.

        Characteristics

        These skis go for a more traditional flex, but they're quite stiff all around. The stiffer flex doesn't necessarily mean they can't butter however, as they are one of the smoothest skis I have ever ridden, and butter better than my park skis. This stiffer flex doesn't make them dead either, they are very high energy skis, and extremely lively, requiring a lot more effort to ski than a conventional park ski. If you put the effort in however, you will be rewarded. Not for the lazy skier.

        Durability

        Despite skiing at Panorama, which is notoriously bad for snowfall, and has spring-like conditions without the warm temperatures all year round, the edges have held up wonderfully, the bases have never gotten more than a scratch, and I see these skis lasting me for a long time.

        Ratings:
        • Terrain
          Park
          Pow
        • Design
          Clean
          Busy
        • Durability
          Fragile
          Durable
        • Weight
          Light
          Heavy
        • Style
          Uncool
          Cool
        • Flex
          Soft
          Stiff
        • Camber
          Cambered
          Rockered
        • Pop
          No Pop
          Poppy
        • Stability
          Jittery
          Stable
    • Social Media
    • Product Information
    • Name:
    • S5
    • Manufacturer:
    • Rossignol
    • Year:
    • 2008
    • Gender:
    • Male
    • At A Glance
    • Terrain
    • Park
      Pow
    • Design
    • Clean
      Busy
    • Durability
    • Fragile
      Durable
    • Weight
    • Light
      Heavy
    • Style
    • Uncool
      Cool
    • Flex
    • Soft
      Stiff
    • Camber
    • Cambered
      Rockered
    • Pop
    • No Pop
      Poppy
    • Stability
    • Jittery
      Stable
    • Product Options
    • Ski Size
    • No Options Found
    • Review Ratings