The participants:
Important Note:
Subjective Opinions:
- 05/06 Völkl RaceTiger SL/WC (FIS)
- 15/16 Head i.SL RD (FIS)
The first pair of skis (RaceTiger SLs) I've had for a while, although they don't have much mileage on them; purchased NOS/unmounted, set up with a 20mm Marker Piston plate w/Comp 14.0 bindings. The second pair of skis (Head i.SL RDs) were obtained from @ScotsSkier this season, Head plate with Marker Comp 16.0 bindings.
The Völkls were waxed with Hertel FC739, the Heads with Holmenkoll Beta (Red) with Wend Daron Rahlves paste for good measure. The Hertel wax seems slightly more durable, after the same amount of time on both pairs the Heads were starting to show a little graying near the edges while the RaceTigers were as black as when they were waxed before the trip.
Test site was PCMR, mostly off of the Bonanza and Silverlode lifts, NASTAR course on Blanche at PCMR (that will be covered more in the Objective portion of the comparison).
The Völkls were waxed with Hertel FC739, the Heads with Holmenkoll Beta (Red) with Wend Daron Rahlves paste for good measure. The Hertel wax seems slightly more durable, after the same amount of time on both pairs the Heads were starting to show a little graying near the edges while the RaceTigers were as black as when they were waxed before the trip.
Test site was PCMR, mostly off of the Bonanza and Silverlode lifts, NASTAR course on Blanche at PCMR (that will be covered more in the Objective portion of the comparison).
Important Note:
#BevelMatters The Völkls have a 1 base 3 side bevel, the Heads have a 0.5 base 3 side bevel... I can't say for sure how much this difference accounts for the differences in ride perception, but just wanted to put that out there. There's a good chance I may want to have the RaceTigers re-ground to the same edge bevel setup.
Subjective Opinions:
Race planks are not for everybody, especially if you're looking for a relaxing fun time. These remind me of my old 911S, they're wicked quick and demanding; but "forgiving" just doesn't seem to be in their list of attributes. IMHO, there's almost nothing more fun than ripping off good clean turns with high edge angles on nice, uncrowded groomed runs. PCMR provided the appropriate conditions on both of the days I was there.
So was there a lot of subjective difference between them? Not really, but ... (and it's a big BUT) ... the Heads seemed to hook up a bit quicker heading into the new turns and I'd give the edge hold advantage to the Heads. I'm pretty sure this was related to the edge bevel. Stability on both skis was excellent, as long as you have them up on edge and turning. Obviously, neither pair of skis will straight run worth a damn, but that's not what they're designed for.
Who wins the subjective comparison? I'd give the Heads the nod for slightly better edge hold and turn initiation, but I'm still not sure if this was the result of sharper edge beveling on the Heads. The RaceTigers are certainly no slouch, I don't see myself giving up either pair of skis anytime soon. From my perspective, both skis are more fun than people should be allowed to have. Yes, @Tricia, race skis can be fun skis with the right attitude from the pilot.
One final thought - after spending a good bit of time over the last couple of days on slalom race skis, I was amazed at how centered I felt on my i.Rally "daily drivers"; add "good training tool" to the list of things I like for both skis.
Up Next, we get objective! Caution: this will involve numbers and statistics. Yes, math.So was there a lot of subjective difference between them? Not really, but ... (and it's a big BUT) ... the Heads seemed to hook up a bit quicker heading into the new turns and I'd give the edge hold advantage to the Heads. I'm pretty sure this was related to the edge bevel. Stability on both skis was excellent, as long as you have them up on edge and turning. Obviously, neither pair of skis will straight run worth a damn, but that's not what they're designed for.
Who wins the subjective comparison? I'd give the Heads the nod for slightly better edge hold and turn initiation, but I'm still not sure if this was the result of sharper edge beveling on the Heads. The RaceTigers are certainly no slouch, I don't see myself giving up either pair of skis anytime soon. From my perspective, both skis are more fun than people should be allowed to have. Yes, @Tricia, race skis can be fun skis with the right attitude from the pilot.
One final thought - after spending a good bit of time over the last couple of days on slalom race skis, I was amazed at how centered I felt on my i.Rally "daily drivers"; add "good training tool" to the list of things I like for both skis.
I'll be back on the hill tomorrow with the Heads, mostly to see how much difference there is in NASTAR results between the numbers I got from PCMR (2 runs on the RaceTigers, 3 runs on the i.SL RDs) and what I get from running at DV. For better or worse, mostly worse, I'm consistently mediocre; but then again that cuts down on the standard deviation.
I'll publish numeric results in Part 2 - Objective when I get back home.
Special thanks to @Philpug, @Lorenzzo and @ScotsSkier from the PugSki community; and Lance Swedish from the Deer Valley Ski School for their support, encouragement, and inspiration.I'll publish numeric results in Part 2 - Objective when I get back home.
