2024 Head Super Joy

Over the last decade, the Frontside field has evolved to such a degree that Head’s Super Joy, the consummate carving machine, now looks more like an outlier than the norm.  Over that time span, the Super Joy’s construction and shape have undergone a series of major alterations; it’s still focused on carving up groomers and it still enjoys the unique advantages of having Graphene in its make-up, but the last two upgrades have altered the Super Joy’s on-snow comportment considerably. Just a few years ago, Head overhauled the Super Joy’s insides, kicking Koroyd to the curb and replacing it with an all-wood (Karuba and ash) core, supplemented by fiberglass for substance and snap, and more carbon for shock damping and snow contact.  Head also adorned the Super Joy with its Energy Management Circuit (EMC) that converts vibrations into electricity, which it uses to stifle high-frequency shocks. As significant as these construction changes were, the improvements made to the 2024 Super Joy have again raised its game to an entirely new level. The most obvious change is in its skinnier sidecut, particularly at the tip, where Head has lopped off nearly a centimeter. The narrower forebody won’t insist on tucking into the tippy-top of every turn, which is a major change in how the ski routinely behaves. While the new sidecut also entails a longer turn radius, it still skews to the short-turn side of the turn spectrum.  It just cedes more control to the pilot regarding trajectory.  Perhaps most importantly, the new sidecut will make the Super Joy far more amenable to off-trail conditions, so they needn’t always stick to perfectly manicured corduroy.