by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The Kore 103 W is the unisex Kore 105 with a slightly forward mounting point, in a limited size run of only 3 lengths. A strong, athletic woman might think of looking past the women’s size selection at a 184cm, in order to maximize flotation and stability at speed, but if you pay heed to the testimony of the plus-sized Jim Schaffner, that’s probably a bad idea.
“In the shorter size, I felt the 105 to have even greater range and playfulness than the 184cm,” asserted the founder of Start Haus and an active race coach. “I must credit Head for delivering a ton of performance in the Kore line. With the exception of the 105, I skied all of the Kore models in the 177, and they all had amazing horsepower for a svelte 230-pounder like me.”
Schaffner’s experience underscores the importance of length selection. I, too, skied the 2023 Kore 105 in both a 184cm and 177cm, and found the shorter length to be substantially more maneuverable, playful and fun. With Graphene in its design arsenal, Head can make a make a ski that’s as stiff as a brick or flexible as a reed, and can just as easily fiddle with the ski’s rigidity anywhere along its flex pattern. This is what allows the Kore 103 W to be supple enough underfoot for a lighter weight skier to bend it, but firmer flexing at the extremities, so it can provide enough support from tip to tail to keep a tank like Schaffner afloat… and grinning ear to ear.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
In this ski’s original incarnation, the lightweight Blaze 106 W seemed best suited to intermediate to advanced skiers looking for a mellow drifter, but it found a second calling as an in-bounds/backcountry hybrid for experts who appreciated its light weight off-trail and more-than-passable performance on piste. For 2025, the newly anointed Blaze 104 W has been given such an appreciable upgrade that experts may gravitate to it based on its in-bounds performance alone, although its raison d’etre remains its proficiency off-piste.
What could have elevated the Blaze 104 W from an intermediate’s crutch to an expert’s daily driver? Part of the transformation was as simple as augmenting the core thickness, but more significant is a clever allocation of Titanal and glass that gives the cambered center of the ski far more power and bite when driven into the turn, married to an energy-fueled exit that makes flowing through the turn transition automatic.
Titanal laminates that run wall-to-wall in the ski’s midsection induce a calming effect that extends well past their footprint, giving the Blaze 104 W a security on edge you wouldn’t expect in such a light, fat ski. The new Blaze 104 W is skinnier than its predecessor, but that’s not the only reason it can cut a tighter turn. Völkl made the Blaze 104 one of the first of its collection to be the recipient of a 4-Radius Drive sidecut; an interesting choice, as 4-Radius Drive exists primarily to engage the first few cm’s in a short-radius arc, part of the ski every other model in the Big Mountain genre treats like a forgotten relative.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Salomon’s R&D department must be constantly fiddling with fibers, for every few years they re-arrange carbon, flax and basalt into different combinations that somehow out-perform the previous generation. In 2023, Salomon applied the same, end-to-end layer of C/FX’s latest incarnation that debuted three years ago in the QST 98. The 2022 Stella already had a Titanal mounting plate in its mid-section, a critical component in that its stabilizing influence extends beyond its borders. The fact that the skier has trouble defining the metal/non-metal border is a testament to just how substantial a weave of fabric can be, for the presence, or more accurately, the absence of Titanal is usually instantly detectable. In the Stella, the full-length C/FX factor is more dominant than the metal element, delivering a balanced flex stem to stern with a bite underfoot that won’t wilt in the face of boilerplate.
Reinforcing edge grip on the 2024/25 Stella is a “double sidewall” comprised of injected ABS strips just over the sidewalls in the middle of the ski that focuses pressure where it counts and when it’s needed. (The idea of getting more direct pressure applied precisely to the edge is the central concept behind the monocoque design that launched the Salomon ski into immediate importance when it debuted in 1989.) The QST’s happen to all have square sidewalls – somewhat debunking the monocoque myth – which is one reason the Stella has been so good for so long.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
When Fischer made the decision to be gender neutral in its 2023 Ranger ski line – meaning men’s and women’s models would use the identical recipe and even the same names – it did so by blending the constructions (and consequent behaviors) of its existing Ti and FR designs. As the Ti designs entailed metal (duh) and the more rockered FR skis did not, the blended design was almost certain to have Titanal in it, just not as much as the Ti’s of yesteryear.
The 2025 Ranger 102 is a product of this design union, retaining the loose and smeary extremities of the old 102 FR, with a patch of .5mm Titanal in the binding zone that palpably augments its gripping power. Of its two parents, it takes after its maternal (non-metal) side, limiting its displays of muscular power to the critical area underfoot. If you loved the retired FR for its surfy attitude, you’ll be at least as enamored of the 2025 Ranger 102.
Whether the Ranger 102 is a woman’s cup of tea depends on style and weight more than ability, although the Ranger 102’s soft flex is especially well suited to those making their first forays into sidecountry. The Titanal plate in its midsection sits astride a substantial beech and poplar core, so security underfoot shouldn’t be an issue for most female skiers. All things considered, the 2025 Ranger 102 amplified its forebear’s best assets without changing its fundamental character.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 1, 2023
Last year, Head didn’t consider the addition of a urethane coating sufficient to qualify its 2023 Kore models as new, and in the case of the Kore 111 – the widest 2023 Kores we essayed – we concurred. But answering the question of whether the 2023/24 version is a noticeable improvement over its near-clone predecessor isn’t as interesting as the fact that both ended up in the top spot in our Finesse rankings. What is it about the latest generation of Kore models that sets them apart from the rest of the pack?
Tech guru and Start Haus owner Jim Schaffner pondered this question after a day test driving the 2023 Kore collection. “This model impressed me as did the other Kore models I skied. Does Graphene work? It’s pretty easy to feel the similarity in all the Kore models. The feeling is one of power, and traction, and smoothing out the ride. I am not usually impressed with skis over 110 underfoot. Light and lively feeling, with strong feel on the edge. Very versatile,” the veteran gear tester concluded.
In last year’s review of the Kore 111, I shared the tale of my favorite run of the 21/22 season, cavorting in one of the few powder days of that sorry snow season. Last season, of course, was one of the most powder-choked ever, and on my annual hegira to worship at Snowbird the snow was uber-abundant, often shutting down all activity in Little Cottonwood Canyon. On one perfect morning, as soon as the inter-lodge closure was lifted, we were able to get on the first tram. It was my first run on a fresh pair of Kore 111’s, but the idea of reining in my enthusiasm because I was unfamiliar with the ski never occurred to me.
Throughout a transcendental morning, the Kore 111’s were immaculate. Light and easy to toss around in tight trees, I could stomp on them while scorching down the inevitable groomer and they never skipped a beat. The biggest problem with skis as wide as the Kore 111 is that their shortcomings start to show up as the powder “day” fizzles out around mid-morning. The Kore 111 could care less that the powder is kaput. Perhaps because Head replaced the Koroyd used in previous Kore cores with Karuba and poplar, the Kore 111 provides the feedback of a classic, wood and fiberglass chassis despite belonging in the same weight class as an anorexic Alpine Touring model.
I realize this sounds like a stupid thing to say, but the Kore 111 doesn’t ski wide, or at least not as wide as it measures, in part because it lacks Titanal laminates. Titanal accentuates torsional rigidity, which in turn augments the sensation of width because there’s no give along the longitudinal axis of the ski. Two sheets of Titanal is also a heavy load to haul around, particularly in powder, where they promote sinking over floating. The Kore 111 can afford to kick Titanal to the curb because it has Graphene in its guts, carbon in a matrix one atom thick that’s absurdly strong and damp.
