The Technical category is devoted to classic carving skis, a genre that remains robust in central Europe and is all but moribund in America. If you keep up with events in this obscure corner of our market, then you’re already aware that the mainstream European brands still take pride in their carving creations. No brand is more wedded to the concept of dual-track, continuous carving than Elan, and it shows in models like the Insomnia.
Elan’s signature – and singular – carving feature is called Amphibio, an asymmetrical baseline that’s fully cambered on the inside edge and modestly rockered on the outside so that the two skis will remain in perfect parallel as they pirouette down the piste. Short-radius turns are a particular specialty, as it’s always easier to coax a long turn out of short-radius sidecut (by reducing the edge angle), than it is to short turn out of long-radius shape without resorting to a partial drift.
[Neither the RC4 The Curv DTX nor its scores have changed since this review was posted last season.]
It’s not unusual for ex-racers to participate in product testing, but it’s rare for a major brand to toss the keys to the R&D department to three former World Cup stars with instructions to build the best ski they can, unconstrained by FIS regulations.
Built for high speed at high edge angles, The Curv DTX deploys a triple radius sidecut to accentuate turn entry and exit. This makes it exceptionally agile for such a strong, stable ski. While it’s unabashedly made for experts, The Curv DTX lacks the imposing Booster plate that adorns its stablemate and so is a bit easier to bend at subsonic speeds. The elimination of the Booster plate also opens up the versatility of the ski regarding turn shape and skier style. The Booster all but requires the skier to go all-in on every arc; without it, The Curv DTX feels more playful and willing to carve from a more upright stance.
For years, Kästle acted as if the women-specific ski market didn’t exist. Even its two-model LX series wasn’t made for women, per se, just for lighter skiers. If women wanted a Kästle, all they had to do was buy a shorter length, which, in Kästle’s defense, they did offer in all key models. For 20/20, Kästle has at last anointed three models as made expressly for women, of which the DX73 W is the narrowest. (The others are the DX85 W and FX96 W.)
While the DX73 W inherits the shape of the LX73 it replaces, it isn’t a replica. Each of the new model’s deviations from the old is aimed to make it a better match for more women. First, the DX73 W has no metal in its lay-up, which results in a significant loss in weight and gain in flexibility. In another weight reducing move, the wood core of the new model uses poplar in place of silver fir. The changes to the core composition make the DX73 W more responsive to a lighter skier.
[While there has been a slight shift in scores due to new data, both the Supershape i.Speed and this review are unchanged from last year.]
The Head Supershape i.Speed should be called the i.Quick, for while it probably isn’t the fastest ski, it’s certainly the quickest edge-to-edge, superiority it’s itching to flaunt. Point the i.Speed down the fall line, tilt, pressure and repeat. You expect it to make short-radius turns at the expense of all others, but the i.Speed only executes its tightest turns when raked up to a high edge. Relax the edge angle and you’ll discover the i.Speed’s stability in a long-radius arc is underrated.
Head uses Graphene, carbon in a matrix one-atom thick, to manage flex distribution. In the i.Speed, this means applying Graphene to the ski’s midsection so the reinforced center doesn’t have to be so thick. By apportioning more material to the tip and tail, the flex is not only rounder, it’s achievable with less pressure. This is one reason the i.Speed makes a better mogul manipulator than you might expect for ski with so much shape: the tip conforms to sudden terrain changes and the tail won’t wilt under any circumstances.
[While there has been a slight shift in scores due to new data, both Supershape i.Magnum and this review are unchanged from last year.]
Head was the first major manufacturer to embrace carving skis when they were still in their infancy, and the brand has never lost its commitment to perfecting the genre. The Supershape series is an unmatched collection of carving machines, and the i.Magnum is the shapeliest of them all, with a 59mm drop between its tip and waist dimensions, creating a turn radius (13.1m @ 170cm) tighter than that of World Cup slalom.
The slight early rise in its shovel is shallower than the same feature on the i.Rally or i.Titan, so the i.Magnum behaves more like a fully cambered ski than a rockered one. It doesn’t just like to carve; it insists on it. If you want to moderate its mongoose-quick reflexes, consider getting it in a longer length; if you’d prefer to accentuate its short-turn expertise, stick with the shorter length you’d normally use for a Technical ski.
Note that you don’t need length for stability as the i.Magnum is built to be as quiet as a Bentley in a Mini Cooper length. “A strong carver,” confirms California Ski Company’s Paul Jacobs. “Prefers short turns rather than long radius turns. Grippy, with excellent rebound.”
