Gear Review: Rossignol BC 125 Skis

Volcano season is still going on in Oregon, though things are starting to taper off. I wasn’t able to make it out this weekend, but Pete got some turns in on Mt. Scott (see his report here). There’s talk about heading up to Mt. Washington next weekend, and maybe Mt. Adams over 4^th of July. We’ll see...

In the mean time, I thought I would review another piece of gear. I have skied the Rossi BC 125s now for a little over a year, and I have noticed there aren’t many in-depth reviews of them. So, this is my attempt to shed a little light on the scaled-alpine situation.

I love my BC 125s. They are light, reasonably wide, and surprisingly stable. They are perfect for Oregon where long, flat approaches are often necessary to get the goods. What sets the BC 125s aparts from most other skis is their bases: they have a waxless kick pattern ("fish scales") on the base that allows you to use the skis like a cross country ski. The BC 125s aren't the best powder boards out there, but they can float well enough.

Bouncing through some Cascade Cement on Mt. Bailey 

Tech Specs:

Weight: ~ 3000 grams/pair (this is the published weight, I don’t have an accurate enough scale to differ)

Length: 175 cm (they come in a 165 and 185 too)

Dimensions: 125-90-115

Cap construction with a “wood-air” core

Skiability:

Opening things up on Cone Peak

It seems like one of the questions people are always asking about these skis is: “how do they ski?” (I know, an obvious question but read on and it will make sense). Typically, these skis are billed as an XC/light telemark ski. Often shops recommend pairing them with a NNN or lightweight 3 pin binding. For whatever reason, it seems Rossi doesn't market the skis for full on alpine skiing. 

I ride the BC 125s with dynafits, a four buckle boot, and I can charge about as hard as I want to in the backcountry (which is not that fast). They are mid-stiff (more noodly than my BD verdicts, but quite a bit stiffer than any foam core ski) and the sidecut on the ski is just right for most backcountry days. They are not a big mountain ski, but if your turns are anything from noodles to GS turns, then you will probably find you have enough ski under foot to keep you happy.

The skis excel in corn, but they keep an edge even on ice (at least as well as any non-race/groomer ski does). When I was on Mt. Hood in May, we had to deal with some pretty nasty, icy crust coming off of the summit. The combination of good ski technique (I learned to ski ice on the East Coast and raced for years) and the BC 125’s torsional rigidity made what should have been true survival skiing off the ~40 degree summit ridge almost fun. Further, they have handled Cascade Cement admirably. On my trips to Mt. Bailey and Cone Peak this season, I found they floated well, were playful in the trees, but remained stable when I opened up in the bowls.

The ski bases are probably my only true beef with the skiability of these skis. The BC 125s have a plastic base, rather than the sintered base you find on most alpine skis. As a result, they don’t hold a hot wax, and the bases can get kind of sticky in gloppy conditions. I find a little glide wax takes care of that. The upside of a plastic base is it can take a beating on sharp volcanic rock. The other thing about the bases is that the scale extrude, rather than being set back on the ski. Thus, the skis have a little more drag on the downhills, and you won’t glide as far on the flats. That being said, you won’t necessarily have to glide as far as your buddies on traditional bases because you can always release the heel and start xc stylin’ it. Speaking of which:

Climbing and Gliding: 

As much as we would love to believe that the skiability of our backcountry skis is paramount, the reality is we spend 90% of our time on the uphill (unless you are a really fast hiker and really slow skier). The Rossi BC 125s were built with the uphill in mind.

The BC 125 excels on the snow, but at just over 6lbs they carry comfortably

First off, they are light. Combined with dynafits or any tech binding, and you will hardly notice them on your feet. Second, the scales on the bases are capable of handling anything up to 15 degrees without a problem (perhaps less so in icy conditions). On flats, they glide like cross country skis. You move significantly faster with less effort compared to skinning. I’m not the fastest in my crew, but I can usually win the approach race with time to spare. Once things get steep, however, I usually have to apply the skins.

Finally, the BC 125s have the little details we have come to expect on dedicated backcountry skis: slightly raised tails to keep your skin clips out of the snow, and metal notches to preserve your skis for hundreds of climb/ski transitions.

Ideal Uses:

The BC 125 is not ideal for everything. I have found the ski to be great for volcanoes, hut trips, or any time I will have a long approach. I keep a pair of more downhill oriented skis for days when its all about the down. So, if you spend most of your time on volcanoes, hut trips, multi-day traverses, or accessing remote areas, the BC 125s will likely serve you well. If you prefer to session roadside attractions, keep looking. 

***

The last thing I will say about the BC 125s is that they are cheap. They retail for $350-400, and you can usually find them on sale at the end of the season for around $300 new.