Luke Koppa (5’8”, 155 lbs / 173 cm, 70 kg): The Rossignol Sender Free 110 and Dynastar M-Free 108 are two of the most notable skis in their class for the 23/24 season, with both offering (a) pretty stiff, heavy builds and (b) freestyle-friendly shapes, rocker profiles, and mount points. So we figured we’d do a standalone Flash Review for folks who are interested in how they compare. For the most part, we’ll be comparing the 191 cm Sender Free 110 and 192 cm M-Free 108, unless otherwise specified.

For me, most of the differences come down to their respective shapes first, then mount point. The Sender Free 110 has very little early tapering at the tips and tails, while the M-Free 108 has pretty tapered extremities. Their rocker profiles are pretty similar, and they come in at similar weights.

Overall, the Sender Free 110 feels more precise to me, and a bit more demanding. The Sender Free 110 is easily the better carver, with quicker turn initiation and better edge hold. On the flip side, the M-Free 108 is considerably looser, especially on firm snow. The M-Free 108 also feels a bit more forgiving to me, and I think its suspension is a bit more plush / smooth / better at absorbing small impacts and vibrations. However, in chop and crud, I think the Sender Free 110 is the winner in terms of high-speed composure, in large part because you can really lean into it and engage most of the ski on edge.

Personally, I think I prefer the M-Free 108, especially for Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The Sender Free 110 feels a bit more inclined to go fast and make big turns, while the M-Free 108 is a touch more manageable at slower speeds and in tighter terrain. If I skied at a more open place like Snowbird or Palisades Tahoe, I might be more in favor of the Sender Free 110.

As far as stance goes, the M-Free 108 feels a bit more accepting of a forward, driving stance, but both skis can be skied quite centered. With both skis mounted on their respective recommended mount points, I think the more rearward-mounted M-Free 108 wins when it comes to flotation in very deep snow, but in my mind, it’s a pretty close call.

Overall, these are some of my favorite skis for mobbing through soft-ish snow, even if it’s pretty tracked out. They work really well for my skiing style, with the M-Free 108 working a bit better in tighter, more technical terrain (due to its looser / surfier ride), while the Sender Free 110 feels a bit more game-on but can be pushed a bit harder in firm snow. As for the 184 cm Sender Free 110 vs. 182 cm M-Free 108, all of what I said above stands, but I’d say it’s even more exaggerated with those shorter lengths, since the 182 cm M-Free 108 feels a lot looser and less stable in chop / crud than the 192 cm version.

Jonathan Ellsworth (5’10”, ~180 lbs / 178 cm, ~81.6 kg): It’s interesting reading Luke’s thoughts, because I’m not sure if we’re in total agreement on this one — or at least not yet.

I spent all day this past Saturday on the 191 Rossi Sender Free 110, then all day Sunday on the 192 Dynaster M-Free 108. And here’s my first big takeaway: if I was committed to skiing skis on their respective recommended lines, then I would definitely opt for the M-Free 108 with its -8 cm mount point. In powder and soft chop, there were too many times when the Sender Free 110 felt too short-shoveled to me, with its -3.5 cm mount point.

On firmer snow, I’ve actually gotten along quite well with the more forward-mounted Sender Free 110, and I like how relatively easy it is to work such a big ski around in moguls and tight spaces.

Blister reviews the Rossignol Sender Free 110
Dylan Wood on the Rossignol Sender Free 110 (Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO)
But typically, I tend to prefer skis that are mounted at least 6 cm behind center, so the mount point of the M-Free 108 feels more comfortable to me. That said …

I really like the shape of the Sender Free 110, and what I now want to do is get out on it at -6 or -7, because if mounting back doesn’t mess up the all-around performance of the ski, I suspect that I would opt for it over the looser M-Free 108.

(Luke: For reference, most of what I said above is based on skiing the Sender Free 110 mounted about -5 cm from true center, and the M-Free 108 mounted roughly around -6.5 cm from true center. Personally, I haven’t found that moving a cm or two away from either ski’s recommended mount point drastically changes their overall feel, but typically, somewhere around -6 cm from true center is where I often find the sweet spot of shovel support and balance with playful but stable skis like these two.)

Jonathan: And we have some significant precedent here: I looooooove the Rossignol Blackops 118 mounted behind its recommended line (opting for around -6 cm from true center); see Luke and Dylan’s Flash Review of the Sender Free 110 for more on that comparison. And let’s remember that this Sender Free 110 was supposed to be a narrower Blackops 118. I can’t say that the 191 cm Sender Free 110 really reminds me very much of a narrower 186 cm Blackops 118 — it actually reminds me more of another ski I love, the 194 cm Rossignol Sender Squad, which (interestingly) has a mount point of -6.25 cm.

Take a look at the specs of the Rossi Sender Squad vs the Sender Free 110:

194 cm Rossi Sender Squad
Measured Dimensions: 141.1-110.4-131.5 mm
Stated Radius: 25 m
Measured Weight per Ski: 2412 & 2426 g
Measured Tip-to-Tail Profile: 56 mm / 3.5 mm / 26 mm
Measured Length: 193.3 cm
Measured Mount Point: -6.25 cm from center; 90.4 cm from tail
Core Construction: poplar + titanal underfoot + “Damp Tech” tip insert + fiberglass laminate

191 cm Rossi Sender Free 110
Measured Dimensions: 140.1-111.5-132.6 mm
Stated Radius (191 cm): 22 meters
Measured Weight per Ski: 2328 & 2370 grams
Measured Tip & Tail Profile: 65 mm / 4 mm / 48 mm
Measured Length: 189.5 cm
Measured Mount Point: -3.6 cm from center; 91.1 cm from tail
Core Construction: poplar + partial titanal layer + rubber inserts + “Air Tip” insert + carbon & fiberglass laminate

The Sender Free 110 is slightly lighter, and the biggest differences to me are (1) the more forward mount point on the Sender Free 110, (2) its additional tip and tail rocker, and then (3) the tails of the Sender Free 110 feel a bit more poppy and energetic vs the extremely plush and forgiving tails of the Sender Squad.

(Luke: Agreed. I’d also add that the Sender Free 110 generally doesn’t feel as ultra-smooth and trophy-truck-like as the Sender Squad or Blackops 118; as I noted in our original Flash Review of the Sender Free 110, this ski feels like its “suspension” is “tuned” more for composure at high speeds than comfort at slower speeds, whereas the Sender Squad and Blackops 118 feel more plush and like they mute out every little vibration / impact. Think Pro DH MTB racer’s suspension vs. your average rider’s MTB suspension.)

Jonathan: But let’s get back to the 192 cm Dynastar M-Free 108…

I think the 192 cm M-Free 108 is one of the best hard-charging pow skis out there in this width range. Since I still haven’t mastered the ability to ski deep snow on a forward-mounted ski without making its tips dive… the M-Free 108 wins here — though I fully believe that mounting the Sender Free 110 back to -6 will reduce that tip diving in pow.

And while Luke would rather be on the M-Free 108 in tight spaces and bumps… I’m not so sure. The M-Free 108 is certainly easy to pivot. But especially in big moguls, get back on the tails of the M-Free 108, and I found it to be a bit more punishing than the tails of the Sender Free 110.

Add that up with the fact that I (like Luke) prefer how the shovels of the Sender Free 110 engage and initiate turns in steep, firmer terrain compared to the M-Free 108, and I’m leaning toward taking the Sender Free 110 as my CB ski … if moving back to -6 cm makes the ski feel less short-shoveled while preserving everything else I really like about it.

And yes… I need to also get out on the 184 cm Sender Free 110 and try that ski mounted back. I already know that the 182 cm M-Free 108 felt entirely too short for me — that length felt like I was on ice skates with no effective edge.

So that’s where I’m currently at.

For those of you who like bigger skis and also like forward mount points (read: the majority of today’s FWT skiers??), I think you’re going to love the Rossi Sender Free 110 on the recommended line.

And for those who want their 108mm-wide skis to be good at going fast and also offer very good flotation, the M-Free 108 is probably the right choice.

Finally, for those of you who want incredible suspension and one of the best big-mountain, variable conditions-to-soft-conditions skis out there, then the 194 cm Rossi Sender Squad still really ought to be on your radar.

Time to now go get back on the Sender Free 110 mounted behind the line….