Two years ago, 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, a feat reprised this season. 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 current 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.
On my second run of my first day on a pair of Kore 111’s, I experienced the most perfect powder epiphany of my recent past. I was at Snowbird, on the lower flanks of Gad Valley, where I came across an uncut aisle of Wasatch white, with faint humps indicating where rhythmic moguls lay two feet beneath my skis. Said skis instantly found the pulse of this tidy corridor, swiveling sideways effortlessly as I descended the powder staircase. It was a moment so magical it felt like I had escaped the bonds of gravity and time, and their evil progeny, aging.
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.
The Kore construction didn’t need the 111 to validate its growing reputation as one of the great off-trail series of all time, yet it may be the archetypical Kore that epitomizes what this design does best. One of the defining characteristics of a great ski is its ability to perform tasks at an elite level that it was never designed to do. Starting from scratch, without design or cost limitations, I doubt anyone could make a ski better adapted to off-trail skiing than the Kore 111. Yet it transitions to hard snow so seamlessly you almost want to look down to be sure they haven’t shrunk to a Frontside waistline.
About the only caveat I can concoct is that the Kore 111 could use a little cushion to push against. By that I mean, if the top 1mm of the snow surface is unrelenting, of course it’s going to drift; but if there’s even an ounce of cream for the base to brace itself, the Kore 111 knows how to come around on a line. While we don’t recommend skis this wide for all-day, hard-snow skiing, the Kore 111 can handle it if you can. There isn’t a condition it can’t adjust to, including trees and moguls, because it can switch from a carve to a drift and flip back on edge in mid-turn. There aren’t a lot of other skis this wide that feel this nimble, yet are so connected on groomers they’re actually fun to cruise on corduroy. There may not be any.
Even though it has the power to electrify a village, the Kore 111 never feels challenging to ski. For its elite, yet accessible, performance, we again award it a Silver Skier Selection.