The Rossignol Mini Snowboard

by Matt Abernathy

Reprinted with permission from SnowEast Magazine

I have seen many snowboard designs come and go and then along comes the Rossignol Mini board. This is breakthrough technology that creates a new experience, Mini boarding. And Mini boarding is big fun!

At 121cm, it looks like a kid's board but it is for all sized riders. As wide as a full size board it flexes and carves like one too. But riding the Mini is snowboarding miniaturized! Where riders might make two turns,  on the Mini they make four or five. Tiny little banks, bumps, or bonks suddenly become tons of fun. The Mini board makes small mountains big, easy trails interesting, and little obstacles larger.

The Mini is no toy. Using a poplar wood core and a sintered stone ground base this high quality construction is combined with design features like a 25cm waist so it can perform like a large board. A common four hole binding pattern means most bindings fit and allow some flexibility in stance widths. The Mini excels in the park. The lack of tip and tail make it a snap to get on and off of rails and boxes. The pipe is a pleasure as the board is light and quick to maneuver. Despite its miniscule stature, the Mini handles park jumps just as well as one of its Rossignol big brothers. The Mini is no toy. Using a poplar wood core and a sintered stone ground base this high quality construction is combined with design features like a 25cm waist so it can perform like a large board. A common four hole binding pattern means most bindings fit and allow some flexibility in stance widths.

The Mini excels in the park. The lack of tip and tail make it a snap to get on and off of rails and boxes. The pipe is a pleasure as the board is light and quick to maneuver. Despite its miniscule stature, the Mini handles park jumps just as well as one of its Rossignol big brothers.

The Mini turns quickly and often so riders probably won't want to get in thousands of vertical feet. Instead they can work less mountain for more turns, jumps. and jibs. Novice terrain and mini parks take on a new look from the Mini perspective.

Some friends and I gave the Mini a good workout under a variety of classic East Coast conditions. We enjoyed it on everything from spring slush to icy hard pack. Grins and giggles were the norm, as each rider discovered what a hoot Mini boarding can be.

The Mini makes a great addition to a rider's quiver. On a Mini, snowboarding parents can slow down while riding on the hill with their kids and friends riding with the less experienced can do the same. As a snowboard instructor, I can see riding the Mini while teaching.

While it is fun to ride in a lot of situations, the Mini does have some limitations. Deep snow really high speeds, and huge airs are not among the Mini's strong suits, but that's not what it’s designed for.  

Riders from novice to pro can hop right on the Mini and go.  It doesn't matter how big the rider is either.  A 260 lb, friend had so much fun he wants a Mini of his own.

So, the Mini is a new sensation in snowboarding.   On it I got double-takes all the time. But I promise that in the near future it won't be unusual to see a Mini board at all. 

Matt Abernathy is a longtime Eastern snowboarder, an AASI level 3 certified snowboard instructor, and a partner in MassIndustries.com, a Boston based apparel company.