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2024-2025 Rossignol Rallybird Soul 102 Review

The Rallybirds have rallied

In a world with Black Pearls and Santa Anas (wonderful women’s skis), other great women’s models often slip under the radar. The Rossignol Rallybird skis haven’t always gotten the headlines as some other models, but have remained top picks for our lady staffers. There are several in their quivers. With a new launch of the Rallybird Soul 102 and Rallybird Soul 92 alongside the new men’s Sender Soul, these skis are just as smooth-riding as ever, with an extra splash of playfulness. The result is a super unique ride that’s damp and predictable but moves with you. We’ll dive into the big sister, the Rallybird Soul 102 in this review.

kyra skis the rossignol rallybird
Kyra Squirer takes some snappy turns at Loveland on the Rallybird Soul 102. | Photo: Casey Day

Rossignol Rallybird Soul Review: Field Notes

A quick rundown of the ski’s construction. Rossignol wanted to bring back the magic of the old Soul 7. A mega-popular ski with a cult following, people loved this ski. The Rallybird Soul is a fresh take on a women’s Soul 7 with the latest and greatest design from Rossi.

The Rallybird 102 comes with a titanal beam underfoot that extends part way through the tip and tail of the ski. You’ll also get their new “boost flex”, which is a flex pattern designed to be more energetic and give a lot of responsiveness between turns. Rossi also uses their “Line Control Tech”, which is a sort of power rail that runs through the center of the ski. The idea is to help control steering and running predictably. At the tip, you’ll find Rossi’s Air Tip tech, which helps keeps swing weight low.

The Rallybirds serve as a complement to the men’s Sender series. They do technically have a different construction compared to men’s models. You’ll find a softer flex and tweaked sidecut, but the weights between the same size are listed as the same (1850 grams in 164cm).

I skied the Rallybirds early season at Vail, along with another few laps at Loveland with pristine all-mountain conditions (a few days post-storm, but with some soft snow around). Several of our lady staffers hopped on the Rallybird Soul 102, so I’ve included their quick comments below.

Groomers

Kyra hitting the trails on the Rallybird. | Photo: Casey Day

At 102mm underfoot, the Rallybird 102 fits solidly in the all-mountain category, especially out West. As such, we expect it to have solid on-trail performance. We’re not expecting high-performance carving, but we want it to be able to handle hot lap days with friends, just as much as we want it to explore soft snow. The Rallybird 102 delivers on this front.

The Rallybird is consistent and predictable. It feels quite responsive and quick to get on edge for a 102mm, making carving on this ski feel pretty fun. It’s a quick turner, but also happy to open up for longer turn shapes. The construction feels remarkably damp, which is great when you start to hit higher speeds.

Compared to some other Rossigonol Rallybird models, the Rallybird Soul definitely feels significantly more playful and looser on trail. It doesn’t lock you into turns. As a result, you might feel a little less edge grip on mega firm snow. That shouldn’t be an issue for our ladies out West, but make make it a little more limiting for women out East who are looking to use this as more of an all-mountain ski.

Kyra: “Carved well on groomers & felt really reliable overall.”

Bumps and Trees

If you’re looking for an all-mountain ski out West, a ski that tackles bumps and trees with ease is a high priority. Especially in variable conditions. To me, and the other gals here at the shop, had the most fun in this terrain on the Rallybird.

It’s easy to maneuver and pivot, but doesn’t wash out behind you in steep bumps. It’s damp and planted in variable snow. Weird, spring conditions can often be extra weird in this terrain, but this ski completely smoothed them out. Whether it was a little crunchy from warm to cool temps, or slushy, the Rallybird is consistent and predictable. That’s all you can really ask for, no?

Again, that Air Tip does a lot of work to keep things light up front. The tail rocker makes the backend easier to release when you need to take a tight turn, or if you change your mind on a line. That said, the damp ride and overall really predictable ride helps you gas things up when you want to. It’s a really great balance, and I think will suit lots of lady shredders in the West.

Kyra: “Playful, stable, perfect width, responsive and fun in the bumps.”

Annabelle: “Damp and planted but really easy to pivot. Fun in bumps!”

Mixed Snow and Powder

Lauren Blair skis up some soft snow shots. | Photo: Casey Day

This ski knows how to show off her skills in these conditions. While it’s not going to give you the floatation of something more solidly in the powder category, the 102mm waist is plenty for those every day storm cycles. It makes the most of 6 inches on the ground, and I think floats well for the size compared to some other skis in the category. The lighter tip construction and tip shape help with that.

But what about mixed conditions? You know, the chop and skied up pow that we find ourselves skiing more often than not? The Rallybird makes quick work of this. The ultra-damp and smooth riding construction help keep this ski super planted pushing through chop. The Air Tip doesn’t get as deflected as you might expect, and as such the ski tracks really well through iffy snow conditions.

Often when we’re talking about skis in these reviews, we identify skis as being more “charge-y” (following the fall-line and pushing through chop), or more “dynamic” (taking more turns and skipping around to find good snow). The Rallybird somehow is able to do both, and can bend to however you want to ski that day. Feeling jazzed and the skiing is good? You can push this ski a little harder. On a ski trip and your legs just don’t have anything else in them? You can let off the gas a little bit.

Annabelle: “An ideal ski for intermediates progressing to advanced. It’s stable enough to take it at speed, but feels pretty pivot-y and intuitive to turn.”

Downside?

Where the Rallybird 102 is wildly predictable and smooth, it doesn’t quite lock into frighteningly firm snow as well as you might want. Something like the Nordica Santa Ana 102 or Volkl Secret 102 will give you significantly more stability when conditions are rough. As we mentioned, the Rallybird is plenty stable in soft chop, it’s carving on hard snow that leaves a bit to be desired by aggressive skiers, or folks who ski on hard snow conditions more often than not. For our often edgeable groomers here in Colorado, most skiers will find the Rallybird supportive enough.

Bottom Line

I had fun on every single Rallybird I’ve skied, and that’s no easy feat to accomplish with an entire line of skis. Each one has a preferred skill set while remaining versatile across the whole mountain. It just depends on what you want to prioritize with your style and what kind of terrain/conditions you ski most of the time. Don’t let the women’s specific feature on these turn you away. They support plenty of aggressive skiing, especially the 104 Ti.

Kyra: “Great addition! Good one ski quiver for skiers who want something slightly more playful but still stable overall. This ski is a sizzler.”

Check out the rest of our brand previews and gear reviews for 2023 here.

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