The 2023 Rossignol Hero Elite ST Ti is a slalom-inspired carver that has a narrow waist, a shorter turn radius, and a burly build that makes former racers and expert carvers the target of these fantastic skis. Built with a Beech wood core, the skis are strong and stable right from the start. Adding two sheets of metal and Line Control Technology to the mix, Rossignol is using a lot of the tech from their race room to bring that high-performance character into the fold. These skis are a lot more like the race shapes, utilizing a 68-mm waist width to create a grippy mid-section and a World Cup-like feel. In the 167, these skis generate a 13-meter turn radius which is pretty darn close to the FIS specs for a race slalom ski. Since they’re a bit more user-friendly in the construction than those race-room models, skiers who want that shorter arc and slalom-style of turn, the Rossignol Hero Elite ST Ti is a great option.
ROCKER PROFILE
Camber
CORE MATERIALS
Line Control Technology
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers
Michael Rooney was on the 167 and noted that it was true to size. He likes this ski a whole lot, as evidenced by his top marks of 5’s out of 5 right across the board. Even flotation and versatility got 5’s, so it’s apparent that Michael holds this ST Ti in very high favor. “The Elite loves to turn, any radius you want. Put it more on edge with forward pressure and it will do it every time. It still goes straight too, no wobbling.”
Greg Petrics was a little more discerning in his scores, also calling his 167 cm test length “just right.” Greg scored it 1’s out of 5 for versatility and flotation, lining up a bit better with what the ski is supposed to do on paper. He gave it 5’s on the other end for torsional stiffness and edge hold and 4’s for overall impression, quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. Greg notes that “I absolutely loved this ski. It's built with all the meat of a FIS SL ski at 165, but something in the tip and tail is just a touch softer, and allows for more forgiveness and more playfulness. I did NOT want to give this ski back. The ski has more stability than I expected, and allowed me to let the radius open up way past FIS SL rules, and yet the ski wasn't chattering in GS speeds. This ski is obviously only for the front side, but boy oh boy will you have fun on that front side. Get a pair of these, drop your hip to the ground, and enjoy the firm days.”
We often joke that a place like Stowe is kind of a rough place to have a ski like this because many of our runs are top to bottom, and are quite long. This means that you have to make hundreds of turns on the way down, and it’s kind of a leg killer. Ski areas with slightly shorter runs will be better-suited to a ski like this, but again, it’s more of a humorous conversation than a real impact that the ski has on a target audience.
