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Philpug

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Head was generous enough to drop off four pairs of the all-new Supershapes for us to try at Arapahoe Basin over Mother's Day week. We received a 170 Magnum (green), 170 Rally (red), and 170 and 177 Titan (blue). Unfortunately, the iSpeed (yellow) was not available. These skis were out on demo constantly, resulting in a waiting line of both men and women testers. And for good reason: the Supershape series is the benchmark that most other companies reference for their hard-snow skis.

IMG_9348.jpg
Models tested:
i.Magnum 131-72-110, radius 13.1m@170cm
i.Rally 135-76-114, radius 13.7m@170cm
i.Titan 137-80-117, radius 14.1m@170cm

IMG_1084.jpg

The color triangle on the ski tip shows the amount of rocker.

Head has added Graphene to the production of the Supershapes and given them all-new profiles and sidecuts that are more aggressive than before. The tip and tail shapes are much more pronounced now: the tip is broader and has a sidecut that runs past the running surface all the way to the end of the tail; the outgoing model had a bit of taper to the tail. These changes give the new Supershapes a much more positive feel and more purpose on the snow.
  • Who are they for? Carvaholics who want some versatility. Great technical and instruction skis.
  • Who are they not for? Skiers with ramp angle issues; the PDX system binding has over 5mm of ramp difference between the toe and the heel.
  • Insider tip: With the last generation of Supershapes, I would err on the longer of two sizes; with the new ones, the shorter of two sizes feels better. Also, Head scales its sizing so that the smallest and largest of each ski in the collection have different waist widths.
 

Uncle-A

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As you may know I picked up the 2016 Head Rally as an end of season purchase and have not skied them yet. My second choice was the Titan if I could not get the Rally and I would like to know if any of the testers skied both the Rally and the Titan in a 170 and what they felt the difference between the two?
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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As you may know I picked up the 2016 Head Rally as an end of season purchase and have not skied them yet. My second choice was the Titan if I could not get the Rally and I would like to know if any of the testers skied both the Rally and the Titan in a 170 and what they felt the difference between the two?
I did. In the previous generation I actually prefered the iRally's but with these new ones, I like the iTitan better. Funny, when I tested these early on at Copper I didn't even ski the iTitan going off on my previous opinion of the ski but I heard a buzz from other testers that the new iTitan was the ski of the collection. So, I made sure I got some for our team to play with and sure enough, it was the cream that kept rising to the top. I will let others add their opinions but where i found the outgoing iTitan to be an 11/10ths ski, I found the new one to be more powerful but not overly demanding. The iRally is still just as good, now it is so that the iTitan is just better.
 

Uncle-A

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I did. In the previous generation I actually prefered the iRally's but with these new ones, I like the iTitan better. Funny, when I tested these early on at Copper I didn't even ski the iTitan going off on my previous opinion of the ski but I heard a buzz from other testers that the new iTitan was the ski of the collection. So, I made sure I got some for our team to play with and sure enough, it was the cream that kept rising to the top. I will let others add their opinions but where i found the outgoing iTitan to be an 11/10ths ski, I found the new one to be more powerful but not overly demanding. The iRally is still just as good, now it is so that the iTitan is just better.
Thanks, I was not going to wait for the 2017's due to price, but because I have not skied the Rally yet an ounce of doubt exists, should I have purchased the 2016 Titan. I just did not think the Titan would be as good on the east coast hard pack and ice as the Rally. I liked your statement about the Rally is still good it is just the Titan has gotten better. THAT IS WELL PUT.
 

Tricia

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Yes, I got on the Head i.Magnum.
131/72/110 @ 170cm - R 13.1
The day started out firm with the typical spring snow softening by 11:00. It was super fun to carve and easy to initiate turns, as you would expect from a ski with this kind of shape. I had a blast ripping around on it. Pretty stiff but not too stiff for me in these conditions.
The one area that I didn't like it was moguls. Perhaps its because of my size. Perhaps because the i.Magnum is built to rip groomers.

13123113_1004825529608384_144914454624594148_o.jpg
 

Drahtguy Kevin

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I rode the iTitan in 177 during the Mother's Day festivities. I agree with much of what @Philpug stated above. The previous editions of the Rally and Titan were very good skis, and I much preferred the Rally. That has changed. The new Titan was an inspiring ride for me all over ABasin. On groomers it was as fast, carvable (in multiple turn shapes), stable and predictable as I wanted. The new wider tip made a huge difference in initiation and ability to get the ski on edge. I found the ski more than manageable, even enjoyable, in moguls and crud. This ski isn't fond of running flat, but it isn't designed to be. The edge-to-edge feel of the ski is phenomenal.
 

TexasStout

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As you may know I picked up the 2016 Head Rally as an end of season purchase and have not skied them yet. My second choice was the Titan if I could not get the Rally and I would like to know if any of the testers skied both the Rally and the Titan in a 170 and what they felt the difference between the two?
Don't second guess yourself on your choice. Both are great skis. I demoed the '16 Titan in 170 a couple days this past winter and liked it a lot. More than any ski I demoed and I demoed quite a few. However, when it came time to buy at late-season discounts I went with the '16 Rally. I tried my new Rally's a few days at end of season and enjoyed them quite a bit. Both are firm skis, yet the Rally is a bit more fun for me. It catches a mean edge yet was forgiving when I wasn't perfect. It would be a great East coast hard pack carver, IMO.
 

Uncle-A

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Don't second guess yourself on your choice. Both are great skis. I demoed the '16 Titan in 170 a couple days this past winter and liked it a lot. More than any ski I demoed and I demoed quite a few. However, when it came time to buy at late-season discounts I went with the '16 Rally. I tried my new Rally's a few days at end of season and enjoyed them quite a bit. Both are firm skis, yet the Rally is a bit more fun for me. It catches a mean edge yet was forgiving when I wasn't perfect. It would be a great East coast hard pack carver, IMO.
Thanks Tex S. it is always tuff waiting to ski a summer purchased ski. Second guessing comes with that waiting, so I put the Rally skis in my ski closet and tried to forget that they are there and at the sign of snow next season they should be pleasant surprise.
Thanks again
Uncle-A
 

TexasStout

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Thanks Tex S. it is always tuff waiting to ski a summer purchased ski. Second guessing comes with that waiting, so I put the Rally skis in my ski closet and tried to forget that they are there and at the sign of snow next season they should be pleasant surprise.
Thanks again
Uncle-A
I understand that feeling! I went back and forth in my mind between the Rally and Titan before pulling the trigger. I bought my skis in April and had to take one last trip then to try them out. I couldn't have stood it waiting all summer! Fortunately for me, my skis are in CO where I won't see them again until December.
 

markojp

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Phil, you might want to mention that (I'm pretty sure) these skis can be ordered with the PRD 14 binding which IS shimmable.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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Phil, you might want to mention that (I'm pretty sure) these skis can be ordered with the PRD 14 binding which IS shimmable.
According to the catalog, that option is not showing.
 

bbinder

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I demoed the Rally in a 170 length.

Me: age 62; height 5'11"; weight 175; level 8ish skier. I enjoy all terrain, especially 3D stuff. I have been working on refining my technique on hardpack and groomed in recent years and taking what I have learned off piste. My eastern daily driver is a FIS slalom ski (165cm), and my western daily driver is the Motive 95 (180cm)

I skied the Rally uin conditions ranging from hardpack to softening snow to softening bumps. I loved this ski! I loved it so much that I did not end up taking out the Titan and Magnum as originally planned. The ski rewards good technique and makes turning feel automatic. The tip engages nearly as quick as my SL ski, and the ski is burly enough to tolerate a lot of pressure as you engage the turn without sliding out from under you (of course, the good tune helped here). You can get lazy and ski fairly relaxed turns, but the ski really comes alive as you pick up speed -- it releases easily from the turn and gives enough pop without throwing you around. Although not designed for bumps, I felt that the Rally tolerated without arguing with me too much (kind of like when I want to take my dog for her last walk of the night, and she is ensconced on the couch...), at least until I double ejected b/c I had the DIN set too low.

Finally -- the car analogy: if the Motives are a sporty SUV, then the Rally is sports car that you enjoy taking on the track. If I wasn't enjoying playing around on SL skis so much (last season was the first time on those, but that's another story), this ski would be at the top of my wish list
 

Tony S

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Belated thumbnail review from the Mother's Day gathering. Phil sent me out on the 170cm Titans. I was prepared not to like this ski, as I'd been on a previous generation Titan (2011? - the white one with blue and yellow accents) in the same length. That ski and I did not get along very well. The 170 is the second-longest length in this model, so at 5' 7" 130lbs I'd arguably fit better on that 163. Whatever. The ski turned out to be super fun. Any rumors of increased burliness are misplaced, at least in the contex of that c.2011 model. Very smooth. very stable, easy to initiate. Little to no adaptation period required. Encourages but does not demand high speed. There was plenty of grip when I needed it, for what that's worth. (The snow was simply not all that hard, even in the firmest spots.) "Reassuring" would be a good adjective to describe the Titan. Turn shape is flexible, tending toward medium. The fact that I enjoyed this length so much while the exact same ski was also praised by much bigger folks like @bbinder [Edit: I guess he was actually on the Rally.] is testimony to its wide performance envelope. As others have said, it was not fun in the bumps. I bailed out of them pretty quick. Just too much ski for me there. However, in some steeper cruddy but not too troughy stuff it was fine. Perfect ski for an east coaster with some carving chops, who likes speed and skis at a hill with plenty of wide groomers.
 

Tom K.

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Last spring, I was determined to hold out for something different this year in the frontside department (Blossom Whiteout, anybody?), but based on the reviews here and elsewhere, I've committed to a pair of the Titans in 177 with the 14 bindings. These will replace my beloved, but exhausted, Nordica Fire Arrow 80 Pros.

I live in a very small town, and there is a local guy that tunes skis and fits boots at the World Cup level, and tries not very hard at all to sell some skis. A great guy that happens to carry Heads, so it was an easy call.

Thanks to the reviewers, especially @Philpug and and @Drahtguy Kevin!
 

Dave Petersen

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I'm debating between the ispeed and the Magnum at their little longest respective lengths -- any thoughts?

6'3" - 220 lbs.
 

Dave Petersen

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Oh Dave, I don't think that these skis are old enough for you :cool:

Good one! I am the Jesus of the ski world - I love them all. Red and Yellow, Black and White, all are precious in my sight...

(Sunday School reference)
 

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