Rossignol Snowboards provided several boards for review, including the Rossignol Sushi XV, a super-directional, Japan-inspired fish shape designed with input from Xavier De Le Rue. The review covers a range of conditions and riding styles to give a comprehensive overview of each board's capabilities.
Rossignol Sushi XV
The Rossignol Sushi has an interesting “Reverse Directional” flex pattern, stiffer under the lead foot then mildly softer between the inserts. The nose is noticeably softer than the rest of the board.
The softer flex and rocker shape through the nose really lends itself to massive pow butters, nose-rolls and the like. From the tail, not so much. The Rossignol Sushi is a surfy, slashy, pow board and that’s the sort of “playfulness” you’ll get from it, let the mountain lead and make it about carving and slashing.
Decent pop but nothing to really write home about, which is kind of to be expected from such a short tail. The Rossignol Sushi will take some getting used to. It’s mid-stiff, relatively wide (and even wider through the nose) with a forward reverse sidecut, so the initial turns on groomers or hardpack may feel slow to engage especially at lower speeds or on low-angle terrain.
Keeping your weight a bit forward helps mitigate this though, but the Sushi gravitates to higher speeds and steeper terrain where the unique shape is a little more maneuverable. On groomers the Sushi carves well enough to get the job done but it really slays in deeper snow.
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The Rossignol Sushi is ideal for deep days where every lap offers bottomless powder refills, rather than casual groomer days with family. While sturdy enough to ride hard if needed, it favors a surfier, less aggressive approach.
Rossignol One Magtek
Powerful but not overwhelming, the Rossignol One Magtek does not disappoint for an all-mountain slayer and could be a solid daily driver. It felt more at home on the bigger terrain than it did here in Michigan, but that’s because I usually prefer a softer, more playful board for smaller terrain, and on proper mountains I want something stiffer and a bit more damp.
Rossignol Jibsaw
The Rossignol Jibsaw is an accommodating board that is versatile enough for more advanced riders and forgiving enough for beginners who will be able to progress on it. It is a board that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend for any skill set.
Rossignol Airis
The Airis comes with a 5/10 flex, a nice medium flex that keeps it feeling very maneuverable but gives it enough stability to ride all mountain without feeling too aggressive. Great for getting used to riding in more aggressive terrain but still taking it at a medium to fast speed. The Rossignol Airis comes with Amptek All Mountain Rocker, which has 50% positive camber between the feet and 50% rocker on the nose and tail.
It comes with a Sintered 4400 Base, a durable and fast base as long as you keep it tuned up and waxed properly. I felt that it was pretty smooth feeling on the snow, but not the fasted gliding base out there. The Airis is quick to turn and pretty easy to figure out.
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Rossignol’s 5S serrated edge gives the Airis really nice grip in icy terrain. Great for those riders trying to get used to riding scraped off snow or those that just want to make sure they have good grip in ice. The serrated edge helps make up for the 50% rocker profile that takes away some edge hold.
The Rossignol Airis is quick and easy to turn. It offers a forgiving ride that also has nice stability and connection to the snow. The Airis prefers a skidded turn over a carve turn, but can dabble in carves if you want. It is stable up to a medium-fast speed.
This board is easy and fun to turn off piste. It is quick to turn, so it makes riding through trees pretty easy. The rocker helps if you are riding in softer snow, and it also helps it to feel catch free too. Again, more of a medium to medium fast speed board, so it isn’t the choice for charging hard off piste.
It floats pretty well for being a directional twin. The 50% rocker helps out a ton in deeper snow. This board would be just fine for an average powder day. A pretty fun board for medium park features. It has a medium amount of pop, and is pretty stable in landings and on jumps. It is great for learning how to ride park or even developing park skills.
Pretty friendly for boxes and rails too, and not bad for smaller half-pip riding. The Rossignol Airis would be a great board for that intermediate to advanced rider looking for an all mountain freestyle ride.
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Rossignol Diva
The Diva comes with Rossignol’s Amptek Elite Rocker. It’s a stable ride that can handle just about anything. The L.I.T.E technology helps give it a very smooth ride. It comes with Rossi’s serrated edge (5s) which gives it great edge hold for even crazy ice situations but it’s not grabby like some boards with super traction tech get.
The Diva is quick to turn, but it is meant for a more aggressive, technical rider. So for the more mellow rider it might feel slower to turn from time to time. Normal for a twin but does have rocker on the tip and tail to help you out.
The Rossignol Diva is an advanced to expert board that can handle anything you throw at it (except deep powder days). It is great for medium to large park features, halfpipe and shredding up groomers too. The Rossignol Diva is a very well-rounded mountain freestyle board for the girl that sees harder snow, keeps it centered all the time and likes to ride switch almost as much as they do regular.
What we like about the Diva is it’s ability to remain consistent in almost every type of snow. It’s always the same stable ride in icy conditions or soft conditions and everything in between. This is the intangible quality that makes this board a favorite.
It’s pretty aggressive though and almost all the girls that have ridden it feel like it’s not catchy but at the same time the edges feel really locked in. The Diva turns pretty easy for those that know how to turn a board correctly. If you size this right for your feet then it will turn pretty quick and have some snappy response.
Edge hold stepped down a bit but it’s still got amazing grip. They just toned it down more near the tip/tail so it still grips almost as well as it use to on ice but now doesn’t grab as much as it use to on softer snow which is a nice bonus. It makes it more doable for those that see ice to soft snow where before it was more for ice to medium snow. There was a little improvement in powder with the slightly blunted nose and the more mellow mtx.
It really holds an amazing edge but also has a nice spring out of the turn. It’s not like many freeride bomber boards but it’s got more than enough wide open mountain speed to make most riders happy. Nice but not exceptional pop.
Exceptional edge hold, stability and drives from wall to wall nicely. The Rossignol Diva is one of those boards that should probably get a lot more recognition that it does. We found this to be fun for all that rode it. It’s even a bit on the aggressive side. Its a board for many moods and conditions.
The stable but catch free feeling combined with some of the best edge hold we have come across makes this one of the best firm to icy condition boards out there. The Diva just screams pipe. It climbs the pipe wall very well and will hold an edge no matter how icy.
I was looking for a board that was built for speed, which could hold a great edge in even the most icy of conditions. I have not been disappointed in the 2016 Diva. I got a chance to use it this week on both extreme ice, and on fresh powder. While I do think the performance is just a tad better in the former, it was solid throughout the week. A fantastic edge and a serious lack of chatter means that I spent longer on the slopes, and felt less tired at the end of the day. Absolutely zero regrets in going with the 2016 Diva.
Summary Table
Here's a summary of the Rossignol snowboards reviewed:
| Snowboard | Riding Style | Flex | Terrain | Skill Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossignol Sushi XV | Surfy, Slashy, Powder | Mid-Stiff | Deep Snow, Steeper Terrain | Intermediate to Advanced |
| Rossignol One Magtek | All-Mountain | Stiffer | Large Terrain | Intermediate to Advanced |
| Rossignol Jibsaw | All-Mountain | Medium | Versatile | Beginner to Advanced |
| Rossignol Airis | All-Mountain Freestyle | Medium | Park, Groomers, Off-Piste | Intermediate to Advanced |
| Rossignol Diva | Mountain Freestyle | Stiff | Park, Halfpipe, Groomers | Advanced to Expert |
What TYPE of Snowboard Should You Buy? // Beginners Guide
I know people hate on Rossignol all day long due to the fact that they are so ski focused but the bottom line is, Rossignol makes good snowboards.