More than a single niche: Rossignol’s Escaper 97 Nano proves it can be many capable things all season long.
Here we are—mid-April. And as the temp swings between highs and lows, we are in firm-to-soft snow season. Corn is here. Which, in part, was a key use case for hopping on and using, for three months when conditions were apt, the Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano.
Let’s jump into use cases here. For a refresher, check out the first look, which lays out some differences between the Blizzard Zero G 95 (about to be retired by Blizzard), my spring ski for the past several seasons, and the Escaper 97 Nano.
Construction
If you’ve got a keen eye and ear and maybe have read some industry copy, in some ways, Rossignol’s touring lineup resembles that of Dynastar. You’re on to something; the Rossignol Group owns Dynastar. Regarding the touring skis, they offer rectangular full sidewalls, a Paulownia core, Nano Basalt (for dampness, I’m told), and Titanal underfoot. We are grateful that Rossi sees the upside of placing a skin tip notch on skis in their touring lineup. I suppose I’ll chat about overall durability here. I’m not easy on my gear—tools not jewels. I sometimes, maybe too often, prefer walking across rocks or dirt with skis on rather than transitioning. The bases have held up with no signs of excessive wear. Topsheet, it’s the same, so far, no chipping, and they have held up to my errant steps where I set a ski crampon (with full weight) on the adjacent ski. How well will they hold up over the years? Time will tell.
Rossignol’s Escaper 97 Nano is a well-rounded tool that can extend your season from mid-winter to well into spring.
Specs
Sizes Available (cm): 161, 169 (tested/reviewed), 177, and 185
Weight (169cm): 1315g/ski (Zero G 95 171cm, 1195g/ski)
Shape (mm, 169cm): 126-97-116 (Zero G 95 shape 171cm: 125-95-109)..
Turn Radius ( for 169cm): 17m
Construction: Paulownia, full-length vertical sidewall, 0.4mm Titanal layer underfoot, and fiberglass. A Titanal sheet is located underfoot.
Drill size: 4.1x9mm
Bindings: Plum R-170
Boots: La Sportiva Kilo and Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro
Price: $650.00
A small difference, but a difference. The Zero G 95 (bottom) presents a higher and stronger camber profile. Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano (top).
The material thickness profile of the Escaper 97 Nano (left) compared to the ZG 95 (right). This general material profile remains in the tails, too. While the ZG 95s are lighter, the Escaper 97 Nanos are more damp.
Another look at the material thickness profile: ZG 95 (bottom), Escaper 97 Nano (top).
If you’re looking for more images and beta, check out THR’s Escaper 97 Nano First look.
Use Cases
There were and are a few use cases where I sought out the Escaper. The first thing to note is that I’m only sometimes a fool. On powder days, like legit powder days, I’m using dedicated powder skis, not the Escaper— which I’m using in a 169 cm length. My powder skis are wide and in the mid-180s for length, except for the Noctas—but I digress. If you seek a more all-around version of the Escaper 97 Nano, suitable on powder days, go for the 177 or 185. And mount the binding according to the recommended mount point, which is ~ -12cm for a more appropriate float. As noted in the first look, I mounted +2cm from recommended for a more balanced ski in steeper terrain.
Further, the Escaper 97 Nano features more tip rocker than the ZG 95. This was an attribute I sought, as mid-winter can also mean high pressure, where a shorter and lighter ski is more desirable. My rationale was that with the more rockered tip and slightly stiffer flex all around, relative to the ZG 95, I’d have more latitude regarding the ski’s sweet spot from the beginning to the end of the season. This hypothesis proved true.
I wanted a ski with more versatility than a ZG 95 when conditions called for a short ski in a medium width that wasn’t so compartmentalized into the niche of steep and firm-snow performance—which is how I’d categorize the ZG 95.
Powder
Part of any ski review means taking the ski out in most if not all, conditions. Despite my mount point and short length, this ski was along for the ride when meadow skipping on dust on crust, or less than ample dumps; dumps in the 1″ to 4″ range. 5″ and +… I get greedy and reach for powder planks. Again, if I had the longer Escaper 97 Nanos, I’d have more latitude here. (The struggle, my friends, isn’t so real.)
In less deep powder snow, be it dry or wetter, I had a playful directional ski with no problem getting the tips to plane and command tight turns in tight trees. The turning radius is 17m and feels as advertised. These conditions are part of the payoff for the front rocker and somewhat wide tip. The front rocker isn’t excessively long, yet it does a fine job of riding over inconsistencies and/or keeping the tips above the surface. Otherwise, this is not a pivoty or loose-vibe ski. You’re still skiing a very directional ski.
Variable
Variable snow has a wide range of descriptors. In my experience, this is where the wide shovel and longer-tip rocker comes in handy. Although I keep the speed down in this length ski, the front end provides a bit of suspension over bumps and inconsistencies compared to the ZG 95. The wider tail was a bit grabby and less releasable in breakable conditions. However, with more mass overall, combined with the more forgiving front-end shape, relative to the ZG 95, the Escaper 97 Nano felt more damp, as in less pingy, and I experienced less tip deflection. As I looked into short skis to experiment with during high pressure and legit spring conditions, these were some attributes I sought, and the Escaper 97 Nano delivered.
This is the use-case when the Escaper 97 Nano shines: Mid-winter high pressure and the mixed bag of conditions.
Mid-Winter High-Pressure Objectives
In recent years, I feel like we’ve gotten extended periods of high pressure, call it two to four weeks, where powder is somewhat hard to find, but wind board, maybe corn, some slight breakable, yet, 2D snow reigns. These are times when I can safely travel deeper into the hills with less worry about slides. In other words, the alpine tends to open up.
The ZG 95, as many know, is a lightish ski, at 1195g/ski in 171 cm. The Rossi’s have more heft, at 1315g/ski in 169 cm. More heft often means better descending. This was true. Although ski behavior is an amalgam of materials, shape, mount point, and some other magic, not just weight, the Escaper 97 Nano was more forgiving overall. While I might pick the ZG 95 over the Escaper 97 Nano in some instances, in the big picture, if I encountered many conditions in the alpine, which is typical mid-winter, I preferred this ski.
Jump turns into semi-breakable snow felt a bit more tolerable. Jump turns into soft-breakable snow was bliss. Edging on squeaker snow, I felt confident, as did my jump turns on zipper crust and corn. That wider tip—maybe that was the magic—seemed to offer more cushion and stability than I had previously experienced in a 95 mm underfoot ski.
The Escaper 97 Nano has enough heft to descend well and “light enough” to feel fine secured on the pack for longer spring missions.
The Spring Objectives
We’re about a month into true spring here by the calendar date. By snow conditions, we’re roughly two weeks into spring considering the ample freeze temperature swings. Which means firm, icy snow is expected. And some corn. And some debris on the egress. Anyhow.
The ZG 95 is torsionally and lengthwise a bit stiffer than the Escaper 97 Nano. We’ve already mentioned the wider tip and longer tip rocker; the effective running length of the Rossi is a bit shorter as a result. It follows that on firm snow that sounds like ice–and ice that is actually ice—the ZG 95 has a more edge hold. As expected, that extra hold is more noticeable on the front end with the ZG 95. Along those lines, the ZG 95 has a slightly higher (7.55 mm compared to 4.64 mm for the Rossi—both measured at mid-point) resting camber and stronger camber overall than the Rossi, which helps with the ZG 95’s superior edge hold. Splitting hairs further, the Rossi feels more damp on the firm stuff. I’ll attribute this to the Rossi’s thickness profile throughout, particularly the ski’s front end.
A note I have is that when gaining speed as the pitch eases, the Escaper 97 Nano, with its shorter turning radius, pulls across the fall line slightly, making it a bit more difficult to open up the turns. These skis want to lock into the prescribed turn radius.
Uphilling and Groomers
As my friends know, as I age, my interest in riding lifts is indirectly correlated to my age. Time won’t stop. I’m getting older. Yet my tolerance for riding lifts and dodging other skiers on curated slopes is near an all-time low. I’d rather go off in the woods and skin. This means that my time on groomers is somewhat limited. I did use the Rossi’s for resort uphilling on several occasions. They are fun. They ski with some heft (relative to carbony & lighter weight skis), and setting an edge is firm and crisp when at speed. Call them downright fun. For those keen on GS turns, as noted in the spring objectives portion of the review, this ski likes medium radius turns.
The End
An aspect of the Escaper 97 Nanos, and the Rossignol touring lineup, generally, is their price point. At $650 for a new pair of skis manufactured in France (pre-tariff turmoil), you can get yourself into a great ski that meets high durability and performance standards. Want a skinnier ski built on a similar platform, the Escaper 88 Nano costs $600.00, and it looks a lot like the venerable Dynastar M-Vertical 88 F-Team. (I cannot keep up with all the name changes at Dynastar, so the ski might have a new name by the time you read this).
Overall, I found the Escaper 97 Nano an excellent ski. The major draw is that these planks do many things well. I feel like I nailed the use case scenario: I found a more all-around ski relative to the Zero G 95, an asset from mid-winter and well into spring. (The ZG 95 remains a niche ski, for me. But it’s so good in that niche.) I see myself bringing this ski to places like the Wind Rivers for objective skiing, where you’re likely to hit the full spectrum of conditions in spring, and for more moderate volcano missions, where the angles and exposure are dialed back and the corn cycle is more predictable.
