Filling a gap in the quiver (Head Kores? Supershapes?)

[Jms990]

My current quiver is the

Head Supershape e-Original, 170cm, 12m radius (my teaching ski + rec carver)
Blizzard Bonafide 97, 183cm, 18.5m radius (charger + cheater GS ski in a fat suit)
K2 Mindbender 108Ti, 186cm, 22.8m radius (pow + soft chop ski)

I ski between 30/70 to 90/10 on/off-piste, depending on the day's conditions.

I'm 5'11", 175 pounds, and based in Lake Tahoe but moving to the east coast after this season. I'm aiming to progress through the PSIA certifications. (I'm a very rookie instructor; I just started this past season and my L1 exam is coming up later this spring... but just in case that's a helpful tidbit. I did not grow up skiing, so it feels like I'm playing catchup to my coworkers sometimes )

Anyways, recently I've been itching to add something between the e-Originals and the Bonafides. Not out of any urgent need, but dang those spring sales are tempting. In particular, none of my skis feel particularly versatile. Off-piste, the e-Originals can feel pretty hooky/catchy, and the Bonafides feel very heavy and planky. On piste, the Bonafides and especially the Mindbenders can feel imprecise and require pretty empty slopes for responsible carved turns.

Additional data points for skis I've owned/demoed:

• Head Supershape i.Titan 170cm - These were my first skis and definitely an unwise choice as a beginner, but damn they were a lot of fun on piste. Got rid of them when the bindings started to go.
• Nordica Enforcer 104 179cm - Mixed feelings, great through chop but felt imprecise and lifeless on a groomer. Sold these after a few seasons since the majority of the time I was on them, I thought "Hm, I'd rather be on my Supershapes"
• Elan Ripstick 88 180cm - Absolute noodles, really did not like these. Gave up way too much stability and carving performance for whatever I gained in "playfulness".
• Volkl Racetiger GS 180cm - Loved these skis on empty weekdays, but I don't get too many of those unfortunately so I sold them. Way more competent off piste than a cheater GS ski has any right to be, perhaps due to the long radius? To be clear, I'm not saying they were good, but I felt less crappy when following buddies off piste than I was expecting.
• Stockli Laser SL 165cm - Demo'd these and really learned what "edge to edge quickness" meant. Felt dense and smooth in a good way, but was pretty unforgiving for my skill level at the time in any snow that wasn't very flat and firm.

Hence, looking to add something in between with ideally with a 15-17m sidecut, a tolerance for going off-piste, but also still fairly precise.

The Head Kore 87/93 in 177/184cm and Supershape e-Rally/Titan in 170/177cm seem interesting, but admittedly for very different reasons. I'm also not sure if there'd be too much overlap on the e-Original or Bonafide side.

Thanks for reading my wall of text!

 

[François Pugh]

Your supershapes will do fine for carving on smaller hills, but yes you have an empty spot in the quiver (a couple actually).
Stick to narrow skis. 76 mm waist width MAX! 68 mm ideal. You NEED a 15 to 18 m ski AND would enjoy a 30 m ski on some of the larger hills (when they are mostly empty).

 

[PinnacleJim]

You are moving east. Advanced terrain here is bumps and trees, not wide open bowls. And even with fresh snow, the firm base will make itself known. You need something that will work in those conditions. Width in the mid 80s to low 90s. Lots of options. Take your pick. Currently mine is the K2 Mindbender 90ti.

 

[Jms990]

You are moving east. Advanced terrain here is bumps and trees, not wide open bowls. And even with fresh snow, the firm base will make itself known. You need something that will work in those conditions. Width in the mid 80s to low 90s. Lots of options. Take your pick. Currently mine is the K2 Mindbender 90ti.

Well, sounds like either the e-Titan or Kores would fit the bill then, since they’re 84mm and 93mm under foot. Although I do plan on having a few trips out West, so preferably some versatility there is retained.

Your supershapes will do fine for carving on smaller hills, but yes you have an empty spot in the quiver (a couple actually).
Stick to narrow skis. 76 mm waist width MAX! 68 mm ideal. You NEED a 15 to 18 m ski AND would enjoy a 30 m ski on some of the larger hills (when they are mostly empty).

Don’t get me wrong I like carving, but this would leave out a lot of really phenomenal skis over 76mm, even if I wanted to focus primarily on frontside performance, right?

Eg the e-Rally, Thunderbird WB, Spitfire 80, Deacon 84, Montero AX or AR, Forza 70, MX83, RC One 86GT, Disruption 82Ti, Brahma, Kendo, etc

 

[François Pugh]

Those skis are like an all season tire. You give up way too much compared to a near-FIS ski on groomers (as opposed to having a true high performance tire on a race track) and don't give you what you realy want in the deep snow (as opposed to studded Hakka 10s in winter conditions). You may as well say the family wagon can fill the shoes of a corvette and a trail rated Jeep. If you know, you know.

 

[PinnacleJim]

He's got a narrow Head Supershape. His quiver doesn't need another carver.

 

[Jms990]

Yeah, really not looking to add another carver. I could be convinced to sell my Supershapes in favor of something a bit wider/more versatile that also still carves well, but that's a separate discussion I suppose.

 

[markojp]

eTitan. Easy.

 

[deadheadskier]

Maybe a Kendo?

 

[Jms990]

eTitan. Easy.

I noticed you had reviewed both the Titan and the Kore, would it be safe to say that you think the Titans give up less off piste than the Kores give up on piste? Or is the trade off more nuanced?

I like the idea of the Kores as something that’s a bit less metallic than my current quiver but not sure if that’s something important.

 

[Henry]

"not looking to add another carver"
Stöckli Storm Rider 88 or Montero AR (86 mm). Or the Montero AX (80 mm). Or the e-Rally (78 mm) or e-Titan (84 mm). For versatility including frequent hardpack I'd go with the AX or the e-Rally.

Are the new Kores decent on hardpack? My original Kores are not.

 

[James]

eTitan. Easy.

Go here. Very versatile ski for the East with a carving bias. I guess it’s better than the old one you sold. Never tried that one.
A much better ski than a narrow Kore imo, which feels like frozen cardboard.

 

[markojp]

K

I noticed you had reviewed both the Titan and the Kore, would it be safe to say that you think the Titans give up less off piste than the Kores give up on piste? Or is the trade off more nuanced?

I like the idea of the Kores as something that’s a bit less metallic than my current quiver but not sure if that’s something important.

Kore 87 or Titan? The latter.

 

[James]

You want something “metallic” get a Kendo.
The eTitan is metal done right in a classical sandwich.
(And I think the Kendo is a very good ski, I own it. It will win no awards for snowfeel though.)

The og Kastle Fx’s, 84 and 94, were dual thin sheets of metal. They had a very delicate touch those skis. Some of the best snowfeel ever. Kastle of course threw that out to make resort planks for several years till that red Fx85 non metal. Really good in moguls and reliable, but pretty uninspiring in general.

Then they went back to making hp skis with metal that sound like garbage cans in icy wet snow.

 

[Cheizz]

Rossignol Experience 86 TI