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The Scores (out of 10)
- Overall Score: 7.93
- Rank: #3
- dzٲپDz:8.5
- Playfulness: 8.2
- Responsiveness: 8.1
- Quickness: 7.8
- Crud Performance: 7
- Stability at Speed: 7.3
- Forgiveness: 7.3
- Versatility: 8
The Specs
- Price: $975
- Lengths: 177, 184, 191
- Dimensions: 140-111-127 (184 cm)
- Radius: 21.1
- Level: Intermediate to Expert
In a Nutshell
- Pros: Flotation (#1), Playfulness (#5)
- Cons: Crud Performance (#5), Stability at Speed (#7)
This year, Head added another layer of carbon to the construction of the Kore 111, which provides a consistently smooth platform from tip to tail that makes initiating turns a breeze. For the intermediate to expert skier who wants a quick and playful pow ski, check the Kore 111. Now with a more bomber top sheet, this ski is also designed to be more durable than previous models.
“This ski is perfect for someone who likes a traditional feel in their powder ski,” said tester Luke Larsen, owner of Salt Lake City’s Lifthouse Ski Shop. “It has plenty of float with a lot of all-mountain skiability.”
Most describe this ski as quick and very responsive, built with multilayer-carbon sandwich cap construction and a caruba and popular wood core (new this year). Tester Nick Loomans added that the classic tip and tail rocker make the Kore 111 more playful than expected and easy to ski. If you ski bumps and trees in any soft snow, from mashed potatoes to hero powder to perfectly wind-buffed chalk, this is the ski we recommend. “This is a great powder ski for many different ability levels and skier types,” said Loomans. “It’s straightforward to figure out.”
Read more: Learn about how the Kore 111 stacked up against the competition
Pinch-hit tester Thom Shafer (yes, my dad), a New Jersey native who skis 30-plus days a year in Colorado, agrees. “Turns were easier on this than on my four-year-old Kore 105s,” he said. “I call this ACE gear—age compensating equipment. As I get older, I appreciate skis that do more of the work than my body has to.”
That said, this isn’t a soft ski by any means, which made the Kore line such a phenomenon when Head released it in 2017. As we know from previous iterations of the line, this impressively lightweight ski isn’t low on power, either. Tester Avery Pesce, GM of Boston Ski and Tennis, was blown away by how well this ski charged through the crud and bumps with zero deflection and perfect stability, calling it the “one ski to rule them all” and adding that it performs best when you actively load the front of the ski.
Related: These pro tips make skiing powder less exhausting and more fun
“This ski can take an emerging advanced skier to the moon,” says Loomans. Or, in tester Andy Trow’s case—Japan or B.C. “I would take this ski on the big trip,” he said. “This ski rips in most conditions, and I felt solid in deep snow and higher speeds; never thrown off balance.”
Tester Erika Northrop, area manager at Christy Sports in the Taos Ski Valley, echoed this sentiment. “This is still a ski that will give so many women the confidence to charge on powder days. Rock & Roll is here to stay with the Head Kore 111,” she said. “Enjoy the ride because this ski will take you to beautiful places.”