Racers are well aware of the super-charging effect of elevation, so naturally the by-racers-for-racers The Curv incorporates a two-piece plate that gives the skier extra leverage over the edge. The ski beneath the energy-enhancing Booster plate is a World Cup clone with a more user-friendly sidecut. Titanal sheets and a proprietary carbon weave called Diagotex™ provide the power source; The Curv’s triple-radius sidecut gives it the intense, addictive hook-up action you buy a carving ski for. The short-radius forebody initiates a tight turn the instant it’s tipped, the longer-radius center draws out the belly of the turn while the skier is laid over, and the short-radius tail maintains contact across the fall line.
In the Monster 88’s evolution from unflinching rail to supple carver it hasn’t departed from its original mission: to combine race room construction with off-trail dimensions. Once the sole province of technically proficient skiers, the latest Monster 88 Ti is more accessible to the less skilled and a better overall off-piste companion. Yet it still possesses the solidity that true experts appreciate. As tester Jon Beebe attests, the Monster 88 Ti is “a charging ski that you can load up and really accelerate out of a turn.” Because it is in some ways a throwback to when most AME skis were essentially wider Frontside skis, the Monster 88 Ti is a natural option for skiers hoping to replace an earlier iteration of the genre.
By increasing sidewall height at the extremities, Head made the V-Shape V10 softer underfoot. This allows skiers who don’t visit the gym on every off day to bend a high performance carving ski. Complementing the easy-bowing action is a subdued rebound, like a slingshot in slow motion. Agile enough to negotiate most mogul fields, the V-Shape V10 would prefer not to, as it’s forte is continuous carving, as in top to bottom. This all but mandates an even carpet as the skier’s canvas, rather than the rough-and-tumble of off-trail terrain. Lighter weight skiers, like the chic Danielle Goldsmith from the shop that bears her name, will find the V-Shape V10 to be “fast, with incredible edge grip. Feels like a GS with an 85mm waist,” she notes.
