2nd Look: Rossignol Soul 7

by
Jason Hutchins reviews the Rossignol Soul 7 for Blister Gear Review.
2015-2016 Rossignol Soul 7

Dimensions (mm): 137-108-127

Sidecut Radius: 18 meters

Actual Tip to Tail Length (Straight Tape Pull): 186.7cm

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 2012 & 2000 grams

Skier: 5’10”, 185lbs.

Boots: Lange Super Banshees

Bindings: Marker Jester, DIN 10

Test Locations: Craigieburn Valley, Mountain Olympus, New Zealand

Days Skied: 3

[Editor’s Note: Our review was conducted on the 13/14 Soul 7, which is unchanged for 14/15 and 15/16.]

 

This past August I was presented with a tough choice: keep mountain biking, or go skiing in New Zealand with the Blister crew.

I immediately threw my bike in a creek and packed my ski bags.

I spent several days at New Zealand’s Canterbury club fields on the Rossignol Soul 7, and I don’t doubt that these skis will be a hit with both eastern and western skiers.

Blister editor-in-chief, Jonathan “I will adopt a baby kea” Ellsworth, has already written a good review of the Soul 7, so my aims are to (a) elaborate on some of his points, (b) make some comparisons to the Line Sick Day 110, Line Sir Francis Bacon, and Moment Deathwish, and (c) weigh in on how I think the Soul 7 would fare as an everyday East Coast ski.

Jonathan calls the Soul 7 “smooth, intuitive, and well-balanced,” and I would add playful, fun, and stable (for such a light, playful ski).

While our time in New Zealand was characterized by a lot of great skiing, we also encountered some challenging, variable conditions. And the Soul 7 skied really well for me each time out.

Carving

I only skied these skis at the club fields, which means no true groomers. However, we did occasionally find some slopes that had either been wind-scoured or sun baked to a nice consistent plane, so I did get a chance to lay the Soul 7 over on edge. What I found was a ski that would reward either a forward, shovel-pressing stance or a more neutral, centered stance.

As Jonathan notes, the ski did break loose on higher-angle carves in harder snow, but when angled with a little less vigor, it would hold well. I skied it for two days on spring-like corn, and found that I could set almost whatever angle I wanted. For such a light ski, it was a pleasant surprise how solidly it held an edge.

And I suspect that given their sidecut and flex pattern, these skis will hold their own on the icy goodness of Vermont groomers this winter.

Powder

In pockets of wind-deposited pow, the Soul 7 was great—it felt like it had far more flotation than its 108mm waist would suggest.

It was also really easy to smear the Soul 7 across the fall line. I tried to do the same thing with the Line Sick Day 110— it would do it, but with more effort. The Soul 7 felt like it was on pivots, similar to the 184cm Moment Deathwish I regularly ski in Vermont.

Crud / Chop / Refrozen Chunder

One memorable day of the trip involved hiking out of bounds at Mt. Olympus to an adjacent peak, and skiing some of the gullies down to the rope tow. The snow at the top had numerous sections of soft wind deposits, but as soon as we dropped into the shaded gullies, the snow turned hard and icy, with frequent patches of refrozen pinwheels. The Soul 7 was not at home in these conditions, but handled them pretty well. I stayed centered and made short, choppy turns through the icy, somewhat-consistent sections.

When the going got rougher, I simply let the ski run more bases flat and I used a lighter touch on the edges. Instead of bouncing all over the place—which I would have expected from such a light ski—they managed to flex consistently over the crud. Granted, I was going slow and taking it easy. Had I been trying to charge through those conditions I think it would have been a different story.

Tight and Steep Terrain

Craigieburn Valley club field features some truly great chute skiing right off the ropetow. Without having to hike for it, you can go ski long, consistent fall line chutes between flutes of red rock. I took the Soul 7 in there to see what it could do.

The snow was not really soft at all—more like crunchy and scraped off, and the walls of the chutes were fairly tight at some points.

The Soul 7 did a great job in those conditions—this is a ski that likes to turn. I really noticed the low swing weight of the tips and tails in this type of terrain, and the tip and tail rocker made it incredibly easy to get the Soul 7 to turn quickly. I also found it to provide a pretty solid base when making jump-turns in these conditions. This ski feels remarkably stiff underfoot and holds an edge well when planted.

These conditions also gave me a good inkling of how the Soul 7 will handle tight Eastern trees or moguls. Spoiler alert—I think it will excel. The ski isn’t too fat to turn quickly, it’s light and so easy to swing around, and its sidecut radius is a quick 18 meters.

Where the Soul 7 won’t excel is charging. So if you like to straightline everything, or rely on the “when-in-doubt-point-it-out” strategy, this may not be your jam. It’ll run bases flat over consistent snow just fine, but the trouble comes when you get ready to shut it down, or you hit firm chop at higher speeds. (And in such instances, the Moment Deathwish probably beats both the Soul 7 and the Sick Day 110.)

More Comparisons

I spent a good bit of time in New Zealand on the 186cm Line Sick Day 110 and the 190cm Line Sir Francis Bacon, two skis that also live in the 100-110mm underfoot, soft-snow/all-mountain territory that the Soul 7 inhabits. For me, this is how it breaks down

  • 188cm Rossignol Soul 7 vs. 186cm Line Sick Day 110

My first few days skiing were on the Line Sick Day 110, another ski that could be described as versatile, maneuverable, easy, and light. Once I got on the Soul 7, however, I noticed right away that, while the Sick Day 110 was a good directional ski, the Soul 7 was a cut above when it came to popping off little terrain features or breaking it loose for a slash. Here, the Soul 7 reminded me a bit of the 184cm Moment Deathwish, in a lighter, even-easier-to-turn version.

The Sick Day 110 has a much flatter tail than the Soul 7 (the Sick Day 110 has 1 centimeter of tail splay), and I found that I was able to hold onto turns slightly longer than with the Soul 7, which I found very easy to break loose and slarve or slash in the right conditions.

The 188cm Soul 7 weighs 2000 grams, while the 186cm Sick Day 110 weights 2122 grams, and I found the Sick Day 110 to handle chop a little better than the Soul 7. But it isn’t a huge difference.

So if you want a lightweight, soft-snow ski with a tail well-suited for finishing turns cleanly, the Sick Day 110 might be the ticket. And if you’re looking for a ski with a more playful nature, I’d give the nod to the Soul 7.

  • 188cm Rossignol Soul 7 vs. 190cm Line Sir Francis Bacon

These two skis felt very different to me. Where the Soul 7 encourages more turns rather than less, the SFB felt happier tracking straight. And this despite fairly similar stats—both are 108mm underfoot, both have sidecut radii of 18m, and both have rockered tip and tail profiles. The 190 SFBs are also roughly 250 grams heavier per ski, and they felt slightly stiffer than the Soul 7s, enough to make a subtle, but noticeable, on-snow difference.

Sizing

Jonathan mentioned in his review that he feels very confident that skiers under 170 lbs. will really enjoy these skis. I don’t disagree with that, but just to be clear, I also don’t feel that 170 lbs. is the weight ceiling for the Soul 7 in this size. I weigh 185 lbs. and typically carry a backpack when I ski that usually weighs somewhere in the ~15-20 lbs. range. I didn’t find that I was overwhelming these skis at all, so long as I stuck to the turnier, more playful style that these skis favor.

Bottom Line

I found the Soul 7 to be a fun, intuitive, versatile, and stable ski, especially given how light and playful it is. It required little effort to make it work, yet it still skied a variety of conditions quite well. Just expect to make a lot of smaller, shorter radius turns when the going gets choppy.

The Soul 7 will handle soft, inbounds conditions very well, and and it’ll be a fun out-of-bounds ski, too—it’s not heavy, it’s not too big to maneuver in tight runouts or creek exits, it’ll ski a tight chute well, and it’ll handle big, wide-open powdery bowls, too. In short, the Soul 7 will be fun in a whole lot of situations.

51 comments on “2nd Look: Rossignol Soul 7”

  1. I skied this ski today for the first time. Felt like a slalom ski – turny was the word for me on nothing but early season fake snow groomers. Of course, I was rotating it with a 192 Green Zealot – so of course it felt nimble, but if you want to do the ski twist but still ski pow, this is probably a good choice.

  2. Hi Dana,

    thank you for this 2nd review!
    I already asked Jonathan this Question but I would like to have your 2nd opinion aswell.

    I am 5.10 and 163 pounds. As I have been a Snowboarder until 5 years ago my skiing technique certainly isn´t the best out there and I definetly do not have the hard charging style of a former racer. Still I think by now I am a quite good skier and able to handle even quite serious decents.

    Coming from Snowboarding with a weak technique I was skiing a 179 K2 Kung Fujas as my everyday ski for the last years which I do like for beeing easy and intuitive, forgiving and playfull. My everyday ski has to handle just about everything in the backcounty, touring and even quite a lot complete groomer days. For the really good days I do also have an 186 Atomic Automatic which I love.
    Now I want to update my everyday Ski and I think the Soul 7 sounds like it could be the ski I am looking for. I am looking for a bit more ski than the Kung Fujas giving me some more in hardpack chopped up conditions. Yet I do not want a ski that is to strenuos for my technique and abilities. So the Cochise would be definetly to much. I was also looking at the 108 and Q105. The 108 seemed to be to close to the Automatic and maybe not directional enough, while the Q105 might just be to directional and stiff for me. The Soul 7 seems to be in between.
    What do you think? And again the sizing question. As for my less than perfect technique I am actually considering the 180. I do not like the feeling of too long skis. Also I am skiing a lot in narrow terrain. Not a lot of high speed charging in open terrain. Would you still go 188?

    Thanks for your opinion,

    Hias

    • Hi Hias,
      I’m also a former snowboarder and tele skier, so my technique is far from racer-perfect, so I hear you.

      As far as your comparison skis, I haven’t been on any of those, so can’t make a direct comparison for you. Blister has reviewed many of them, however, as you probably know so that would be the best go-to for other impressions.

      As far as sizing, I can tell you this – the Soul 7 does not ski long. It skis somewhat short. The 188cm has a straight tape pull of 186.7cm but with the rockered tip and tail, this ski is turny. I’m 5’10” and 180lbs, and ski with a backpack most of the time (camera gear). The 188cm was great for me and I would hesitate to tell you to get shorter 180cm ’cause I think you’ll overpower it in choppy conditions and it won’t give you all the float you might want in softer stuff. It’s not super fat, keep in mind. And if you ski tighter stuff, this ski will do well for you as it doesn’t weigh much and the swing weight is pretty low, so getting this thing to whip around is no big deal. I would definitely recommend that you try the 188cm out if you can – I don’t think you’ll want the 180cm.

  3. Hi Dana,
    The 7-Series seems to have improved exactly the things I wished for – I actually ride Rossis S3 and now searching for something a bit lighter (which will be easely done by choosing another binding than the duke) and (even) a bit more powder friendly. I already asked Jonathan about this, but inbetween I can be more precise. So I have 2 Questions: 1) As a replacement, if the S3s were just a little bit to friendly for me, the tail a tad too soft and because of that not stable enough in mixed conditions (I am not searching for a ripper, just lil bit more stability), could the Soul 7 be the improved S3 I am searching for? And 2) For this season I am thinking of a 2 Quiver with S3s and…would I even ride them, if I had Soul 7s or for should I, in this case, search for a Powder only Board?
    I am riding in the alps, 5’11” and 180 lbs.

    • Hi bonschorno,
      Afraid I won’t be a huge help here as I haven’t personally skied the S3. Definitely check out our reviews of that ski on the site (which I’m assuming you already have). The Soul 7 is a great, easy to turn ski that falls in the ~110mm at the waist category. For a lot of skiers, something in that size range would qualify as a powder ski. Depends on how much floatation you like. So I’m not sure what exactly you’re looking for when you say a ‘powder-only’ board? A true ~130mm monster? That certainly ain’t the Soul 7. If you are going to go for the Soul 7s, you’d like the 188cm as they ski pretty short.

      Hope this helps a bit.

      dana

  4. Thanks for the reviews. I’m a reasonable skier, shy away from moguls and am building up my skills off piste, struggle for fluidity in the trees.
    I’m after a do it all ski (piste off & on, with a bias to off), as skiing will involve a plane trip, so preferably one pair of ski’s and it’s usually in Europe that they are used. The Soul 7 seems like a great option, but am concerned about the length, I’m 6’4″ and 200 lbs. Do you think 188cm is a bit short?
    I currently ski a 188cm K2 ModX bought 12 years ago. It’s a good ski but thinking I should come err bursting into a new decade with some girth and some rocker.
    Other thought has been the Blizzard Bonafide 98 or Cham 97 or 107.

    Best regards,

    Frame

    • Hi Frame,
      Given your height and weight the 188cm may fall on the short side for you. Also, this ski isn’t super-stiff, so that may be a concern. No matter what you’ll be pretty happy upgrading to a more modern shaped, rockered ski, even if the 188cm Soul 7 isn’t the exact right ski for you.

      I will say this for the 188cm Soul 7 – they are very capable in a variety of conditions. As a 5’10” 185 pound skier who usually wears a camera bag (so add at least 15 pounds), I found the Souls to work just fine for me. Don’t expect them to be a big, vibration-dampening ski that will smooth out chundery straightlines, especially for a bigger skier. Expect a turny, light, easy to maneuver ski.

      Have fun this winter.
      Dana

  5. Hi Dana…great review, thank you! My level of skiing is pretty close to what Frame described above. I usually like to say I am a type III skier, but if there where options between II and III, I’d put myself somewhere right below III. I am 6’4″, and a lean 185-190lbs. I do usually ski with a pack, but not too much gear in it (sandwich, extra goggles, etc.), so maybe 5-10lbs extra at most. I have been skiing on Mantra 177’s the last few seasons. So, in looking at the Soul 7, I figured 180’s would be good…but now in reading this review, I’m wondering if the 188 is the right ski. I definitely don’t want to end up on something too long, and end up chasing the skis. I’ve always leaned towards a shorter ski so I can ski more confidently (and sometimes get aggressive). So…all that said, any thoughts on what length you’d recommend? Thanks, Ben

  6. Hi Dana
    I am 5’8″ 160lbs… I tried the 180 Soul 7 last week and loved them. I came back to order them …. but my ‘special price’ place has sold out of the 180s.. They have the 188s…or the Savoury 7 as 178s [which I understand are the same] .. what would you do?

    • Hi PC,
      Well, if you know you love the 180cm, then go with that—the 180cm Soul 7s are the exact same ski as the “178”cm Savory 7. But can you demo the 188cm? ‘Cause if you can, given your height/weight, you might find that you like them as well. So, if you know like the 180s, cool; you know you’ll be happy. But I’d urge you to try the 188cm if you can.You might be surprised. Have fun skiing them no matter what.

  7. Hi Dana,
    could you give us a bit more feedback about the Soul 7 – SFB comparison ?
    I’m hesitating between these two guys, weighting 165lbs for 6’2”, thinking of Soul 7 188cm or SFB 185cm (or 190cm ?) to ride in the Alps mostly in all snow conditions, on and mostly off piste, what would you recommend ?
    Chers,
    Alban

    • Hi Alban,
      You say you want a ski for all snow conditions and for mostly off-piste in Europe. You’re also fairly tall with mid-range weight. It then comes down to how you like to ski – I found the Soul 7 to be very intuitive and easy to turn in the 188cm version I skied. The 190cm SFB was slightly more difficult to turn – this could be due to the fact that the SFB is slightly stiffer than the Soul 7 and that it is a slightly longer ski (188cm vs 190cm). I haven’t skied the 184cm SFB, so can’t really comment on that versus the 188cm Soul 7.
      So, my feeling is this – if you like to make a lot of shorter-radius turns, the Soul 7 will work well for you. If you like a slightly stiffer ski that will smooth out longer-radius turns, then the SFB will help you out there. Keep in mind that SFB is NOT going to be a big-mountain charger type of ski. It just leans a little more in that direction than the Soul 7. And it’s a bit heavier than the Soul 7 (~200 grams per ski heavier) so that will help smooth things out a bit for you.
      Since I didn’t get a chance to ski either in true powder, I can’t really say which would have been better there. Check out Jason Hutchins’ excellent review of the SFB 184cm for an idea there.

      Hope this helps in your decision making.

      Dana

      • Hi Dana,
        thanks a lot for your feedback, really appreciate.
        I also checked Jason’s review of the SFB in 184cm, very interesting as well.
        Looks like in 184cm it skies “short” and it is thus quite versatile as well, but maybe too short for me.
        I will try to demo both of those skis during these Christmas/Sylvester holidays in Laax and then decide…
        Cheers from Switzerland !
        Alban

    • Our answer is Yes. But not so much for the “tech,” but because of the new shape. Read our reviews of the Super 7 and the S3 to learn more about that. But also, keep in mind that the most apples-to-apples comparison isn’t the S7 to the Soul 7, but the S7 to the new, 13/14 *Super* 7. The new Super 7 is the S7 with a much improved tip and tail profile (see our 3rd Annual Blister Awards). Unfortunately, we’ve yet had the new Super 7 on snow, so that’s as much as we can say.

      • hey blister! thanks for the great work!
        just wondering when you´re gonna test the super 7 as i´m really looking forward to your review and how they compare to the sick day 110. want to use one of them as my do it all ski at the Arlberg /Austria.
        thanks in advance
        dom

  9. Hey all, thanks for the great reviews!

    I’m looking to upgrade my S7. It’s been a great ski as it has allowed my skills to progress, but the tail and huge rocker are starting to annoy me once the snow starts to coalesce into soft bumps.

    I was thinking old bibby pro in 184 or atomic automatic, but my dealer suggested Soul 7 also. I want the lift of the S7 without the above shortcomings, basically to meld my 188 S7s and my 181 Bonafides into one ski.

    I’m 5’11” 165 lbs started in college, 50 yo now, ski 30 or so days a year. I’m advanced, but certainly no expert, looking to improve in the trees and bigger bumps, but would take an open glade of untracked powder or a perfect groom as my preferred conditions (if got SL skis for the latter).

    Thoughts? Thanks!

  10. Thank you for all the great Blister reviews. I currently ski old K2 Public Enemys in 162cm which I enjoy but would like to upgrade this year. I’m 5’8″ and 150lbs + medium weight backpack (3L of water and some snacks). Sales reps in the stores I’ve been to have recommended the Soul 7’s in 172cm for me. However, based on your reviews and others I’ve read, it seems like they ski short. Would you recommend the Soul 7’s in a 172cm or 180cm?

    Thank you,
    Andy

  11. Thanks Jonathan!

    Now I’m wondering about length. I ski 188 S7s, 180 Bonafides and 177 magnums. With the flatter tails would you recommend sizing like the Bone or the S7 (both of which will be replaced by the new ski). The primary purpose will be powder, but since it’ll be a resort ski, I’ll want the mobility in the trees and bumps. The S7s ski so short once the soft stuff is gone, 188 was fine. I’m thinking it might be too much in an Automatic or Soul.

    I’d appreciate your thoughts.

    • Hi Mike,
      I’d recommend going with the 188cm Soul 7. I haven’t (sadly) had a chance to get on either the Bonafide or the Automatic, but I did ski an S7 long ago – while I wouldn’t say the Soul’s ski as short as the S7, it’s not a huge handful of a ski. At your heigh and weight and skiing ability, I think the 188cm Soul 7 will work well for you. 180cm would, in my opinion, be a touch short for you. If you can demo them in either length, then do it, but I’d feel confident that you’ll have fun on the 188cm.

      Have fun out there.

      Dana

  12. To all,

    Looking at simplifying my quiver this year. I have an older 185jj and last years akjj I bought for the deep days. But I’m loosing my shorter JJ’s to my kids frequently and don’t want to spend all day on my akjj. I’m 6’1″ 176-180lbs and 42 year old expert. I’m looking at getting just one ski to keep for the deeper snow days and selling my big akjj, and giving my 185jj to my kid. What’s a good replacement of the two? I’ve always loved my 185jj but found not near enough tip out in front of me on deeper days, so after three years jumped to akjj. After seeing the new Rossi stuff this year I’m thinking I could replace them both with just one. I ski everything , love moguls, tight trees, but also can charge pretty hard. My knees prefer lighter swing weight skis, and my preference is tighter than longer turn radius skis. Soul or super 7 in 188cm or something else? I steer towards the soul 7 for the light, quicker, assuming better groomer and mogul performance but don’t know if I’m crazy to not go with the super 7 because of float and better afternoon busted up leftover crud performance. I like my big akjj but honestly I don’t think I’m quite big enough to really handle it for full days or weekends, and where I live we just don’t get that many monster dump days. I never really wanted my normal 185cm JJ wider I just wanted it a little longer so my tops wouldn’t dive so much. Sorry for the long question but any advice from all would help. I think I can find a demo in the soul 7 but not the super, plus they are selling out fast.

    • Hi TM,
      So – you like the 195cm AK JJ but are feeling like it’s a bit much to handle for every day skiing. You also like to make shorter radius turns versus longer, and you want a ski with lighter swing weight. I would think that that 188cm Soul 7 would serve you well, generally. They are narrower than the JJ (115mm vs. 108mm underfoot), but you say that you’re not skiing a lot of monster dumps, so maybe it won’t be that big a deal.
      I haven’t skied the Super 7 yet, so can’t really comment on its float/crud busting ability. I will say that the Soul 7 was surprisingly stable for a ski of its width, construction, and weight, but don’t expect them to be big, chatter-dampening missiles.
      Hope this helps in the decision making process.

      Dana

  13. Thanks Dana.

    Did the soul 7 float very well in snow over a foot deep? My 185jj was by no means great in the busted up crud, I just usually stayed more jibby, playful versus charging on it. I’m just hoping that rossignol is at least a little smoother and handles that stuff a little better than it does. I’m not expecting it to be anything like my AKJJ in that crud department just marginally better than my 185.

    • Hi TM,
      I didn’t get to ski it in anything deep – pockets of windblown were about the best we found. So I can’t really say how it did in that much fresh. My experience with it in what fresh we did ski was good – floaty enough for sure. My suspicion is that over a foot deep might be a touch overwhelming for the Soul 7 as it’s not a huge underfoot ski, but I think its versatility elsewhere would make up for any deep-day shortcomings.

      Dana

      • I got a chance to demo a 188cm soul7 yesterday in a foot of fresh snow. It did very well as far as the float. I would have to say it was much turnier than I was expecting it to be. It felt much quicker and tighter than the 18m radius states. Pulls quick into the turns for sure but then again the demo was extremely sharp the full length of the ski, needed to be de tuned in the rocker sections a bit I think. I demoed it along with my akjj and bonafide, my kid was on my 185jj. I think the soul 7 would be a great ski for a huge range of conditions but I wasnt ready to swap my akjj for it, lol. After skiing on JJ’s for years I have gotten so used to the rockered tails that I can just pound the big soft bumps so well and controlled. The Soul 7 with that super heavy Rossi demo binding and the tiny bit stiffer tail took some adjusting to get used to it. The more time I spent on it the more comfortable it felt though. Not as smeary as the JJ’s but held edges through the busted up gruddy groomers better for sure. Again very turny for its length, felt like my slalom carvers.
        I would say if I was going to replace my akjj and my 185jj with one ski I would go for the super 7. I think the more mellowed out turn radius for powder skis would be my preference plus the little extra float. Is the super 7 any stiffer in the tail section??

  14. Hi Jason,

    I’m a 5’6″, 155# aggressive skier, but more of a finesse skier. I get about 5-10 days of Western resort skiing a year (damn Midwest!) and have been skiing since I was 10. I will ski any inbounds terrain, with the exception of a few runs I avoided at Jackson in blizzard conditions and I skipped the Lone Peak runs at Big Sky in terrible low snow, icy conditions. By most regards I’m an expert skier, but definitely not at your level….I’ll pop some natural terrain features and tree drifts, but don’t ride switch, don’t jumps cliffs, or do any aerials. You guys with 50+ days won’t embarass me, but you’re definitely charging harder than I am. My current daily driver skis are Volkl Bridge 178cm and my powder skis are Volkl Chopsticks. The thing I like about my Bridges is that they have a playful side but I can charge variable snow conditions and chop without getting thrown around. My skis are the older (pre full camber) edition.

    In my quest for new skis I’ve narrowed down my selection to the Rossignol Soul 7, Moment PB&J or Deathwish, and the Scott Punisher. I’d probably stick to the 180-185cm length range. Any thoughts?

  15. I am a former East Coast slalom/GS racer (by “former,” I mean 40 years ago!) currently skiing on Rossignol carvers vintage 20002, more or less. They are VERY heavy and not very powder/crud-friendly, but they are great when going fast on a hard surface. I still like to ski pretty fast, but want to switch to a lighter ski that will let me ski off-piste and powder, crud and top-trail steep moguls, without sacrificing high-speed stability. I am 5′ 10″ and 160 lbs., and 61 years old, so pushing around heavy skis is not something I can really do anymore. Based on your review, it looks as though the Soul 7 has most of my requirements covered, with the possible exception of the high-speed stability. Were you able to assess whether the Soul 7s track well at high speed without getting squirrely? Thanks – Bruce

    • Hi Bruce,
      We didn’t get a chance to rip the Soul 7 on groomers in NZ (though Jason had more opportunity than we did, so check out his review). I will say that the Soul 7 is not a super-stable high-speed ski unless conditions are pretty soft (fresh groomer or fresh pow). And Jason found that skiing them a bit more smoothly helped the ski turn and remain predictable, rather than trying to really push them around through pressuring the tips and creating high edge angles. Def. check out his review, first page, for a better understanding of the Soul 7’s high-speed stability.

      Dana

  16. Dana: When I flex the Soul 7 in the shops, it seems very stiff. Could you compare it to the K2 Shreditor 102, which has similar geometry, but is much softer? I’ll be replacing my old K2 Obsethed (105 underfoot), 169 cm. I’m 5’11’, but my weight, 145 lb, favors a softer ski. I’ll be using a midwidth ski for softer, ungroomed snow in Vail, but have the newer, wider Obsetheds (117 underfoot) for true powder days. With the Soul 7, I’d probably go with 172 cm, but noticed that you consistently recommend longer.

    thanks

    • Hi John,
      I’ve never played with the Shreditor, so can’t really answer your question. However, I can tell you that for your weight and height, I’d probably recommend that you go with the shorter version. Your height would dictate a longer ski but I’m not sure your weight does. And if you intend on using them primarily for choppy, cut-up snow, you’ll likely want a ski that turns quickly and easily. The shorter length will probably help you out there. They’d still be an alright pow ski for you, but it sounds like you’ve got that covered. If you can demo, do it, as you’re sort of in-between, but if you have to pull the trigger, go for the shorter skis.

      Dana

  17. I’m not sure, John. I think that Blister has that in the works, but I’m not privy to all the skis being tested or slated for testing.
    Sorry couldn’t be of more help.

    Dana

  18. Hi Dana,
    I am looking for a pow ski (intended usage is mostly off-piste in the French Alps) that will be easy and not too physical, but that will also do ok in variable/bad conditions that I often see here (refrozen tracked snow) and on groomers.
    I am 5’8″, 135-140lbs, advanced level but not a very agressive skier as my thighs tend to burn quickly (previously I was on a 2008 scott Mission in 168cm which was too short for everything off-piste).
    My choice has come down to the 180cm soul 7 or the 178cm Francis Bacon. The soul 7 appears to be lighter and easier to ski in powder but I am worried that it could be too soft-snow oriented for refrozen conditions; on the other hand would the 178 SFB provide enough flotation in powder yet still be light and easy enough for me?
    What would be your advice between those two? Or would you recommend something else? Any ideas for the bindings?
    Thanks!
    Henri

    • Also, I just read your response to john webb and saw that you recommended the 172cm soul 7 to him, do you think 180cm would be too long for my height/weight and that I should go for 172cm if I go for the soul 7?
      Thanks
      Henri

  19. Great review series (1,2,3) on the Rossi Soul 7. I bought the Soul 7 in the 188cm. (6’2″/ 198lb) with Marker binding and I loved it! We skied Fernie BC for 4 weeks in February and had about 8 great powder days in the middle of the month and the ski met all my expectations and more. The soft snow and powder performance was spot on with the reviews. I did bring my 177cm Volkl Kendos for the hard front side days. Excellent reviews! Thank you

  20. Another sizing question. I’m 5’10” 165# expert. Mounting tele, which for me means more frequent, more playful turns and less tip drive than I would be doing on a similar alpine setup .

    • Tough question as I haven’t skied them tele. I did ski tele for a long time, however and at 5′ 10″ and 185#, I found that for skiing tele out west, 184cm in a Moment Bibby/Armada JJ was pretty good. I skied some shorter skies occasionally, and didn’t like it all (Blizzard something or other in a 175cm, Rossi S7 in a 175cm).
      When I came back East, I hated trying to make tele turns in the tighter trees with 184cms, and basically fake-marked all the time. So I switched to alpine, ’cause I’m lazy.

      So – depending on your terrain I’d recommend the 188cm for more open terrain, or if you’re going to be tree-wiggling, look at the 180cms.

      Dana

      • Thanks Dana! Went with the 188 and have been happy. Definitely way quicker / more playful than my 184 Bibbys.

        I wrote an excessively long post on Jonathan’s review about my experience if anyone else is looking for tele thoughts on these skis.

  21. Dana,

    Great reviews (generally and on the Soul 7 and SD 110), thanks. I noted that the 186 Line SD 110 measures about 4.5cm shorter than the 188 Soul 7 (actual lengths, 182.3cm v. 186.7cm). Still you write that the Soul 7is quicker and more playful. How come? The Line SD tip is 5cm wider, but otherwise measurements are quite similar. Is it because of the wider tip or because the Soul 7 is softer? Would be interested in your thoughts.

    Many thanks!

  22. Hi Dana,

    Super helpful as always, hoping you can help me just a little bit more as I gear up for this season. I am a converted boarder (past 15yrs) now ski-addicted. Only an intermediate but plan to get lots of days on mountain this year and step it up. I’d prefer to only have one pair of skis and learn to tame them before acquiring a quiver. I prefer a turny, fun ski. In anything soft at all I want to slash and slarve around and look for little things to bump and jump off (nothing big yet though). I’m considering:

    Rossi Soul 7
    Line SFB
    Moment PBJ

    Understanding there are tradeoffs for each, I need one ski that will help me learn as I become a more confident all mountain skier. I live east coast but spend 3-4 weeks west each year as well. Will be in VT, NH, WV, CO and PNW this year. Do you think any of these is best for an intermediate wanting to get better and have “fun” all over the mountain? Thanks much

  23. I am a 5’9″ weigh 185lbs and have skied all over the west and been skiing since 1962. I have skied the steep and deep and bumps. But now I am 72 years old and have had hip surgery ( which went really well and have skied on it without any problems. I am not a hard charger anymore but still like challenging runs. I am looking at the soul 7 and bon fide. What length should I get.
    Jim

    • Hi, James – I’ll jump in since I’ve skied both. At your weight and given that you’re interested in challenging lines, I would still recommend the 188cm Soul 7’s for you. These are very easy skis, and you will not want to give up any stability by going shorter.

      For the Bonafide, I think the 180s would be a good choice. Check out my review of them if you haven’t already.

  24. I’m 5’7″, 150lbs naked, and mostly ski in the Tahoe area. Pretty much everything I’m reading seems to say I should go for the 180s. However, I am new to skiing and love tight tree lines and quick turns (I’m a fairly experienced snowboarder). I’m also intending to occasionally go skinning. Any advice on what size I should get?

  25. Thank you for putting out such detailed reviews, it helps a lot for those of us who can’t demo a large number of skis. I am an adv. intermediate northeast skier 6′ 160lbs. I ski a lot of very tight trees and moguls when they are soft, I jump off any feature I can find. I am currently on a pair of 178cm stiff full camber armada el reys. They don’t want to pivot whatsoever and are definitely not surfy. I like the supportive tails for rough landings. I am hoping for something good in soft snow that can pivot like crazy in trees and rip groomers. I am interested in the 183 armada tst and the 188 soul 7. Any help is appreciated.

    • I would say the soul 7 fits your pivots / surfy / fun needs. In my experience, they do not exactly rip firm groomers. I haven’t been on the TST, but from the sound of these reviews, they might be better suited in that regard. Or get the souls and keep something narrow / stiff around for the firmer days.

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