Rossignol Sickle 2012 Ski Review

The Sickle has seen a few incarnations and name changes in recent years (Scratch Steeze, S6), but it’s starting to come up even more so than Rossignol’s uber successful S7 series. What gives?

Rossignol Sickle 2012 ski image

Category: Freeride Freestyle

Ski Review Brands

Ski Statistics - Length (cm) / Sidecut (mm) / Radius (m)

174 / 140-110-133 /
186 / 140-110-133 /

Manufacturer's Description

Advanced to expert skiers will be delighted getting on the Sickle to slash through powder, buttering natural features with playful ease. Spin Turn rocker is a full 100% rocker, delivering the ultimate boards for powder and backcountry terrain. The banana shape gives a silky buttery feel in soft snow while the full length sidecut and rocker work together to lay a nice long edge on hardpack. This fatty powder day surfiness and everyday skiability will have you grinning ear to ear. 90% Powder / 10% Park

Ski Review's Verdict:

Rossignol’s Sickle is 110 underfoot (140-110-133), with subtle but full rocker and available in a short 174 or a 186. It’s not a technically freeride ski - it’s a backcountry freestyle ski but if you dismiss it because you think you’d have to be hiking a kicker line 20 times a day to get the most from it, you’d be wrong.

I tested this over the course of a week in the Portes du Soleil - mainly in the Chatel and higher Avoriaz regions. We had cold conditions early in the week with plenty of powder (1-2 foot) to be found, and then a massive temperature drop off midweek which turned into a freeze-thaw cycle and gave us slush in the afternoon. In short, with the exception of 4 foot of fresh dry powder, we have everything.

Simply put, the Sickle is incredible. If you have the bias/opportunity for powder on a semi regular basis, are starting to think about terrain as features rather than a straight line, but you also want something that doesn’t just get you home on the pistes and crud, but actually makes it enjoyable, then look at the Sickle.

In powder, the 186 was almost effortless and was as nimble as something 20cm shorter. Float that never ran out. Crud and crust was as expected - while the Sickle has a wood and basalt core (read: no metal) and is therefore soft and playful it handled the chop and icy snow without much fuss.

On the pistes Rossignol’s Sickle is not a revelation - plenty of fat skis perform well on the groomer, and while the Sickle is no exception, it’s no star either. No camber in the Sickle remember, but the subtle, low height rocker engaged surprisingly well to compensate especially in the warmer, softer conditions we had later on in the week.

You can butter, smear and job to your hearts content, but don’t buy it for that. Buy it for the playful, go anwhere, do anything abilities of something that belies it’s fat 110 wide belly. 180lbs and 180cm and skied the 186 Sickle.

Real time prices for the Rossignol Sickle 2012, or similar ski products:

Rossignol BC Auto XC Bindings

Rossignol
Click to buy from Buckman's Ski and Snowboard Shop
$89.95

Rossignol Touring Auto Combi XC Bindings with Plate

Rossignol
Click to buy from Buckman's Ski and Snowboard Shop
$54.95

Rossignol Classique Pant - Women's

Rossignol
Click to buy from Buckman's Ski and Snowboard Shop
$211.25
(35% off)
Reader Ski Reviews of the Rossignol Sickle 2012

Add review of this ski.