Comments about Rossignol BC 70 Positrack Backcountry Skis:

Within certain constraints these are decent skis at a decent price. I paired them with NNN-BC bindings which seems to be a pretty good match. As other reviewers have noted they don't climb exceedingly well. My 25-year old Rossignol cross-country skis climb better than these. I was considering taking a Dremel to the fishscale pattern but that'd be a lot of work. Instead I purchased a set of cheap skins. These will work well on flat to gently rolling terrain. As a rough guide in the backwoods of Colorado they are fine on snow covered paved roads....however, snow covered dirt roads get a little too steep (hence the skins). Without skins you're gonna be doing a lot of herringbone and even that's not great with these. If they made the fishscale a little more aggressive these would be really decent skis for easy backcountry (at the expense of glide). If your goal is true backcountry off of the roads then look to something a little more heavy duty using skins. On the other hand if you're mostly skiing roads or very easy trails these would be a good choice and if you wish to extend their capability purchase a cheap set of climbing skins. As far as turning is concerned to make decent turns you need a little more sidecut...these are okay and if you have really solid cross-country technique you'll be okay. Again, for snow covered paved roads they'll be fine but for narrower, steeper trails you need really good technique. Bottom line is I'd would recommend these to a friend but only within their limitations (friend AND skis).

Comments about Rossignol BC 70 Positrack Backcountry Skis:

I have been out on this ski 3 or 4 times now. I think it is great at being fair to good at just about everything. It still fits in tracks but the metal edges help you dig edges off track. It is wide enough to have good float in powder, short enough to be manuverable. It is the perfect ski to have if you want to be able to do anything with just one ski. It is capable of anything. The previous reviewer was right that the ski is not excellent at anything. i would argue that it is excellent at being fair at everything. If you can't afford to have many skis for different conditions and want one ski that does it all, this is it.

Service and delivery comments:

There are 5 skis in the product line and REI only sells 2 of them. I don't know why they don't make the entire product line available. Also, getting knowledgeable help in the store can be spotty, almost need a second opinion when selecting gear. This is where the return policy comes in handy.

Comments about Rossignol BC 70 Positrack Backcountry Skis:

I've used these skis a couple of times in typical NW conditions that do not include powdery snow. I'm please with my ability to manuver on these skis, I can quickly turn, cutting an edge, they seem to do well climbing. They certainly seem to be perform as well as or better then my old Karhu Lookout skis and they are much lighter.

Comments about Rossignol BC 70 Positrack Backcountry Skis:

I've tried them on almost flat terain with 6-10 inches of fresh powder.They glide pretty well but have very poor grip. Had trouble to climb over little bumps.

Comments about Rossignol BC 70 Positrack Backcountry Skis:

For one full cross country ski season, I patiently tried to determine ideal conditions for these skis.

On ascents, on both groomed and ungroomed logging roads, I often needed to use climbing skins to prevent them from backsliding. This was the case even while ascending relatively gentle grades.

While descending groomed and ungroomed terrain, their relative shortness (compared with standard length cross country skis) made them difficult to control. In icy conditions, while descending, a great deal of (wedging) force is required to slow one's speed.

While these skis may be used in groomed tracks, the fit is very tight making for slow progress -- especially in freshly groomed tracks.

After giving up on these skis, I sold them and purchased a pair of Madshus Voss MGV+. For me, the Madshus are far more suitable for logging road touring in the Pacific NW.