There are mysteries in life we were never meant to understand. Like the flight of a hummingbird or the rules to Canadian football or what gluten is. Scientists dedicate their careers to such inscrutable riddles, but we’ll never solve them. That’s mostly because our best minds are, apparently, designing sweet futuristic skis in the Head laboratory, which I assume is located in space.
I’d argue it’s all worth it.
Perhaps the most technology-packed skis on the planet (outside of the World Cup circuit) are the i.Supershape series from Head. You can tell it’s cutting-edge because there’s a lower-case “i” followed by a period in the name. Classic Steve Jobs move. The four skis that make up the Supershape family–starting at 66mm-underfoot with the i.Supershape Speed, and maxing out at a still-svelte 80mm with the i.Supershape Titan — are uncompromising rockets meticulously designed to destroy firm snow. The 72mm-wide i.Supershape Magnum and 76mm i.Supershape Rally complete the line-up, providing a range of award-winning options for the discriminating speed freak.
The key to that world-beating performance–specifically, to the liveliness and pop found in all Supershape skis–is the invention of KERS technology, which you can read about here. Does that name sound like a horrible disease? Yes. Does the explanation on Head’s website read as if it has been translated from German to English by an unusually boring robot? Sure. But I promise you the science is sound. Probably. I don’t know: I’m not a mechanical engineer–even though I’ve frequently pretended to be one at parties to impress mechanical engineering groupies. I’ve since learned that there’s no such thing.
The point is this: there’s a microchip in these skis. But it’s not like the microchip in my computer that lets me watch the British feed of ESPN because I prefer my sports announcers to sound like characters from Downton Abbey. This one actually serves a purpose.
It (with the help of something called piezoelectic fibers) captures the kinetic energy generated by the flexing of the ski at the start of a turn. Then, as you transition out of the turn, that energy is released, stiffening the tails, and rocketing you forward. I’m pretty sure that’s also basically the plot of “Interstellar”.
For the more visual learners among us, there’s a nice little animation explaining KERS technology at the end of this extremely weird Head commercial, which features Bode Miller and what I believe are Polish subtitles:
The mad geniuses in the Head development labs combined that KERS technology with their ERA 3.0 S design which consists of a whisper of tip rocker (10%) to ease turn initiation, 90% traditional camber for power and grip on anything short of sidewalk cement, V-shape construction, and those piezoelectric intellifibers to smooth out harsh vibrations at reckless speeds. Oddly, ìPiezoelectric Intellifibersî was my nickname in high school. I was not well-liked.
What it adds up to is a series of stable, smooth, and energetic skis that somehow manage to simultaneously be confidence-inspiring and demanding. The speed limit on these things is more of a theoretical concept than an achievable human experience, but they don’t require racer legs or racer technique to be tamed.
So don’t bring these into the terrain park. Don’t pull them out for a powder day. The Supershapes want to be driven on groomed snow, and they want to be driven hard. But they don’t try to pretend otherwise. They’re a wolf in wolf’s clothing. And you’ll be glad they are, when you find yourself going seventy miles per hour down hardpack and a slow smile starts to take over your face.
My advice for you in that situation is the same advice I give for everything: hang on, enjoy the ride, and never eat gas station hotdogs. The 2015 Head i.Supershapes, ladies and gentlemen. You’re welcome.
