Sunday, August 17, 2008

Rossignol closes the door on its' most famous line of skis!


Without much fanfare at all, Rossignol has finally phased out its’ most successful line of skis ever. While they are keeping a lot of the Bandit technology and molds for the 2008-2009 season; gone is the name that captured so much of the retail ski market over the past decade. In 2003, I became a fan of the Bandit X, added the B2 (formally Bandit XX) in 2006, and last year I went for what I would consider one of the best all-around skis I’ve ever had under foot, the B83 (formally the Bandit XXX and B3). The Bandit lines were popular for combining skiers’ desire for wide skis for crude and powder with various side cuts. While most companies were building fat skis or shaped skis, Rossi was able to do this together. Instead of naming a new line, the models will all have separate monikers and topskin designs. It’s truly the end of an era is skiing.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That's kind of sad.

However IMHO the latest Bandits weren't that great.

The original x / xx / xxx -series (published in 1998?) and its forefather Cut 11.5 were real cult skis though. The ones that revolutionalized the whole (free)skiing back in the day!