Why you’ll love it: The Rossignol XV Sushi is uniquely designed for powder with its wide shape and split tail, but its straight, relatively long rail and set-back stance help you hold an edge on steep, groomed terrain.
The Rossignol Sushi is built like a surfboard to plow through and coast over powder. It won’t really serve you too well in the terrain park, especially if you're riding switch and performing rotational maneuvers, but the big, shovel-like nose is a delight in the fluffy stuff, on and off the trail.
Most powder boards tend to have softer edges, which help keep your speed up when turning through powder where stopping can leave you neck-deep and requiring a shovel to get back underway. The distinct “fish” shape of the Rossignol Sushi, taken from a classic 1970s-era surfboard design, gives it a fairly straight edge and a long point of contact, so handling the hard-packed snow isn’t out of the question, though beginner and intermediate boarders might want to take note: It’s not necessarily easy.
It also has a stance setup which plays two-fold: With your back foot placed near the tail (just like on a short surfboard or skateboard), you can lean back and keep the nose up in powder, but you can also lean forward or center your weight and get a lot of use out of the stiff, voluminous nose when you need to bleed speed and/or turn on steeper and groomed slopes.
Still, this is a powder board, and the underfoot camber allows you to turn this otherwise fat plank of a board on a dime. A thrifty rider probably won’t have much trouble at all hitting steep groomed trails with the Sushi, but it’s going to be a solid 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) shorter than your average downhill board, and you’ll feel it at times.
Ten centimeters might not sound like a lot, but on a snowboard that’s all of about 155 centimeters (5-foot-one-inch) or so, it makes for a lot less volume.
Outside and snowboard-centric site The Good Ride both also love the Sushi for what it’s designed to do. We all acknowledge it’s nowhere close to the ultimate all-around board, but it is exactly what you want for far-flung, off-trail adventuring.
If you’re also considering a splitboard, which is the ultimate off-trail setup, Rossignol also makes the XV Sushi (LG) in that design. Just remember that if you’re looking to “skin” (that is, put skins on the board in ski form and push up a slope), you’ll need to buy skins separately. These Spark R&D Skins fit the Sushi. — Owen Burke
Pros: A powder board which, under the right feet, can handle steep groomers too
Cons: Directional, not ideal for technical maneuvers in terrain parks or riding switch
Buy the Rossignol XV Sushi LF from Backcountry for $449.95
Buy the Rossignol XV Sushi LG from Backcountry for $549.95