Head SuperShape Magnum Skis

I demoed these twice last season.  Great ski - very responsive, very stable at speed, although my 'at speed' is not really all that fast.  I did find that it's stability, responsiveness and short turning radius instilled a lot of confidence in my skiing and I increased my 'typical' skiing speed substantially.  My son skis on Head Supershapes and loves them.  I was soooo close to buying a pair, than decided to go fatter under foot (81 -87 range).  I may still pick up a pair one of these days  - absolutely nothing wrong with these skis.  For what they're designed to do - and their dimensions - I would venture to say that they're probably one of the very best skis out there (from my modest demoeing experience and other reviews I've read).

I live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and ski essentially every day at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.  I use the 177cm SuperShape Magnum as my main, everyday ski for this mountain.  I use a pair of 187cm Head Mojo 94's as my "deep snow" skis, but I probably spend 70% of my time on the SS Magnums. 

 

As far as credentials, I'm a part-time instructor at the Jackson Hole Ski School and I spent a bunch of winters as an alpine guide for backcountry skiing here at Jackson Hole.  I love ANY kind of skiing at our mountain, from hard, smooth groomers through crud and powder in trees and chutes.

 

There are many things I like about the SS Magnum.  It's a "forgiving" ski at slow speeds.  I can very easily skid it, smear it, switch it, wedge it, or any other slow-speed maneuver.  Despite that, it's a ski that feels super-solid and comfortable at high speeds on any surface.  I ski them all over our mountain and I believe the ski responds extrememly well as long as there is a base of some sort.  It's quick enough to be a pleasure in bumps and trees and chutes, but it's stable enough to go pretty darned fast when you're out cruising and the trees along the side of the trail are just a blur.

 

A ski of this width underfoot (71mm) is not going to be as easy in deeper, softer snow as a fat ski, but I find the SS Magnum to be very skiable in anything up to boot-top powder and crud.  It is truly my ski of choice for any skiing I'm going to do if I expect there to be a foot or less of powder or crud.  As proof of that, I've spent the last three days skiing my Magnum's out of bounds here at Jackson Hole, and I never felt I needed something wider.

 

I just think this is a truly great all-mountain ski.  It's hard-snow responsiveness will help you learn better carving skills, but it still has that characteristic crud-eating "feel" that many of the Head models share.  Give this ski a try.  Practically everybody likes it.

 

By way of full disclosure, I'll also mention that I'm an on-mountain rep for Head skis/boots here at Jackson Hole.  You should try the skis yourself to decide whether my opinions are objective or not.

 

Thanks.

 They feel relaxed, amiable, almost soft.  Then pick up some speed and lay them over and WHOOSH!  Suddenly you're on rails.

Apparently it's that Head Intelligence stuff.  They seem to get stiffer as you go faster.  And of course they have that famous Head dampness that allows one to ski faster through rough snow.

Not that I'd intentionally ski off-piste with these-- they're the carving ski in my quiver-- but they're soft enough do OK in the unpacked.

It's carving on hard snow where they shine.  My pair are only 170's, but they felt fine on a steep groomer at 40mph.  Like a soft GS ski, but good for shorter radius turns.

PS: they were $300 because they were used.

These skis were a bit of an impulse buy, but I love them.  They work well in the east, where boilerplate rules the day, and also do well in the west, where the powder falls like endless manna.

The topskins are a bit delicate (I've had to repair mine after a run in with a stump), but the skis hold their camber well from season to season.