The Sender freeride collection is here.
Coming off the debut of a new flagship freeride ski, the Sender Free 110, Rossignol doubles down for 2024-2025. On tap? A powder version (the 118), and two all-mountain versions: a 92 and (drumroll) the Sender Soul 102.
If you’re familiar with Rossi’s ski history, the name will be a dead giveaway. They want to mash up a classic (the Soul 7) with the Sender Free. It makes sense, and 102mm is an attractive waist width this year. So…how’d they do?
Rossignol Sender Soul 102 Review: Field Notes
With the Sender Soul 102, Rossignol offers a full “unisex” size line. It’s a trend we love seeing expand this year. The shortest size will be 156cm, and the skis will scale up at 164cm, 172cm, 180cm, and 188cm.
Dimensions: 135-102-125 // Radius: 16 meters (180cm)
The Sender Soul 102 looks like a narrower Sender Free 110. It’s built like one, too, with a matching wood core and metal sheet underfoot (Rossi’s “central Ti”). The Sender Soul forgoes the carbon/basalt weave from the 110, which softens the flex pattern. Lower rocker, taller camber, and a more directional tail aim to make the ski more versatile for all-mountain terrain.
Rossi’s aim? “Playful power,” like the Sender Free 110, and an inspiring ride like the Soul 7.
For reference: I am 5’7″ and a few IPAs north of 160 pounds. I skied the 180cm size for this test at Vail Mountain, Crested Butte, and Monarch Mountain.
Groomers
Every person I’ve talked to after they ski the Sender Soul says, in one way or another, that they’re surprised with its sturdiness and firm-snow capability. Maybe because of its freeride billing or the nod to the Soul 7 or Rossi’s description of “playful power,” people tend to think it’s going to feel like a playful all-mountain freestyle ski. In other words, it’s going to be mediocre on groomers and in tough conditions.
Instead, these skis hold edges through a carve and link up effortlessly. They stay strong at high speeds. And when I pushed them as hard as I could down Crested Butte’s International, a long and fast groomer with big rollovers, I felt like I had plenty of ski beneath me. Clearly, Rossi’s attention to detail in the Soul 102 paid off, with the more directional tail shape, higher camber, and the titanal beam underfoot. These skis shred groomers more like the Sender Ti series, Rossi’s directional all-mountain collection, than the skis in the famed 7 series (softer, slidier, etc). If you aggressively drive the shovels, you’ll notice where that metal sheet gives way to lightweight “air tips,” although I still felt much more supported than on the Soul 7. If you carve with a more centered stance, you unlock these skis’ sweet spot (which is large) and maximize its power and grip. And if you slide into the backseat, it doesn’t run away from you like more powerful skis might.
Skis in this category that run with a longer metal platform feel, unsurprisingly, more bomber at high speeds on groomers, especially when you’re making long GS-style carves. Thinking of the Anomaly, Enforcer, and Mantra comparables here, along with the Sender Ti. The Sender Soul 102 slots into a notch below those skis in its top-end, its energy, and its power. That makes it more friendly, though, for people who don’t lay trenches as hard as devout carvers and prefer to sometimes slide their turns, play around, or dial it back. Its short 16-meter turn radius helps with that, giving it a nimble and quick character. And all this makes the Sender Soul 102 the unequivocal choice for people who like to smash side hits (read “playful power”).
Bumps and Trees
After the Sender Soul 102 skied groomers and firm snow with more guts than I had anticipated, I was honestly a little concerned about how it would handle in tight places. The fact that it feels more damp and planted than I thought made me wonder whether it would punish you down bump lines or tree alleys or, god forbid, make you work too hard.
Again, the ski surprised me. While it does feel stout directly underfoot, the Sender Soul slices and dices well. That is, it feels precise and quick if you’re dodging aspens or navigating moguls. The low swingweight and tight sidecut radius shine in these places, making the ski quite a bit more nimble than its big brother, the Sender Free 110.
But what about the Soul 7? The Soul 7 built its legacy on being easy to pivot. It unlocked tree skiing for people who had never imagined trying it. While I won’t say that the Sender Soul matches that ski’s ease of use (which is a good thing in the minds of many), we are still talking about an automatic transmission here. The Sender Soul doesn’t require you to shift your skiing style, and it doesn’t punish you if you don’t give it enough gas. Rather, it matches the way you ski trees and bumps. Want to risk your neck zipper-lining or brushing pine boughs? It’s supportive and planted enough to do that. Want to avoid eating bark and take it slow? That’s fine too.
My biggest takeaway from exploring Crested Butte on the Sender Soul 102 (Peel, Funnel, Banana, Teocalli 1 and Teocalli 2, to be exact), was this: It’s an exceptionally accommodating ski. When I drove it with my typical style—two parts directional fall-line skiing at high speeds and one part playful squiggling—it gave me plenty of suspension and support. When I dialed things back and skied slowly, it didn’t feel clunky. And when I turned the dial to Mach Looney, I didn’t feel like I was going to die.
Powder and Mixed Snow
The snow conditions for my testing, especially in the off-piste reaches of Crested Butte, consisted mostly of dust-on-crust. Some spots were firm, scraped ruts and bumps; others were smooth dry powder (about 8-10 inches) over a firm surface.
The Sender Soul 102 excelled.
Particularly when I wanted to ski a technical line with a technical style (glued to the fall line, minimal airs, medium-high speed), the Sender Soul felt at home. It gives you precise edge control with enough bend and rocker to feel like you’re riding with the terrain contours rather than being forced to blast over or through them. That feel holds up in choppy pow and less-than-ideal snow types. Ski with finesse, and you’re rewarded. I will say that the Sender Soul 102 doesn’t love skiing crud at high speeds. At least, not as much as the Sender Free 110 or some of those aforementioned chargers do. It feels a little under-gunned. That’s a trade-off in an otherwise highly versatile ski, and I think it’s one that plenty of skiers will be fine making. If you’re someone who wants more crud-busting power, you’re a perfect candidate for the Sender Free 110.
In kinder pow, the stuff we chase all season, the Sender Soul 102 performs as well as most skis around this waist width in its class. Its shape isn’t the most ideal for ultimate powder surf (I prefer more taper, the most exaggerated example of which is in the DPS collection), but the lightweight tips float just fine. Nothing feels hooky. Again—the Soul 7 outperformed the Sender Soul in pure powder surf, but the new ski holds its own while offering quite a bit more versatility.
Downside
The Sender Soul 102 is built to be a quiver killer. Its waist width, flex pattern, construction, and shape check the boxes for many freeride-minded all-mountain skiers in the West (and plenty in the East, for that matter). As a quiver killer, it does everything well.
That does mean, however, that by skiing everything well, it may be outperformed in certain individual areas. It’s far from the most playful ski in this category, for one, so if you want to slash and play every chance you get, you might look at a ski like the Armada ARV 100 or 106 instead. On the flip side, if you prioritize hard-charging skis that you can drive with reckless abandon, you might look at a Mantra, Enforcer, or Anomaly.
Bottom Line
If, however, you want a wider all-mountain ski that can do everything well? The Sender Soul 102 is one of your top choices in 2024-2025. It came out of our ski test with serious “Ski of the Year” momentum. Every staffer who skied it finished with a grin on their face. And while we at Powder7 are not about dishing out titles like “Ski of the Year,” we are about skis that get along with lots and lots of skiers. To that end, I’ll happily put the Sender Soul 102 in my megaphone.
