Kore 105
The central concept behind the new Kore series is that fat skis built along traditional lines, like the Monster 108, weigh a ton, thanks to all the extra material they lug around. The trick to pulling off a crash diet is to strip away ounces without paring away all power and personality. The Kore 105’s Graphene, Koroyd and Karuba construction kicks butt yet weighs as much as an egg carton filled with butterflies.
Supershape i.Rally
The i.Rally is dying to demonstrate proper carving technique. Just tip it on edge and it immediately gets the hint, settling into an arc with the ease of cat curling up on a sofa. If you want a tighter arc, all you have to do is ask by adding a measure of edge angle to the otherwise effortless process. The ski seems to gain energy as it accelerates, so the faster you go, the quicker the i.Rally responds. As long as the terrain is groomed, the i.Rally drives with precision, energy and confidence-building stability at speed.
Supershape i.Titan
One way to encapsulate the i.Titan’s personality is as “combi carver,” a ski with the stability at speed of a GS race ski and the quick reflexes of a slalom. It would take an avalanche to knock it off edge yet it can make serpentine S’s in an unending spool. What we wrote about the i.Titan last season still pertains: “This is what a perfectly balanced ski is all about, absolute power with fingertip control. It’s exhilarating to let the i.Titan run, leaning into the belly of big, bodacious arcs, feeling as carefree as riding first class.”
Worldcup Rebels i.SL RD
When it comes to building a better slalom ski, Head never takes a day off. Every year it tirelessly tinkers with the perfect formula, trying to solve a riddle that continues to vex them: why is it Head makes the best speed-event skis in the world but can’t come close to producing similar results in slalom? And every year I face a parallel-world conundrum: why does a ski that comes up short on the FIS level continue to thoroughly bedazzle our crew? Every tester who tries it steps off it in a trance, hypnotized by its across-the-board excellence.