Head monsters discontinued, line shifted to "more casual skier"

[tmcc71]

My favorite ski of all time, the head monster series, has been discontinued. I have three pairs with different sidecuts (72, 77, 78 mm under foot).
These skis were great for new england hard pack (ice), groomers, off piste, just about everything. They are replaced with a series called Peak. They have similar dimensions but are noticeably less stiff. I e -mailed head and they claimed they were trying to make the skis more accesible to the more casual skier. I demoed a pair and the great expert performance is gone. They are not suited to advanced skiers any longer. I knew within 2 to 3 hours that I need to look into other brands.
Now to my question: I need to switch to a line that has good hardpack/ice performance. Powder performance is not an issue as I am getting dedicated powder skis (Wateas, Katanas etc) One that is stiff and carves well. I ski 100 plus days a season so a durable ski is necessary. I ski mostly wachusett, Tenney, Ragged, Magic, and Ascutney. I ski the whole mountain and would like a blend of performance but a leaning towards groomers. Anybody have any skis to look out for when I demo? Thanks for the help. Tim

 

[kcyanks1]

I ski on Head Monster 88s now and like them a lot. I demoed a few different skis before getting these (Nordica Afterburners, Blizzard Chronos & Athos(?), Volkl AC40, Volkl Mantra, some pair of Atomics, and while I wouldn't say there wasn't anything else I didn't like, I did like the Heads a lot. I still think I'm 1.5+ seasons away from looking at new skis, but this is still disappointing.

 

[powbmps]

Do you guys know if the Monsters replaced the MoJo?

 

[tmcc71]

mojo

The Mojo and monster were produced at the same time. The Mojo was a freeride/park ski. It was a twin tip I believe.

 

[powbmps]

The Mojo and monster were produced at the same time. The Mojo was a freeride/park ski. It was a twin tip I believe.

I picked up a pair of used Mojo90's and love the way they ski. Just trying to figure out which of their new models would be a good replacement.

 

[Rambo]

Sounds like you might like the Volkl AC40 or the AC50.

 

[tmcc71]

ac50, k2 apache recon, nordica hot rod nitrus

Ok, I have had recomendations of the k2 apache recons, ac series, and nordica hot rods. I will demo these if i can. I know i can demo nordicas and ac 30, and 50 at Wachusett. Anybody ever try the K2 arache series?

 

[RootDKJ]

Ok, I have had recomendations of the k2 apache recons, ac series, and nordica hot rods. I will demo these if i can. I know i can demo nordicas and ac 30, and 50 at Wachusett. Anybody ever try the K2 arache series?

I started out on the Monster iM70, upgraded to the K2 Apache Crossfire after two seasons. I felt the Crossfire was more stable and easier to lay down rails. The Monster was always a bit chattery for me. The K2 is more stable at speed and inspires confidence. It's now my season opener/rock ski.

My new daily ski is the Nordica Hot Rod Jet Fuel. A super stable and fun ski. I love this ski. It really doesn't care what's in front of it, it's just gonna ski fast. Powder, hardpack, boilerplate or crud, no issues. I actually aim towards crud piles now because it's fun to watch them explode when your tips hit them. You can get it to do short-radius turns as well, but you really gotta be moving.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

You may want to consider the Watea 78 for your all mountain ski. I have a pair that I skied about 80 days on so far and bought a new pair for this season. The older pair has held up great and I've found them to be excellent in all the conditions I've skied. Great for groomers and hardpack as well as busting through crud. The only reason I got a new pair for this season was that the price was right on the 2009 model (which is just a different top sheet than the 2010 model) and I wanted a longer ski.

 

[kcyanks1]

Ok, I have had recomendations of the k2 apache recons, ac series, and nordica hot rods. I will demo these if i can. I know i can demo nordicas and ac 30, and 50 at Wachusett. Anybody ever try the K2 arache series?

I don't think I tried the K2s, but the Nordicas are going to be quite heavy and stiff. Depending on how strong you are, you might find you need a lot of effort to turn them, at least when not on groomers. Volkls are also on the stiff side but not quite as extreme as the Nordicas. What type of skiing do you like? I'd at least demo something on the softer side (Apache might be it) for comparison's sake, especially if you like ungroomed, moguls, woods, etc. not just cruising on groomed terrain.

Disclaimer: I am FAR from an expert on skis, and I'm my comments above are based on my person feelings when I demoed them/similar models back in March 2008, and not based on actual measurements of the skis.

 

[tmcc71]

apache

last night I rode the lift with a guy who was skiing apache recons. He loved them. He was a good skieer. I need to find these to demo them. I don't think wachusett has them for demo.

 

[RISkier]

Are you sure the Peak 78 is different than the Monster 78.? Reviews I've read indicate it's the same ski, though I have not first hand knowledge. Reviews of the Peak 78 have been very favorable and all of a sudden I'm needing to look at new skis. The Peak 78 is a pair in which I'm interested.

 

[RISkier]

I just went to Peter Keelty's realskiers site. That site clearly says the Peak 78 is unchanged from the Monster 78. It implies so for the 82. Again, I have no direct knowledge.

 

[thetrailboss]

This comes as no surprise. Unfortunately it seems that when companies have a good product they ruin it in the name of progress. I have a pair of iM75's and loved them. Last season when I demoed skis at Sugarbush, the Head 'Chip' series was what they had and I was really not impressed. The ski was a 171 length :blink: and was structured like a ski from the early 1990's with sidewalls. It rode smooth, but turned terribly.

To answer your question, try the Volkl Tigersharks powerswitch models. I love mine...they don't have a silky ride, but man do they rip.

 

[billski]

Go hit up someone at a ski shop that went to the SIA trade show last month. They previewed all next years models and will be placing orders soon. Find someone who hit up the Head rep and ask if the Monster is going to appear in some other form, or what s/he thinks an equivalent will be from competitors next year. At least then you'll find out whether or not someone is still targeting those ski characteristics.

 

[legalskier]

Head appears to be going high tech, with something called "Intelligence CHIP Technology." I first learned about it from Martin Griff's blog. He likes their performance, but someone with these skis whom I spoke to on a chair ride recently told me he didn't notice any difference from his prior Heads (I didn't get the name of either his prior or current model, sorry). Here's how Griff describes it:

***I gave the Head selection of skis a through workout and fell in love with Head Chip skis with Liquidmetal Technology and Intelligence CHIP Technology....What does Liquidmetal Technology and Intelligence CHIP Technology mean officially? According to Head’s website, Intellifibers positioned at 45° in front of the binding transform mechanical impulses into electrical energy. The harder you ride, the more energy is produced. The electrical energy is led back to the Intellifibers. This causes them to stiffen up, putting more rebound and torsional stiffness into the ski. About the Chips, the electrical energy produced by the Intellifibers is not just recycled, but accumulated and released bit by bit through a pre-programmed chip – individually timed to match the oscillation properties of the ski. Thus, the effect of Intelligence is multiplied, providing even more performance relative to your skiing style
What does this mean to me? They lost me on Intellifibers, but when I think back to last March, I loved the way the skis turned and that they were stable while cruising fast.***

Here's the full blog: http://blog.nj.com/skiing/2010/01/boots_are_in_a_bind_what_a_hea.html

 

[tmcc71]

liquid metal and other tech

My current monsters have the liquid metal and chip technology in them. I find that it really works. It stiffens up at speed when you need it and flexes more at cruiser speeds. Really interesting stuff. I might give the peaks a second look. I need powder skis for alta next month so the katana or wateas are coming. I still need next seasons new england hardpack ski. It will be the ac 30/40/50, the k2 apache recon, the nordica hot rod nitrus, or the head peak 78. The skinnier wateas are intriguing as well. So many decisions!

 

[Glenn]

My current monsters have the liquid metal and chip technology in them. I find that it really works. It stiffens up at speed when you need it and flexes more at cruiser speeds. Really interesting stuff. I might give the peaks a second look. I need powder skis for alta next month so the katana or wateas are coming. I still need next seasons new england hardpack ski. It will be the ac 30/40/50, the k2 apache recon, the nordica hot rod nitrus, or the head peak 78. The skinnier wateas are intriguing as well. So many decisions!

I love my Hotrods on hardpack or when just ripping along at a good clip. I'd love to try the AC 50's though.

 

[ToddW]

I just went to Peter Keelty's realskiers site. That site clearly says the Peak 78 is unchanged from the Monster 78. It implies so for the 82. Again, I have no direct knowledge.

The 2009-2010 Peak 78 is the same ski as the '08-'09 Monster 78, just a different name and different graphics.

However, Head is monkeying with the shovel on this ski in a big way for next year and splitting this into two products (w/ and w/o metal in the shovel.) Early tester reviews of the redesigned 78s are not positive.

 

[Philpug]

They made them even worse for next season. If you want a better Monster, look to Nordica Fuel 78 and HR Pro 84, the flat skis, not the XBS binding ones..great skis as Monster replacements