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Head Premium Skis?

Postby Chy » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:37 pm

I'm looking for some skis that aren't as advanced as the Head Speed skis.

How are these skis for PMTS?
https://shop-us.head.com/us-US/premium-14.html

I can't find any info on them and they don't have a good searchable name to find anything on.
They seem to have a thin waist and a tight turn radius?

Any thoughts? Thanks.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby jbotti » Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:01 pm

Head made a lot of skis in years past with chips in them. The chip senses the torque being applied to the ski and the ski stiffens as torque increases. Over the past several years these chip skis have been overly stiff with a poor flex pattern that most PMTS experts do not like. I have never skied this ski but considering it’s the highest priced ski that Head makes and their top of the line hard snow ski I feel confident that it’s not what you want or need.

In general the Head chip skis over the past several years have been skis to avoid especially if plan to use them at all off piste.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby apache67 » Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:55 am

I thought HH and others gave last years SuperShapes a hardy thumbs-up? They all have KERS technology.

Cheers,
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby jbotti » Thu Nov 30, 2017 7:18 am

Kers is slightly different technology than what head puts in their Chip skis. The goal may be similar but the result is different.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby apache67 » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:33 am

jbotti wrote:Kers is slightly different technology that what head puts in their Chip skis. The goal may be similar but the result is different.


Gotcha! Thanks for the clarification.

Cheers,
G
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby Chy » Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:20 pm

Thanks for the clarification jbotti!

So then the only head ski that is recommended that is part of the current year head ski lineup is the I.speed?

Is that correct?

Would the I.speed be suitable for an athletic but relatively new pmts skier?
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby jbotti » Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:59 pm

Just to clarify, the current name for that ski is the Head Supershape i.Speed and yes that is an excellent PMTS ski that works well for intermediates up to PMTS black level skiers and coaches. Great ski. The newer/revised version that came out last year is an improvement on what was already a great ski.

Head makes a ski in the race line called the Worldcup Rebels i.Speed (and the WC Rebels i.Speed Pro). Although these are very nice skis they are cheater/recreational GS skis and not the same ski as the Supershape i.speed and not the ones you want.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby DougD » Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:24 pm

+1 to jbotti's recommendation.

I was an experienced skier before starting PMTS (which is like becoming a novice all over again). Diana put me on the SuperShape i.Speeds (2015-16 version at the time). It's a great ski for that purpose. I ski them every day in all conditions (mostly NE). They respond well to PMTS inputs without being demanding like a full-on race ski.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby Obrules15 » Sat Dec 02, 2017 9:48 am

DougD wrote:+1 to jbotti's recommendation.

I was an experienced skier before starting PMTS (which is like becoming a novice all over again). Diana put me on the SuperShape i.Speeds (2015-16 version at the time). It's a great ski for that purpose. I ski them every day in all conditions (mostly NE). They respond well to PMTS inputs without being demanding like a full-on race ski.

+2 to jbotti's recommendation.

I was a long term terminal intermediate when Diana put me on the 16-17 SS iSpeed(though on video it barely looked like intermediate skiing) and it's a really lovely ski for learning PMTS movements. Don't be fooled by the marketing.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby Chy » Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:50 pm

Thanks a lot for the good info!

What length do you recommend for 5'8" 170 lbs? Thanks.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby jbotti » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:03 pm

I would call you a tweener. I think either the 170 or the 163 could work. To dial it in exactly it really depends on your skill level a lot. In my view, if in doubt always ski a slalom carver shorter than longer. If you are skier with strong PMTS skills I think the 170 would be fine. If not I would recommend the 163.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby skiffie » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:24 pm

jbotti wrote:Just to clarify, the current name for that ski is the Head Supershape i.Speed and yes that is an excellent PMTS ski that works well for intermediates up to PMTS black level skiers and coaches. Great ski. The newer/revised version that came out last year is an improvement on what was already a great ski.

Head makes a ski in the race line called the Worldcup Rebels i.Speed (and the WC Rebels i.Speed Pro). Although these are very nice skis they are cheater/recreational GS skis and not the same ski as the Supershape i.speed and not the ones you want.


Thanks for this. I've been confounding myself trying to understand why there are so many different skis called i.Speed. Just curious what do you mean by cheater GS ski?

There's also the WC Rebels ISL which is NOT the Rebels i.Speed. I know in your previous posts you've said it's a tossup between the ISL and the SS i.speed - are you able to clarify a bit on how they differ?
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby jbotti » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:29 pm

A cheater GS ski generally has around an 18m turn radius and is often used in non FIS racing or ski racing beer leagues. The TR of these skis is wider than what we want for learning PMTS movements.

The ISL non RD feels a lot like the Head SS Kers without the hooky tail. Its not that stiff a ski, it bends easily and it produces a lot of rebound when its bent a lot in tight arcs.

The SS i.Speed is a little stiffer than the ISL, has a wider TR (14m vs 12.2m in the 170 length) and is a little wider under foot (68mm vs 66mm on the ISL). For me its a little more stable at speed on steeps in carved arcs and produces a little less rebound than the ISL. it also may be a little better as an all mountain ski therefore a little more versatile.

Both are wonderful skis and both are excellent skis to learn, practice and perfect PMTS movements.
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Re: Head Premium Skis?

Postby skiffie » Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:41 am

jbotti wrote:A cheater GS ski generally has around an 18m turn radius and is often used in non FIS racing or ski racing beer leagues. The TR of these skis is wider than what we want for learning PMTS movements.

The ISL non RD feels a lot like the Head SS Kers without the hooky tail. Its not that stiff a ski, it bends easily and it produces a lot of rebound when its bent a lot in tight arcs.

The SS i.Speed is a little stiffer than the ISL, has a wider TR (14m vs 12.2m in the 170 length) and is a little wider under foot (68mm vs 66mm on the ISL). For me its a little more stable at speed on steeps in carved arcs and produces a little less rebound than the ISL. it also may be a little better as an all mountain ski therefore a little more versatile.

Both are wonderful skis and both are excellent skis to learn, practice and perfect PMTS movements.


Awesome, thanks so much!
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