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Cage Match Comparison 2017 Head Supershape Rally vs 2017 K2 Super Charger

gwasson

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OK, I am back. I have had this discussion with a K2 Rep. He asked why am I reviewing a ski that shops won't be carrying? I asked why are you offering a ski that you don't want to promote? We need to show brands that good skis like this need to be in shops. Start calling around..ask for the ski. LEt shops know there is a demand for the skis.

@Cheizz, the ski was designed with Europe in mind. You guys get all the good stuff. :(

It's kind of crazy if this is not a ski they want to promote. It is one of the featured skis on their website. And why can't you buy it direct from K2 like all their other skis? Are they still waiting for additional stock from the factory?

I'm on the east coast, so it is definitely a ski I want to be on. I've been told by my local shop that it is like the old Moto SL, which I still have in my quiver. One of my favorite K2's going back to the VO Slaloms.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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It's kind of crazy if this is not a ski they want to promote. It is one of the featured skis on their website. And why can't you buy it direct from K2 like all their other skis? Are they still waiting for additional stock from the factory?

I'm on the east coast, so it is definitely a ski I want to be on. I've been told by my local shop that it is like the old Moto SL, which I still have in my quiver. One of my favorite K2's going back to the VO Slaloms.
Here is some salt for the wounds...
IMG_0110.JPG
 

François Pugh

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BTW, where this is coming from is that I own two non-race 66 mm Head Supershapes (2013 Supershape KERS, and 2014 Mya 7, which is the woman's version of the Supershape Speed), and I've demoed a few mid-70's skis, including the 76 mm Supershape Rally. Now maybe I'm just unusual in this regard, but I found such a striking difference in hard snow performance that I personally can't call the mid-70's models hard snow skis.

More broadly (and I'm not referring to you here, just talking about general trends), the industry has a tendency to market up through the mid-80's for hard snow*, and I think that does skiers that truly want a hard snow ski a disservice. So, as a public service for these skiers, I'm doing my part to be a "vox clamantis in deserto" ;) against this.

*Consider the 2017 Ski Magazine Buyers Guide. Their narrowest category is groomer skis (granted not hard snow, but it's the narrowest grouping they give). They list 13 skis, with widths as follows: {76, 85, 84, 80, 78, 81, 80, 72, 84, 84, 72, 84, 80} (mean width is 80). So basically the entire 60's category is being ignored.
I agree with Chemist.

I most often ski on hard snow. I own the Fischer WC SC. It is not a race ski. It is a hard snow ski.
I spent an afternoon putting the i. Rally through it's paces. It works okay on hard snow. It is not a hard snow ski.
Calling these 76 mm things hard snow skis is why we end up with folks buying mid 80 cm skis for their eastern hard-snow-only-ski to fulfill their quiver and asking what length to get instead of asking what ski to get.

I would draw the line at the camaro as a sports car; the Impala SS and the Dodge Charger are NOT sports cars.

That being said, I did enjoy the extra width making boot-out less of a problem. These skis will hold a turn, but are not as quick edge to edge, and require a bit more to get them up on edge. The early rise is notcieable, but if you already know what you're doing you can dive right into the turn and know the edges will bite once you get far enough into the turn. My old injured knee complained at the end of the day; it would have been fine on my Fischers or another pair of hard snow skis.

I'm sure things (especially snow- at least it used to be) are different in the PNW.
 

jo3st3

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I really like the Head Rally. 6'1" 190lbs, with a 326 bsl.

I was going to pick up last years model to save some money. I thought it was only a graphic change at first. Now I understand there's a binding change as well. I've demoed both last year and this years ski, and both seemed great to me on a demo day.

1. Should I get this years model because of the newer binding? It sounds like the new prd heel binding has more release angle capabilities vs the race type heel in the prx. And I'm unsure what to think about this 4mm vs 8mm ramp angle stuff... kind of confusing. Did they try to dumb down this years ski vs last year by getting away from the forward angle and race type heel... or are they moving toward a more modern upright stance now and that's better?

2. Would you recommend the 177 length? I've tried both the 170 and 177 and both were fine. The 170 feels maybe a little short for me, and in comparison, I also ski an enforcer 93 in 185.
 

François Pugh

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Returning to the original question: Rally vs. Supercharger. I'd demoed both at A-Basin last spring (Thanks, Phil) and somewhat preferred the K2s (which surprised me, as I've found all K2 frontside skis totally lifeless for the past 10 years). Wanted to do another comparison, so I went to Loveland this week and skied them back to back. Results? A clear win for the K2 Supercharger. Notes from the test:

"K2 Supercharger (76 waist) (168 length): Beautifully smooth, powerful, great grip, even flex. Connected to the snow, but not overly damp/heavy feeling. Best K2 front-side carver in years. Perhaps a bit too firm for all day if under 180 lbs."

"Head Rally (76 waist) (170 length): Stiff and dead. Just not fun."

A few caveats: I'm 155 lbs. Neither ski was what you would call effortless at my weight, but the K2 was certainly less work. A slightly heavier skier would like either even more. The K2 rep said one thing that differentiated the Supercharger from the milder Charger (which was unavailable to test) was the new Marker X-cell binding that comes with the ski. New piston design in the toepiece supposedly transfers energy better to the ski. Don't know the mechanics (Phil?) but whatever it was, worked.

A couple of other Loveland test notes on carve-oriented recreational skis I tested: For a heavier skier (over 185 lbs.) looking for a similar ski, consider the Fischer "The Curv" DTX (72 waist) (171 length): Similar to K2 but a bit damper. Powerful, smooth, great grip, even flex. Great frontside battle cruiser.

For a lighter skier who wants a more nimble ski that still holds beautifully, try the Dynastar Speedzone 10 (72 waist) (167 length): Smooth, connected to the snow, not overly firm, even flex. Close to great, older Dynastar Speed Ti in feel, though perhaps not quite as snappy. I found the Dynastar Speedzone 12 a bit heavy and dead.
I can't say anything about the K2 Chargers, but I did get to ski the the I. Rally over the Christmas Holidays at Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island. I weighed myself the same day and weighed 155 lbs - same as @mike_m. The snow had undergone a number of freeze-thaw cycles and it had not snowed in about a week. I guess this would qualify as "hard snow" out west. Where I ski, hard snow is snow that you cannot penetrate with a ski pole. This snow was not that hard.

It's all relative. To me this ski was very lively and had lot's of energy. True it did not have the precise instant response and tip connection of my WC SCs, but it truly was fun to carve up a storm on the "hard" western groomed runs. After skiing three other skis ranging in width from 96 cm to 108 cm, the 76 mm waisted Rally did not seem like it took much of an effort to get it up to a high edge angle at all. My knees were also fine. In that "western" hard snow (i.e. hero snow) the front edge/tip response also would not have been a noticeable thing had I not already been spoiled by the SCs, so much so that I did not consider it worth mentioning.
 

ARL67

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Any changes with the 2018 Super Charger, or is it merely infused with NGT ?
Last year's model can be had for very cheap at some online shops.

2017:
k2_skis_2017_supercharger.jpg


2018:
k2_2018_supercharger.jpg
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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Any changes with the 2018 Super Charger, or is it merely infused with NGT ?
Last year's model can be had for very cheap at some online shops.

2017:
k2_skis_2017_supercharger.jpg


2018:
k2_2018_supercharger.jpg
the 2018 was enhanced with NGT, New Graphic Technology.
 

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