I for one am sad to see the Monster go and I think it is a big loss for skiers but for "people who ski", the Kore 87 that replaced it is a better ski. The Kore 87 will probably outsell the Monster 88 4:1. As far as the options to replace the Monster...from you list, the order I would suggest them..
- Blossom Cross Wind (upcoming AM85)
- Augment AM88
- Kästle MX88
- Völkl Kendo 88
- K2 Mindbender 90Ti
- Blizzard Brahma 88
- Salomon S/Force Bold
- Stöckli Laser AR
Every year we have transitions in product lines and collections and, in most cases, these changes are evolutions. Changes are as minute as a different topsheet material or maybe a lighter core. Changes we will discuss here are revolutions to the...
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Head
Where the Dynastar Legend was the inspiration for this article, replacement of the Monster 83 and 88 was the catalyst. The Monster’s days were numbered when Head introduced the wildly successful Kore series of skis. First to go in recent seasons were the Monster 98 and 108. This made sense as the market for a (nearly) fully cambered traditional shaped 98 and 108 was near null. I agree there, but the Monster 83 and 88 were still class leaders. In performance they were the skis to which others were compared. These were skis for skiers, good skiers. The volume of sales might have been dwindling but the quality was still there. I understand the need to streamline collections and having a two ski collection can be confusing to some ski buyers. So, let's replace two extremely purposeful skis for the sake of versatility.
For 2021 Head replaced the 80mm Head iTitan with the 84mm eTitan. Vowels aside, the eTitan is now a very wide carver and, with the 7/8ths version 85mm V-Shape V10 also in the Head line, the Monster 83 could be perceived as superfluous. I will give Head points because they will also be offering the eTitan flat, sans bindings, something that has never been offered on a Supershape ski in the past. As far as replacing the well loved Monster 88 with the Kore 87? Will the Kore 87 be a better ski for more skiers? Probably, but the Monster 88 was a great skier for select skiers. With all this said, the Kore 87 will probably outsell the Monster 88 by a significant margin.
- What you will miss: The Monster 83 was a really good frontside ski that could play all over the mountain. The Monster 88 was the reference 88 ski with a hard snow bias.
- What you will gain: With the eTitan, a better hard snow ski with more purpose and the Kore 87, a ski that you can relax on and not have to think.
- Insider tip: You can get the eTitan flat. For Nth degree fun, consider a race plate and Freeflex FT.
With all that said, will we see another Monster down the road? I would say yes. It happened once and why not again....anything is better than the Rock & Roll collections they Head tried a few years back
