The Rossignol HERO All Turn Elite has a lot to live up to with a name like that. All Turn. Elite. HERO. So what is this ski good for? Well, they are in fact good for all turns! Well, all turns on-piste that is - but it's not called 'The HERO All Turn Elite On-Piste Only', but they might have well of called them that.
At first glance, at least alongside the other HERO Skis, the All Turn Elite (HATE) looks a bit cheap. If Rossignol had spent another few quid on the same top sheet as the race skis, they would stand out and look a Million Bucks, but instead they look more like a Million Lira.
We like to question skis that claim to be dual side cut, or all turn, as we have never quite worked them out - do they really work? Well, the HATE really does. In short turns they are extremely quick edge to edge with the initiation into the turn spot on, grabbing the skis bang on the sweetspot without kicking you out of the turn. They release with ease and put you right back on the front of the ski, just at the right moment. Overall, a super playful ski with outstanding edge hold, even at higher speeds.
Being an 'All Turn' ski, we took them out of their comfort zone too - moguls to ridges, off the side of the piste, into short turns to longs and back to shorts, slow fast and "ski instructor" turns. The HATE slows down with so much ease and then opens up again into longer turns with the slightest of change without the aggressiveness of a slalom ski at speed, nor the longer sidecut challenge of a GS ski. They give you confidence to stand on the outside ski and let it do its thing. This is also down to the 74mm waist that allows you to stand on a ski with this sidecut (14m) and not get thrown out at speed, but is not too wide to stop them from having outstanding edge hold.
HATE these skis we do not, we just wish they looked a bit classier, because they really deserve it.
