Brand Test - Rossignol Angus, One and Experience snowboards reviewed

Rich, the editor of Snowboard-Review.com, has always been a massive fan of Rossignol snowboards, due to their solid construction and great value for money. As a consequence, when the opportunity arose to test three of this seasons most impressive Rossi decks, Rich thought it be best that somebody without a biased opinion should put the aforementioned boards through their paces. One week in Verbier, three brand spanking new decks courtesy of Rossignol Europe, a nice dump of powder and a freshly shaped Thyon park… good times indeed!

Rossignol Angus 157

The Angus is currently Rossignol’s only freestyle specific board with an Amptek (rocker/camber) profile. Before taking the Angus out for a spin I’d heard a lot of positive things about it, including being recognised at the 2009 Transworld Goodwood awards as the best deck for under $400. So, what were my first impressions of this highly commended shred stick? Well, I’m not going to mince my words because if the truth be told ‘I absolutely loved it’.

This is a board of impossible contradictions, it shouldn’t make sense but it does; it’s playful and flexible yet poppy and powerful; it’ll press and bend like a jib specific board but carve and hold an edge like an all-mountain board. Torsionally and longitudinally it’s pretty stiff and powerful thanks to carbon/kevlar reinforcements and camber between the bindings, but because of a slightly softer nose and rockered ends this board is fun to jib.

One of the things that I loved most about this board was the ridiculous amount of pop when riding kickers, I’m sure this is thanks to the Amptek profile. The pop wasn’t particularly noticeable at low speeds but when I cranked-up the pace and started spinning off the bigger kickers in the park it seemed to send me a lot higher than I was used to.

If there is anything that this board slightly falters on its rails. Having ridden a zero camber board for the past season it seemed like the Angus didn’t lock on to rails quite as well when in a boardslide. In fairness it performed similarly on rails to any cambered board I’ve ridden but had the added bonus of allowing me to press very easily. Despite this small criticism the Angus is a great board that performs exceptionally well all over the mountain; it carves surprisingly well and is probably the best performing board I’ve ridden over red and black kickers. So, if you’re looking for a board to hit big jumps at mach 10 on this board is definitely worth a look…….I want one!

Rossignol One Mag 156

If you’re the kind if rider that is interested in spring park sessions and handrails then there’s not much point in you reading this review because the One Mag isn’t that kind of board. It’s fast, it’s powerful and it’s surprisingly rigid; both laterally and longitudinally. Nevertheless, if you’re the kind of rider that likes charging down the mountain at ridiculous speeds, getting your hand to glide over the piste when you carve, and boosting off rollers at terrifying speeds then you may have found the ‘One’ for you. If there’s anything that I’ve learnt about Rossignol boards through this test it’s that they build a board for every kind of rider. Every Rossi board has had a great deal of thought and R&D put into its development, not just a different colour scheme.

To begin with I found the One Mag a bit cumbersome and unresponsive at low speeds; it isn’t particularly playful and it isn’t poppy at low speed. This is due partly to an incredibly stiff tail and added torsional strength from carbon and Kevlar reinforcements. What this added strength means is that the One Mag’s pop is compromised at lower speeds; a lot of energy has to be transferred into the board to get the explosive pop which the board is capable of generating. I found this easier when I was travelling quickly and could use the increased force and pressure created by speed. Once I was travelling fast I could ollie the board surprisingly high, a heavier rider would definitely benefit from this increased strength if they were looking to downsize. A stiff longitudinal and lateral profile also means that any foot pedalling or lateral body movement is immediately picked-up when you gain a bit of speed; as a result the board carves beautifully. The One Mag’s ability to carve, no matter how icy the piste gets, is helped no-end by magnetraction along both edges and the positive camber which snaps you in and out of turns.

Another great benefit of the One Mag’s stiffness is that it is ridiculously stable at high speeds, no matter what the conditions are, and landings from drops are a lot more manageable. When I took this board out for a day of testing the light was very flat so rather than seeing the undulation ahead I had to feel it and brace myself for small drops and changing snow conditions; the One Mag really came into its own in these conditions. Rather than falling-over the board popped me back into position and absorbed the majority of forces.

If you’re a powerful and competent rider looking for a board for blasting around the mountain, boosting out of the pipe and taking into the backcountry on occasions this could be the board you’re looking for. Ideally this board would suit somebody who is looking at a Burton T6 or Ride Concept TMS, because it’s pretty stiff and responds well when you’re hanging on for dear life. Heavier riders looking for a shorter board may also want to consider the One Mag.

Rossignol Experience 163

When Jeremy Jones left Rossignol to start his own company he probably left-behind the World’s truest and most extravagant pro model. Built specifically for Jeremy Jones and Xavier De Le Rue the Experience is the ultimate freeriding machine; not just because it floats beautifully in powder but because you know this board won’t ever let you down when you’re in a life-threatening situation. The edge grips on steep icy faces better than any other board on the planet thanks to supreme lateral strength, a long sidecut and magnetraction; the tail is strong and poppy meaning it can deal with flat and heavy landings; and the rockered nose means the board sits back effortlessly in powder but devours crud and other variable conditions.

You might be thinking to yourself ‘that’s all well and good but what’s the point in buying a big mountain board if I ride challenging backcountry once or twice a winter’; well to those people I say you should try the Experience on the piste! I thought that the One Mag carved well until I took the Experience for a spin, sheet ice wasn’t even an issue.

Similarly to the One Mag the Experience isn’t particularly lively at low speeds, which doesn’t mean to say that it’s difficult to turn or unresponsive. Nevertheless, once you have a bit of speed the Experience feels like a completely different board; even hitting jumps off the side of the piste and kickers in the park was fun….I even managed to throw a couple of 180’s in the mix and the Experience dealt with switch landings and switch riding surprisingly well. You’ll be amazed at this board’s versatility…..but I wouldn’t advise taking it to the streets to session handrails!

The Experience really is an unbelievable board that would suit any advanced rider that is looking to take backcountry riding seriously. This is a board that you can completely depend on in all conditions and excels better than any other board on the planet when taken to the steep and rocky extremes. Considering the extraordinary ability of this board the price-tag is very reasonable so make-sure you snap-up a piece of freeriding history before Rossignol pull the plug because Mr Jones is no longer pushing the development. I only hope Xavier takes a key role in pushing the development of the Experience next season!

Snowboard-Review.com would like to thank Arno and the guys at Rossignol Europe for hooking us up with the boards and putting up with a lot of annoying emails.

Posted by Tom Ewbank in Features.

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