Head has a fair amount of change for the 19/20 season. The main theme coming out of the new kit feels to be LYT tech. They’ve already had this in the V range of skis but it’s a focus across various products for 19/20.
Joy skis
All of the women’s Joy skis have changed and will use LYT Tech construction. All Joy skis will use Graphene and, apart from the Pure Joy, they’ll all have a woodcore. The Pure Joy will have a synthetic core, rather than wood. They carry the names from previous seasons but are new skis. The underfoot widths, turn radii and prices will be:
- Super Joy – 75mm, R12.2m in 163mm, £630
- Epic Joy – 65mm, R11.5m in 163cm, £630
- Total Joy – 85mm, R13.8m in 163cm, £630
- Absolut Joy – 79mm, R13.2m in 163cm, £445
- Pure Joy – 73mm, R10.9 in 158cm, £350
Tested: Head Super Joy women’s piste skis
Head uses high tech materials in their skis to keep weight low whilst maintaining the performance characteristics. Lightweight Karuba wood is matched with Koroyd honeycomb and Graphene carbon. You really feel the benefit of their efforts in skis like the Super Joy. It’s an easy ski to use and so light on your feet. This translates to a less tiring day and bigger grins. It does come at a cost though, as this ski will retail at £630, including the binding.
A superb ski for intermediate and advanced level skiers wanting a ski to use across varying speeds and turn shapes. The tail is softer than many other skis, allowing you to make mistakes without getting caught out.
At 75mm under foot it will also handle a little of the soft stuff. If you’re after pure piste performance the the Epic Joy is the one to look at.
Tested: Head Total Joy women’s all-mountain skis
This will be Head’s widest Joy ski for winter 19/20. It’s 85mm underfoot and, like the Total Joy, uses Karuba, Koroyd and Graphene. This lightweight construction makes them effortless to use yet you still have plenty of grip. They are aimed at confident and good level skiers, but as they are so easy to ski their also great for intermediates. The tails of the Total Joy skis are stiffer than the Super Joys. The slight tip rocker aids turn initiation and helps when skiing off piste.
Head has nailed it when it comes to their women’s skis for the 19/20 season. They are so easy to use yet when you open the throttle they still perform.
Kore skis
Head will have women’s Kore skis for 19/20 and as a result of the Kore W (99 and 93 widths) they’ll drop the Wild Joy and Great Joy skis.
The Kore women’s skis are the same as the men’s skis but the boot sole centre mark is further forward. This is due to the fact that the centre of mass is different for men to women. You can get the Kore 99 W and 93 W in 153cm, 162cm and 171cm lengths. The 153cm is not an option in the men’s Kore 99, but is in the men’s Kore 93). All Kore skis will retail for £525 without a binding for 19/20 season.
Men’s Kore skis will get a metal tail protector for 19/20 to protect that vulnerable area of the ski, along with an updated graphic. Head is increasing ski production by 50,000 pairs for 19/20 as they’ve had such a large demand for the Kore skis. I’ve tested the Kore 93, Kore 99 and Kore 93 W and I can see why they’re so popular.
Tested: Head Kore 93 W women’s freeride ski
The Kore 93 W I tested was 162cm. The construction is the same as the men’s skis, which I’ve skied before. I’ve loved the Kore skis since they were released and the new women’s ski is no exception.
The Kore 93 W is so stable, with a lovely smooth flex allowing you to carve even quite tight turn shapes on piste. The Kore skis are light, making skiing easier. The construction also has the benefit of providing fantastic snow feel. This sensitivity makes it so easy to feel what’s happening under your feet and therefore you can react quicker to changes in the snow.
Monster skis
They’ve got a new Monster ski coming out – Monster 83 X (£455 with binding, £350 flat). It has one layer of metal rather than two you see in the other Monster skis. For the 19/20 season the Monster 83 Ti and 88 Ti skis remain unchanged, apart from a new graphic.
Tested: Head Monster 83 X all-mountain skis
I’ve skied the regular Monster skis quite a few times and the powerful construction rewards my kind of skiing (I’ve got big legs). The new Monster 83 X has a softer construction which will suit a far broader range of skiers. It has masses of grip and is still really good at high speed. However, when you turn the dial down the ski is much easier to handle and actually a bit more playful because of this. It is great value at £455 and the softer flex also helps in more challenging conditions off piste.
V skis
There’s also a new V4 XL ski (£430 with binding) which is 84mm – the standard V4 is 73mm. All of the other V-shape skis stay the same as 18/19, apart from a new graphic.
Supershape skis
The Head Supershape i. range of skis get a graphic update for next season too. The long-standing black based colour will change to a light grey, although the blue (Titan), red (Rally), green (Magnum) and yellow (Speed) schemes for each model will stay. The Supershape i.Magnum is the most popular model in the Supershape line-up, followed by the i.Titan. The i.Rally sits in third place.
Edge boots
For winter 19/20 Head will also have new Edge boots, called Edge LYT, and these will have a roomier toe box than the old Edge boots. They’ll still have Advant Edge boots in the range.
Raptor 140 boot
Liquid fit will be in Raptor 140 and there’s a black version of this boot for next season too.
Kore boots
The Kore 2 boot had problems for 18/19 due to issues with the plastic they were supplied and this is why they had to recall them. For 19/20 season the Kore 2 boot will be essentially the same shell as the Kore 1 but will have a different, softer liner and the sole will be alpine (ISO 5355) not Grip Walk. I tested the Kore 1 when it was first released and I loved it. It’s rated as a 130 flex but it is softer than most other 130 flex boots. You’d really compare it to most 120 flex boots.
Nexo LYT boots
The cuff on the Nexo LYT boot will be 1cm higher and 1mm thicker and feel more Raptor like. All Nexo LYT boots (apart from 100 flex) will have Liquid Fit.
They’ll also have a narrower Nexo LYT called the Nexo LYT RS, which will be 98mm last (Nexo boots are 100mm last as standard).
Tested: Head Nexo LYT RS 130 ski boot
I’ve tested the new Nexo LYT RS 130 boot and was really impressed with it. You can feel the difference the thicker cuff makes and the boot has a fantastically smooth flex and is noticeably stiffer than the Kore 1.
The Nexo RS has really good hold in the heel and ankle, and no pressure on top of the foot (I can suffer here in some boots). I’d rate the heel pocket as narrow to medium fit – not as tight as some race-type boots. There’s a good amount of room for your toes too which will help to prevent them getting cold.
It’s a 98mm last boot, although the 26.5MP Nexo LYT RS 130 I skied in has a little more room across the forefoot, feeling more like a 99mm last. 26.5MP is their reference shell size.
The Power Plate under the velcro strap distributes pressure superbly well and as a result you don’t get the harsh shin pressure at the top of the boot that you feel with some boots.
The cuff angle is 14° and the boot board puts your foot at 4°, which is pretty common. The 14° cuff angle puts you in a modern, more upright stance.
All adult boots, apart from race boots, will have a Grip Walk option, including the kids Z1, Z2 and Z3 boots. To match this almost all Tyrolia bindings that Head use will be Grip Walk ready. You can find out more about Grip Walk and which bindings to use on our article on ski boot & binding compatibility.
Kids ski boots
There will be kids Kore 60 and 40 boots which look pretty cool for wee rippers. These are the same as the kids Raptor 60 and 40 boots, but in graphite black (anthracite) rather than Raptor white.
R-series Visor helmet
They’ve also got a new visor helmet called the Rachel for women and Radar for men.
The R-series visor helmets should retail for £220 with a cat. 2 polarised lens or £180 with the standard cat. 2 lens.
It’s easier to think of the R-series as a goggle-visor helmet, rather than out-and-out visor, due to the way you move the visor up and down. There are short bungee chords that hold the visor in place rather than solid arms or a fixed pivot like on other visor helmets. These elasticated chords can be replaced if they do break.
There’s a setting where the visor can be left slightly ‘open’ to allow you to vent your glasses, if you’re wearing prescription glasses underneath. You can see this feature in the Head Radar review video above.
A replacement/spare standard cat. 2 lens is £55. They will also make a cat. 1 and cat. 3 lens and they’re really easy to click in an out to swap them.
The helmet will be available in five colour options for men and four for women.
You can get a non-visor version of the helmet for £130, called Rev (men) and Rita (women).
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