Last year Head introduced the first skis – and one of the first consumer products of any kind – using Graphene™, the miracle material one-atom thick.  As the apotheosis of gossamer, Graphene was a perfect fit for women’s skis, so that’s where it was first applied, to universal acclaim.

This season Head introduced two new men’s lines featuring Graphene, the Monster series, sold without an integrated binding system, and the Instinct collection, a nearly parallel line built with bindings included.  The Raw Instinct plays second fiddle to the Power Instinct in the new line (although both are priced identically), but our panel placed the Raw’s performance at the head of the Instinct clan.

The addition of Graphene allowed Head to trim some excess weight from the Power and the Raw, but they retain a wood core and two Titanal laminates so they don’t end up in the same featherweight country as the women’s Joy models.  This is why the Raw skis like a strong, traditional ski with a flat (unrockered) tail, only revealing its relatively lighter heft when circumstances conspire to lift a ski off the snow.

The Raw out-performed the Power in our estimation as it proved easier to bow into a deep arc and more amenable to drifting to the edge, a subtle skill prized by the expert skier.  This raised our impression of its overall comportment, making it our pick as the best ski in the Instinct litter.