Rossignol Black Ops?

Moving on, what's going to be the successor to the Sender Squad? Will there be a worthy successor? An extended low tide season has not been kind to my current pair and they may not make it to the end of this season. I have one unmounted pair in reserve so I'm probably good through 25/26, but after that all bets are off. It's going to be hard to say goodbye, they way the Squads combine being absolutely unflappable at ludicrous speed while still being relatively playful and easy to ski is something special.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Moving on, what's going to be the successor to the Sender Squad? Will there be a worthy successor? An extended low tide season has not been kind to my current pair and they may not make it to the end of this season. I have one unmounted pair in reserve so I'm probably good through 25/26, but after that all bets are off. It's going to be hard to say goodbye, they way the Squads combine being absolutely unflappable at ludicrous speed while still being relatively playful and easy to ski is something special.

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I'm in a similar position to you, they're my favourite ski and I'm hoarding a backup pair. I think mine will last me another few seasons, but as far as I know there is no worthy successor, either from Rossi or other brands. The Squad is a special ski. If I had to replace it I'd look at the Sender Free 110, M-Free 112, or Heritage Labs R110/AM110. I don't think you're going to get the same level of unflappability from those skis though, or any others, at least not without sacrificing the playfulness part of the equation.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Moving on, what's going to be the successor to the Sender Squad? Will there be a worthy successor? An extended low tide season has not been kind to my current pair and they may not make it to the end of this season. I have one unmounted pair in reserve so I'm probably good through 25/26, but after that all bets are off. It's going to be hard to say goodbye, they way the Squads combine being absolutely unflappable at ludicrous speed while still being relatively playful and easy to ski is something special.

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I'm waiting on some Dynastar M-Pro 108's to compare to my beloved Squads. Will report back with findings.

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Moving on, what&#39;s going to be the successor to the Sender Squad? Will there be a worthy successor? An extended low tide season has not been kind to my current pair and they may not make it to the end of this season. I have one unmounted pair in reserve so I&#39;m probably good through 25/26, but after that all bets are off. It&#39;s going to be hard to say goodbye, they way the Squads combine being absolutely unflappable at ludicrous speed while still being relatively playful and easy to ski is something special.

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These is no ski that has the same rubbery feel, maybe the new 192 blank will be okay, but obviously wont reach the level of the squad.&nbsp;</p>

Brutal.

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Originally Posted by mr_pretzel

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These is no ski that has the same rubbery feel, maybe the new 192 blank will be okay, but obviously wont reach the level of the squad. </p>

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Have you tried the mfree112? I think it might have a similar feel as the squad. I have not skied the squad but based on what people have said I think it may be a similar snow feel. It’s a lot less “active” feeling compared to the mfree108.

2300 g/ski is promising.

Unfortunately not, they cost like a grand here in canukistan and I haven't even seen a 190 available.

I know the shape from the SF110 though so they will probably ski a bit differently than the squad, but it is promising that they feel more muted. You mentioning how the tips and tails are on the stiffer side makes me also question how similar they will feel. Obviously still a sweet big mountain ski, but the squad feels like a rubber ball under your feet.

I'm a big Squad fan, I just killed my first pair by blowing out about a foot of edge completely. Thankfully I've stockpiled 2 new pairs but also picked up SF110's thinking they might be a more friendly DD and something I could ski low tide and not worry about destroying. I don't think the 110 is a Squad replacement, the ski just doesn't have that rubbery muted feel in the tips and tails. My 110's have a decent amount of camber underfoot and also don't have that intuitive, surprisingly easy feel of the Squads. The 110's are a great ski, they have a ton more pop and I'm working on some edge tuning to get them dialed in. I was pretty surprised getting on 110's that they felt more demanding.

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Originally Posted by The Stopper

I'm a big Squad fan, I just killed my first pair by blowing out about a foot of edge completely.

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I did this Sunday. Did the other ski almost as bad two weeks ago. Applied a copious amount of Gflex and clamped the shit out it and so far it's holding. I'll try the same on this one and pray.

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Ohhh snap

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Damn! Where did you find those? And are there any more left?

Local KSL classifieds. No, just a dude with a random pair he had been sitting on and serendipitously decided to sell.

serendelicious

Great score. Sometimes the universe provides.

When I walked in he asked, "Have you skied these before?" He was probably not expecting to see someone 5-6 when he opened the door :D

The number of pairs out there still in plastic must be vanishingly small. Not that I'll ever sell, but I imagine they'll hold value like a mint 80-series Land Cruiser.

There's a guy on SkiTalk who has a lightly used pair he was willing to sell flat for $475 shipped. OG Blackops topsheet.

I have a friend who's wife is looking to sell a pair of Black Ops with Markers, cheap. Like $ 250.00. they are 168s and are near Big Sky. Very good conditions. She is downsizing.

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Originally Posted by Bunion 2020

I have a friend who's wife is looking to sell a pair of Black Ops with Markers, cheap. Like $ 250.00. they are 168s and are near Big Sky. Very good conditions. She is downsizing.

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You'll have to be more specific.

Not pretty and definitely worse than the other ski, but probably a Crested Butte seven at worst. Thankfully I blew edges on opposite sides so I can run them both as outside edges.
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^^^ That will buff right out. @DTM They are chasing snow at the moment over by Lost Trail, should be back in town by Sunday. Not a Rossi guy anymore so, the 98 or the 118? Cause she was saying they were too fat, she is tiny and a solid skier.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

There's a guy on SkiTalk who has a lightly used pair he was willing to sell flat for $475 shipped. OG Blackops topsheet.

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I nabbed these. Was on the fence, but I just hate to imagine a future that doesn't involve skiing Sender Squads. Now I have my pair in active use plus two more lightly used pairs in reserve. If I get at least 3–4 seasons out of each pair these will see me into my late 40s/early 50s, at which point someone may have invented a better ski, or maybe they'll be too much ski for me anyway in my old age (I'm not a big guy either, 5'7). Not that anyone cares what I think about a ski that has been discontinued for a couple of seasons at this point, but the Squads really are magical in their combination of being supremely damp and stable, yet also way easier to ski than a 194 has any right to be. That heavy rubbery layup makes the tips oscillate at some perfect frequency that just completely mutes out shitty snow. Tipping them on edge feels like switching on a pair of noise cancelling headphones - schoom, everything just got quieter. And that tail is a work of art. There for you when you need it to be, but disappears in moguls and tight spots. Man, I love these skis.

Anyone been on the superblackops? According to the blurb it has metal in it?

Super Blackops 98 is the same Blackops 98 that’s been around for years with a different top sheet. Metal binding retention sheet underfoot and rubber damping tip/tail. Very nice daily driver ski out West and can be used by lots of skiers depending on where you mount it. Had mine at -1.5cm/-6.25cm total and was perfect for a more directional skier. Now have the new Sender Free 100 in its place that has similar feel but a bit more rocker, tip/tail splay and a touch more stability. The BO 98 is still a bit more precise and quiet on firmer conditions though. SF 100 has no metal underfoot unfortunately.

Thanks for that, sounds pretty spot on for a DD for me. Looking for something i can bumble about on with kid and wife and maybe let them rip a little when I get the chance.

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Originally Posted by Jongle

Not that anyone cares what I think about a ski that has been discontinued for a couple of seasons at this point, but the Squads really are magical in their combination of being supremely damp and stable, yet also way easier to ski than a 194 has any right to be. That heavy rubbery layup makes the tips oscillate at some perfect frequency that just completely mutes out shitty snow. Tipping them on edge feels like switching on a pair of noise cancelling headphones - schoom, everything just got quieter. And that tail is a work of art. There for you when you need it to be, but disappears in moguls and tight spots. Man, I love these skis.

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Nailed it.