Head World Cup i.SL Ski Hire and Equipment Review

There are two "World Cup" models from Head, the first is straight from the race department, they are the Europa Cup skis, and are fantastic with awesome levels of grip and stability. Inspiring and suited to the latest skiing techniques, they have a very "roll-able" feel that gives seamless transitions from one turn to the next. They are comparable to the Nordica K12's, but a slightly heavier feel makes them less agile, especially if you get in trouble and need the skis on your side. Again the Salomon and Dynastar provide the most versatile GS skis, and only Nordica with perhaps the Atomics are able to compete in terms of being "Factory" style race skis, good if you ski seasons and have the time to train otherwise head elsewhere. The regular GS ski available is the "WC I Race Plate", that whilst being a competent GS all-rounder that I, and many of the people I spoke to, tried better alternatives. They are quite mundane when compared to their testosterone stuffed sibling, and not in the same league as the Rossignol, Salomon or Dynastar.

Mirroring the GS ski this is a full-on race model, I found them incredible in terms of grip, edge-to-edge speed and for the purity of the carve, absolutely fantastic on hard flat pistes and very inspirational. However, unless you are on the top of the ski game they will be a real handful in the gates, and are mighty difficult to recover from when you make a mistake. I felt, even though they are also hard work, the Nordica have the upper hand when it comes to agility. Versatility isn't the name of the game, short turn stability is. With the second SL ski from Head, the WC I SL, they are good for advanced skiers looking to try their first pair of slalom skis, and as such perform well, but for experts or racers go for the full Monty version, it's more "fun!"