Tired of Ski Shopping? Rossignol's "One Tool Wonder" Makes Having a Single Plank Quiver Easy

For the last few seasons, Rossignol has been taking the freeride world by storm with their Sender Free 110 and Sender Free 118 skis. A more recent addition, the Sender Free 100, takes that winning layup and slims it down for more versatile all-mountain use (yes, you noticed correctly: the “Free” has been dropped from this line’s name). Not every day can be a powder day, you know? This slighter option borrows heavily from its cousin, the 110, to create a more accessible daily-driver freeride ski.

There are skis that we want to ride every day, and then there are skis that we should ride every day. The Sender 100 is a ski that conveniently falls into both categories. Its versatility as a freestyle-friendly everyday ripper is astounding—it absolutely rails hardpack, has a ton of pop and playfulness for jibbing natural features and lapping the park, features enough heft to stay on top of a few inches of powder, and is quick and nimble enough for slithering through trees, moguls, and other tight terrain. 

Most of all, it can handle the kind of snow you’ll actually find at the resort better than most, making this an appealing choice for everyone from 50+ day-a-year chargers to more casual skiers looking for a fun ride. 

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Rossignol Sender Free 100 Specs

• Size skied: 170cm, 184cm 
• Lengths available: 162cm, 170cm, 178cm, 184cm, 190cm
• Sidecut: 131mm – 100mm – 123mm (184cm)
• Radius: 20m (184cm)
• Profile: Twin tip rocker
• Weight: 2000g (184cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Just like the existing skis in the Sender line, Rossignol equips the 100 with a familiar twin-tip shape. As the narrowest, most firm snow oriented ski in the bunch, the rocker lines are less pronounced, and a somewhat shorter (but still pretty long) 20m turn radius gives these some extra snappiness. The ski features very pronounced camber along much of the length of the ski.

I was actually surprised to learn that the Sender 100 didn’t contain any metal. Instead, Rossignol relies entirely on the thickness of the wood core for stiffness and damping. On firmer snow, the grip and damping of the ski sure feels like there’s metal in there, but the massive amounts of pop, quick rebound in carves, and energetic feeling quickly remind you there’s not. On the stiffness scale, they definitely fall on the stiffer end of the spectrum, though both the tips and tails are somewhat softer. 

The tip features Rossignol’s Air Tip construction (first seen in the Soul 7 skis of yesteryear), which uses a honeycomb construction to keep the tip weight down and reduce chatter.

Much like its bigger sibling, the recommended mount point is very far forward, at -3.5cm from true center. I never thought I’d say this, but the Sender 100 is actually one of the few skis this year where I might actually suggest that folks wanting a more traditional feel move 1-2cm back from the rec line! 

On-Snow Performance

If there’s a simple way to sum up the review of this ski, I’ll leave it at this: the Sender 100 is a freestyle ski that’s just really good at skiing.

Digging a little deeper, it’s the ski’s uncanny combination of carving ski-like edge grip and super bouncy and playful character that makes it so fun. On groomers, that powerful edge grip inspires high-speed carves, and really rewards driving the ski through the front of your boot. The stiff flex underfoot won’t buckle underneath you, but the poppy construction makes it bounce from turn to turn eagerly.

Take it off-piste, and the character changes to a more modern freestyle ski that’s super fun to tailpress and butter and promotes a more relaxed and centered skiing style. Better yet, though, much like its bigger sibling, the Sender 110, it will absolutely have your back if you need to ski fast through chunky, shitty snow that you’ll find on powder day afternoons at your local resort. The tips might get a little deflect-y at really high speeds, but you’ll be skipping over moguls and mank so fast you won’t really notice. 

At Grand Targhee, where we put the Sender 100 through its paces, one tester remarked that it was a “one tool wonder.” Another, who didn’t get along with a past line in the Sender lineage, the Black Ops, found that they enjoyed the 100, even if it wasn’t their top choice. “Relatively damp, loves a good slarved turn, but was shockingly good edge to edge,” they said.  

Comparisons 

All-mountain skis that blend freeride and freestyle characteristics are becoming more and more popular again, as park skiers are spending more time riding natural terrain, and “traditional” freeride skiers want skis that are more than one-dimensional chargers. 

Compared to perhaps the most popular “all-mountain freestyle” ski of recent years, Atomic’s Bent 100, the Sender 100 is much harder-charging, but still friendly enough for most skiers. The Sender 100 would be a better choice, though, for more aggressive or heavier skiers looking for a playful all-mountain twin. 

Compared to one of my personal favorites, the 2024/25 Rossignol Super Black Ops (also known as the Black Ops 98), there’s a really similar vibe, but in a bit more of a center-mount twin package. I think the Sender 100 is a more approachable ski for a larger variety of skiers, though.

A third comparison worth noting is to another personal favorite, the Faction Studio 2, which is likely the most similar ski out there right now. Both are quite stiff and meant more for high-speed resort ripping than noodling around the park, but the Sender 100 might take the cake for on-piste performance thanks to its extra pop and energetic feel.

What Type of Skier Is the Rossignol Sender Free 100 Best For? 

In a world of skis that often cater to very specific types of skiers, I’m actually pretty hard-pressed to think of a skier who wouldn’t enjoy the Rossignol Sender 100. Sure, there are better park skis, better dedicated carving skis, and obviously floatier powder skis, but the Sender 100 isn’t just capable of all these things; it’s actually quite good at them. If you’re a playful resort skier who likes to blast sidehits equally as much as carving smooth corduroy and are looking for a new daily driver twin tip, don’t skip out on these Rossignols.