Chalk / Steep Chalk
On edgeable chalk, the Kore 105 is an absolute blast — stable at speed, happy carving hard turns or feathering out longer turns, very quick (for its length) in tighter trees or moguls. I could basically do whatever I wanted. The ski didn’t feel overly stiff or unforgiving, it just felt like a solid, stable platform.
Slush / Slush Bumps
As in chalk, the Kore 105 feels like ninja sticks in slush. Granted, lighter skis often demonstrate some of their best behavior in slush since there is so much suspension being provided by the snow itself, and the Kore 105 worked quite well here.
Fairly Soft Chop & Soft Crud (I.e., Softer Variable Snow)
Excellent. Remarkably excellent.
Two of my favorite, most exciting times on this ski came while skiing Reforma and Main Street on Kachina Peak.
Skier’s left of the chairlift on Kachina, the snow was variable — generally soft, with sections of chalk and windscour — with plenty of medium-to-large moguls that also ranged from quite soft to well-scraped and firm. I really wasn’t quite sure how these skis were going to respond to skiing fast in bumped-up terrain, but pretty quickly, I found myself skiing very fast, and easily and quickly transitioning from making bigger, sweeping turns, to quickly dissecting a tighter line of moguls. It was fast and fun and, given how light these skis are … easy.
But another big part of the fun was making airplane turns off of moguls. This was true on Kachina’s Main Street, but even more true on Reforma, under Taos’s Chair 2.
Keep in mind, we’re talking about lines that were for the most part soft, and that presented a mix of powder, chop, chalk, and some scraped-off, firm moguls. But in this mix, the low weight of the ski and the strong flex pattern allowed me to air off a mogul, quickly and effortlessly turn in the air, and precisely set the skis down wherever I wanted to.
By way of contrast / the absolute other end of the spectrum, in my review of the 184 cm HEAD Monster 108, I noted that this was exactly the wrong way to ski the much-heavier Monster 108 — that ski is so heavy, damp, and smooth that it was too exhausting to try to ski with this dynamic style, and I found it better to leave the skis on the ground rather than repeatedly attempting to wrench them around in the air at speed. Neither style is wrong or right, but it is certainly a stark contrast, and as always, it’s good to think about how and where you actually ski. But all I know is that I could have skied those lines down Kachina or Reforma all day long and had a really fun day.
Straightlining Bumped-Up Runouts
FWIW, a favorite pastime of mine is straightlining the run out of Reforma — one, because it’s fun, and two, because I’m lazy and often tired from having smashed and bashed my way down the double-fall line mogul run that is Reforma at speed.
And I have to say that I was very surprised how well the Kore 105 held up to just pointing it and skiing irresponsibly fast. To be clear, once in “Point It” mode, it would not have been particularly easy to shut down speed on these light skis (heavier skis generally are better at this or at more abrupt direction changes once you’re going full tilt), but I have to say that the consistency of the flex pattern of the Kore 105 felt like a real asset in terms of letting this light ski maintain its composure when nuking through moguled terrain (and the compression at the bottom of the run that I stupidly seemed to hit every single time). This is in stark contrast to the experience I had on the (heavier) 188 cm Rossignol Soul 7 HD.
Steeps
Another favorite activity on the Kore 105 was billy goating in steep terrain. When jump turning in steep terrain, there really is something to be said about a crazy light ski with minimal swing weight. In steep chutes and steep faces, it is really easy to turn these from side to side, and I found myself seeking out steep, tight spaces in West Basin to navigate.
The caveat to this is that in really tight lines, the stiffness of this ski and the length of this ski became apparent — jump turn in a tight chute and get onto the tails, and I’d find myself rocketing on those tails and stuffing the nose of the ski into the side of the chute. So precision is required; a shorter, heavier platform allows a greater degree of sloppiness.
This is also why I would not automatically encourage everyone to size up if you are often negotiating tight spaces. The skis is stiff enough that I would not say that it skis short, and if you’re in a tighter chute, you’ll feel the length of the ski.
Another caveat: in steep, punchy snow, I found the tails of this ski knifing into the snow rather than easily releasing. I think a heavier ski — or a ski that simply had more tail rocker — would have made this a bit easier. So if you spend a lot of time in punchy snow or skiing tight trees or tight lines in very sun-affected snow, I wouldn’t say that this is where the ski shines, and I’d recommend detuning the tails of the ski heavily to help the cause.
But if we’re talking sun-baked snow on more open lines? Then game on, and this ski will be stable at speed, and will easily handle bigger turn shapes. It’s just not a pivot machine in punchy or baked snow.
Firm Crud
Of all the snow conditions listed here, this is where I feel like I need more time on the Kore 105. But so far, I have to say that I am impressed by how well the Kore 105 handled thin layers of firm, churned-up snow — i.e., snow where the ski could stay on top of the crud, and its shovels didn’t have to battle ram their way through the crud, and its tails were also staying on top of the snow rather than knifing into it.
Without question, heavier skis will smooth out conditions better and offer a more plush ride. And again, I may revise this section, but in two days of skiing, the Kore 105 never produced that pingy, teeth-rattling ride quality that is sometimes experienced on lightweight, stiff skis that make use of a lot of carbon fiber. (Think of riding a rigid, carbon-fiber-frame mountain bike in rocky terrain.)
So am I saying that the Kore 105 felt the same as a heavier ski with metal? Nope.
Am I saying that I’ve never skied anything this light that holds up as well to firm crud? Yeah, I might be saying that.
(And heads up: in my Deep Dive Comparisons, I’m going to include a section on the 107mm-wide KORE 105 to the 112mm-wide Volkl V-Werks Katana….)
Untracked Pow
Late-season storms and wildly fluctuating temperatures meant that I got to ski the Kore 105 in both light and dry pow, and well as heavier, more set-up untracked snow.
In lighter pow, the Kore 105 performs well. This is not a super surfy ski like the Liberty Origin 106 or Salomon QST 106 — both of those skis have far more tip rocker and have much softer flex patterns that aid planing and flotation in deep snow. But the Kore 105 worked just fine in these conditions, it’s just that if straight-up powder performance is your first priority, there would be good reason to bump up to the KORE 117, or go with a ski that’s more similar to one of the 106’s I’ve mentioned here.
Sun-baked, Heavier Pow and Chop
In these conditions in open spaces, the KORE 105 performs just fine. But in these conditions in tighter trees, I found the tails of the ski getting a bit hung up in denser snow, and I also found the very light front half of the ski (with its heavily tapered tips) to feel pretty twitchy and prone to deflection.
This was even more noticeable in thick, soft, chop / cut-up powder — the tails of the Kore 105 would sometimes slice beneath the snow making it a bit harder to release the tail, while the lightweight ski with tapered tips prone to getting shoved too far to the left or the right, and it took a good amount of effort to fight against this oversteering. And another factor here is the relatively tight sidecut radius of the ski; a straighter ski with less of a 5-point (tapered) tip shape typically tracks better in such conditions.
So if you spend a lot of time skiing more dense chop and untracked powder, I think the wider, heavier, and slightly-less-tip tapered HEAD Kore 117 is the much better tool for the job.
Punchy / Grabby / Rotten Snow
The ski doesn’t shine here. The tails could get pretty stuck, and skis with straighter shapes (less sidecut, less tip taper) tend to work better. But detuning the ski should help a bit if you’re skiing in these conditions a lot. But honestly, if you’re in these conditions a lot, I think there are better skis out there.
Groomers
So far, this has been a bit surprising. The Kore 105 exhibits good edge hold even on roughed-up groomers (which is definitely not always true of lighter skis), but I needed to get going very fast to get the Kore 105 to carve, and the ski really didn’t feel like a natural carver at all.
I believe its tapered tip is the issue — it just didn’t really want to engage / initiate the turn. The tails would finish powerfully, and again, even on roughed-up groomers, this ski felt much stronger than it really should at its low weight.
But while we’ve called HEAD’s Monster 98 and 108 two of the best carving skis in their respective categories (they both feel like fat race skis on groomers), I wouldn’t say that about the Kore 105, and the issue doesn’t appear to be its weight.
One last thought: the shovels of the Kore 105 are pretty stiff, so I wondered if I was simply having some trouble bending them. But the shovels of the Monster 98 and 108 are MUCH stiffer, and as I’ve said, I think both of those skis are basically best-in-class carvers. So I think the issue isn’t the weight or the flex pattern of the ski, but the tip shape. Speaking of that tip…
Thoughts on the Kore 105’s Tip Shape (feel free to ignore)
Given how stiff this ski is — and given that it’s a 189 cm length — I suspect that pretty strong / advanced / expert skiers will be the primary people reaching for this ski. And while it’s already a good ski, I think a less tapered tip would make this ski less twitchy / turny in dense snow and in punchy, rotten snow.
Of course, others will note the rather tight sidecut on this ski, and say that they’d wish it was straighter — e.g., why not a 25-30 meter sidecut radius? I personally wouldn’t be mad at all about that, but if I only made one change to this ski, it would be to reduce the tip taper. This ski is good, and less taper would only increase its stability. Furthermore, it’s already so light that giving it a less-tapered tip would not suddenly make it a chore to turn and swing around — far, far from it.
The tip taper on the Kore 105 appears to be a bit more than on the Kore 117. But I’ve always maintained that tip taper makes more sense the fatter the ski gets. I.e., the 16/17 Blizzard Spur has a lot of tip taper, and that ski doesn’t feel twitchy in the least. But it also weighs ~2389 g per ski and is 124 mm wide. Anyway, just my two cents.
Mount Point
Because of my experience on the Kore 117, I departed from my usual practice of starting on a ski’s recommended line, and began right off the bat skiing the Kore 105 at +1. And after two days of skiing, no part of me is inclined to move back. If we end up playing more with the mount point we’ll be sure to update this section, but for now, given the flex pattern and directional shape of this ski, +1 feels good.
Bottom Line / Some Answers to Our Opening Questions
While Light + Stiff hasn’t been our favorite combination in the past, I’ve never skied something this light and this stiff that has performed so well.
If you’re looking for a strong “50/50” ski to mount with a touring binding and to use in variable conditions inbounds and out, I think this ski could make a lot of sense.
As a dedicated inbounds ski, the Kore 105 shines in soft snow (even slightly soft snow) or softer, mixed conditions. Strong skiers with an athletic, dynamic style will likely resonate the most with this ski, but in more consistent / less demanding terrain, these skis will be easy to turn and don’t require massive amounts of speed (unlike the HEAD Monster 108).
NEXT: Rocker Profile Pics
Looking forward to some comparisons, Backland FR 109, Volkl 108, Atris, Rustler 10. Sounds like Head has done a great job on this ski!
did these replace the Head collection skis?
Yes, the KORE series takes the place of the Collection series.
Where did you find the mounting sweet spot to be on 105’s in a 180cm?
You say the tails can get hung up, but you say you would keep the mount point at +1. Explain.
The recommended mount point is already nearly 12 cm behind true center. And given how light — and how relatively tapered — the tips of these skis are, I’m definitely not interested in getting even further back on this ski. In fact, while I liked +1, if I either had to move back to the line or move another 1 cm forward, I’d go to +2 in order to stay on top of and control those light, tapered tips. On a *much* heavier, less tapered ski like the Monster 108, there’s no need to quiet down / control the tips; the only reason to go forward is if you need / want to quicken up the ski a bit.
I find moving forward makes my tails hang, but then again, -12 is pretty far back. I think I’m at -10 (-2 from midsole. The 190 has a lot of tail, even if it really measures 187cm!) and -9.5 or even -9 would have probably been fine. As it is, I’m a more forward and low skier (or I should be), so very traditional mount points work for me.
Jonathan, Thank you as usual for the depth review. These skis intrigue me as a replacement for my 193 Automatics mounted with Tyrolia Adrenaline 16’s(heavy). I noticed you have the Attack 13 AT mounted, how is that for weight vs Attack 13?. I’m thinking the weight of the combo binding would help the KORE. The light weight thing is still mental for me.
I have not skied the KORE but your review and others have me thinking. I do agree a rounded shovel and 25m side-cut would make it better. I still have and love my 13-14 Cochise-rounded shovel, 28m radius and some beef.
I may wait a season to see if they make those changes.
I am thinking Monster 98, I am 5’11, 185lbs, ski like you do based on your reviews. Would you go 177(175( or 184(182ish) real world length. I have always skied longer but with little to no tip rocker and a full edge it seems the 177 makes sense. What get me thinking is the actual length, a 182 vs 175. seems like the perfect length, What are your thoughts.
Last but most important: How are you doing?
Matt
Hi, Matt – you’ve got a few questions here, so … (1) I’m not certain about weight differences between AAAttack 13 AT and non-AT. (2) I don’t think there is any reason to assume that HEAD will tweak the 105 in those ways. If they do, I think that would be great; but I wouldn’t advise holding your breath. (3) You and I are about the same height & weight, and I personally would take the 184 Monster 98, since *I* would be interested more in the ski’s off-piste performance, so there, I would take the additional length and stability and slightly greater sidecut radius. But if we were going to ski groomers all day (and especially the shorter and / or narrower the groomers), then I think the 177 would actually be a bit more fun – simply carvier / turnier. (4) Finally, I’m happy to report that I’m doing well, feeling good!
Just send it big guy! You hear that little ?
Hi
Previous replies have confirmed my thoughts that the Kore range has replaced the Venturi 95s etc, I had been looking at the Venturi 95 as a discounted last years model ski.
Although I’m a fairly aggressive skier with 30 odd years on the planks, I’ve always been on a tight budget and never got much into the different skis, just jumped on whatever planks I had (head x1100s that I used for about 8 years till I bought some iRallys last year) and ragged them like I stole them, the 67mm 1100s were used all over the mountain, from groomers to half a metre of powder.
I’m looking for a second ski with more float in the deep stuff than the iRallys but not sure how much I want to compromise piste performance.
The offpiste I like is the steep chutes, trees and other tricky bits rather than surfing huge powder fields, (mainly because I never have access to huge powder fields!!!) On piste, I like the 14m radius of the iRallys, pretending that I’m a GP rider, trying to get my elbow in the snow and love the moguls.
Kore 93 or 105?
Chiming in with a few questions / musings here.
So I’ve got part of my quiver set up for the season. After selling off a few skis I’m left with some new Bibbys and a pair of Jeronimos (The 101 underfoot flavour from a few years back).
Right now I’m looking for a 3rd ski to fill the gap a little bit. The Jeronimos are a very fun park/all mountain ski – but they’re mounted pretty far forward and do leave me wanting a bit more stability and ‘chargeriness’. Obviously the Bibbys are my anything remotely deep ski.
I want something that fits the bill as both a capable ‘big-boy’ freeride ski that I can take out to Baker/Whistler/Revelstoke and ride a day or two after smaller storms – and as something I can slap Guardians on and go for slackcountry laps. Think a ski for the average condition day on big PNW mountains.
Originally I’d thought my Bibbys could be a great option with Guardians, but I’m a bit concerned about how heavy they’d be. All reports indicate they’re an amazing ski in nearly anything soft, but maybe I should mount them with FKS’ and leave them as an inbounds / short hike type guy.
This is where the Kore 105 comes in. My local shop has some great options including the K105, the Rustler 10. These skis are a fair bit lighter and would likely fit the bill as a true all-mountain/freeride type ski. Would it make sense to opt for a 3rd ski to mount with Guardians and treat as a daily-driver / touring option – and save the JMos for park days?
If I’m looking for a stiff, powerful ski to take on the mountain what suggestions come to mind? Should I just stay with what I currently have?
Hey, Ryan – sorry I’m just seeing this note! Quick question & thought: (1) what’s your height / weight? (2) I thought I’d made this clear in my review of the Kore 105, but I personally think the ski has too much sidecut (and is too light) to shine in heavier, denser snow. For such snow, the lighter you go, the straighter I’d want that ski to be. And to be honest, we feel the same way about the Rustler 10. Caveat: if you like making lots of turns, then the Kore 105 and Rustler 10 become more interesting options, though I still worry (especially) about the Kore 105’s ability to handle cake-batter snow. I spent a day in that type of snow, and it was not awesome. So if you’re looking for a “stiff, powerful ski” … I’d say the Kore 117 is a *way* better option than the 105 — it’s heavier, has less sidecut, and less tip taper. The Rustler 11 would also be better than the Rustler 10. Other skis to consider: Line Sick Day 104 or Sick Day 114. Just pick your width (and your weight).
No problem Jon!
I’m 5’9” and about 165-170 lbs. 27 years old.
So my story has changed a fair bit since I wrote this. My quiver’s currently a 100 underfoot stiff freestyle ski for jibby days, and a 184 Bibby which I ended up throwing Guardians on. I figured the bibbys are versatile enough to handle any BC condition, but they’re still not stupidly heavy. I decided the Kore 105 was just too light and tapered for my liking.
Now I’m looking for a ~108ish underfoot ski to fill the gap between these two. I’m an ex-freestyler who’s probably an “early” expert in technical ability level. I love skiing fast and fluidly.
I still want a big boy ski. Something reasonably stiff and substantial that I can take out as a daily driver in Whistler. Something I can grow with as a skier and improve on. I imagine I’ll ski the Bibbys when it’s reasonably fresh – so something that shines in really variable/firmer conditions would be ideal.
Skis in contention for me, in no-particular order:
ON3P Wrenegade 108 (Love all my ON3Ps, but I worry they’re a bit too soft snow focused – my Bibbys handle that well)
Black Crows Corvus (Never skied them, but they feel great in the shop. There aren’t a whole lot of reviews up on them, but they seem badass. It also seems like most people should ski the Atris instead, as it gives up little to gain a more easygoing ride. Feel the corvus handles firm snow better.)
Black Crows Atris (Never skied, but apparently they’re pretty great. Sounds like the newest iteration is more stable)
Cochise (Found them a bit dead when I demod them, and honestly a bit of work in some of Whistler’s tighter spots. That said, very damp, very stable, very fast)
Anything else you’d add to this list? What do you think I should aim for? The Corvus is very tempting, but I wonder if I’m missing something.
As always, thanks for the hard work! Looking forwards to reading the new guide.
Do you think the 180 version mounted with some dynafits could be a solid daily driver in the backcountry, including when the snow is variable and crusty?
No.
Lightweight skis with a lot of sidecut are the wrong design for variable and crusty snow. In light, dry, forgiving snow? Definitely. But that’s a very different ball game.
*Could* you make them work in variable & crust? Sure. Any competent skier *could*. Would we call it a “solid daily driver” for such conditions? No.
Very thorough review. I’ve been skiing the Rossi Soul 7’s (188cm – 108 Under foot) for 4 years now, with Nordica Enforcers (185cm – 93 UF) and Rossi Squads (190cm – 120 UF) also in the quiver. Thinking of replacing my Soul 7’s since they’ve had 2 design upgrades since I got them. Trying to compare the Head Kore 105’s vs Rossi Soul 7’s. Is there really a significant difference in weight (looks like 1-2 pounds) and at 6’2” & 215lbs, am I really going to notice it? I’m probably more concerned about flotation, quickness and responsiveness. I ski 60-80 days a season. Mammoth is my home mountain and I primarily ski off-piste, steeps and bumps, with trips to Alta/Snowbird, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Baker and Mt Bachelor every year.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Has anyone else measured the weight of their Kore 105 Skis?
Just received pair of Kore 105 skis with size 171cm few weeks ago. I put them on scale and was shocked: they weighted 1826g another and another ski weighted 1847g. I was expecting these to be closer to 1,6kg mark and sent e-mail to Head right away. I just finally received e-mail back.
“The construction of these skis has been changed this summer what improves their durability and performance. The negative effect is that the weight also had to be increased slightly. The weight was measured for prototypes of these skis.
Best regards
HEAD
CUSTOMER SERVICE – HEAD SERVICE TEAM”
At the moment I feel that I have been mislead buying expensive light skis that are however quite standard weight for this size skis. Not so good marketing from Head in my opinion if they haven’t sent any letter to dealers regarding this.
Matt,
I asked the previous questions about comparing the Kore 105’s to the Soul 7’s. I think you are correct about the weight issue. My wife and I were at a ski shop recently that had both the Kore 105’s and Soul 7’s at 180 length. It wasn’t a scale, but we both did a blind comparison of the weight of the skis and both picked the Soul 7’s as feeling a little lighter when we lifted them.
Weight aside, have you had a chance to ski them yet? If so, what are your thoughts? I’m thinking of sticking with the Soul 7’s since I know what I’m getting with them.
Jeff,
I haven’t put any bindings yet since I waited almost 2 weeks reply from Head, which I received this morning.
On hand they feel much stiffer compared to Soul7 (old version). Really like the shape and everything, only disappointment was the weight since I was expecting them to be appr 200g lighter. Even Head web pages advertized week ago that the 180cm version weights 1.68kg. Now that sentence has disappeared.
Very interesting, guys. We hadn’t heard anything from HEAD about the weight increase, and I’m now curious if the 189s we tested also got a weight increase.
Of course, in a statement that will surprise nobody, I’m not mad about the weight increase, since I’m ready to believe this will likely increase durability and performance in variable snow. That said, the weight of these skis was the primary talking point for the KORE skis (and one could argue the single talking point) … so yeah … it’s certainly understandable to be upset.
Another difference I️ noticed was that the Kore seemed to have about half the camber of the Soul 7. This was visual by placing them base to base, so it wasn’t actually measured. I️ don’t know if this means anything.
I weigh a pair of KORE 105’s in a 180 and 189 at the Shop I go to.
180 KORE 105 1870 Grams.
189 KORE 105 2035 Grams
I also weighed the Atomic Vantage 100CTI in the 189, 2005 grams which is close to what you guys posted.
I personally like the added weight, now I will most likely buy a pair.
Matt Stapleton
This is the info I got from Head regarding the new weights:
Here are the new official weights for KORE 105:
· 3.980 g for length 189 cm
· 3.750 g for length 180 cm
· 3.590 g for length 171 cm
I would be interested in the Head Kore 105, but because they lied about their ski weight and built a whole marketing campaign around being lighter, I am going with the Rossi Soul 7’s.
Two very different skis. I would be much more concerned about the performance than if the ski weight was exactly at spec. I’ve skied both, not even a contest, the Heads all the way. Much more substantial ski. Liked the 189s at +3 to 4 mm.
I skied both as well. No even close, the Rossi’s are a much better ski.
I like that they weigh more and I like that they addressed a potential problem with durability and better performance. I get your point if you are lighter, but for me at 185 lbs the added weight is good.
Hello. Does anyone know if i can remount the bindings on these skis due to their Koroyd construction? Thank you.
How do you think will be a +6 mount point?
About weight gain and improvements done- Head answered :
“we have added extra fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement to improve performance and durability based on feedback from our athletes. We are in constant contact with our freeride athletes to achieve the best possible performance which also means constant adjustments during the production process”
Please contact us for any further questions.
PS .Razvan -ask Head.com about +6 mount point.
Hi Jonathan. Merry Christmas!
I am 6’4″, 220 lbs, 50 years old, expert skier in Revelstoke. Love smashing crud, pow, airing out soft bumps, trees, going fast, top to bottom, non stop every run, every day. Going slower is fun too though now, as I am aging and old dirt bike and ski injuries are catching up…
Looking at the Head Kore, in both 117, and 105. Last year i skied mainly on Faction 3.0, and while I liked them, they didnt hold up, and Faction gave me a new pair for warranty. They also didnt have enough “float” for me on deeper days, which are almost mythical around here now though. They seem to disapper way too fast.
I also own and LOVE my older (blue) Blizzard Cochise. These are my babies. Also, new Dynastar Big Dumps for the odd heli day.
But looking for a daily driver that can rip, and be playful if my wife happens to come out.
Was goonna buy both the 105, and the 117 for this year (Pro Deal). But with Xmas, and life in general, only really want to buy one pair…..What would you get, the 105, or the 117? And are 189’s even long enough for me??
Putting on some Guardians for slack country is a probability as well.
Thank you, your reviews are great, and I truly value your opinion.
Hey guys. I bought a pair of 180 Kore 105s. I just got back from Sunshine Village after a bell to bell test day (minus a half hour lunch). Wow. Incredibly versatile skis. So so so much fun. The only issue I have is that I am very concerned about their longevity. One day of skiing and the tips are chipped to hell, and I ripped a small piece off the top of one ski. I have 10 years of hard skiing on my Line Prophet 100s and they don’t look much worse than my 1 day old Kore 105s. I don’t care about cosmetics. My concern is that they won’t hold up for even a full season at this rate. And yeah, horrible technical form is the obvious cause, but still. Damn, were they fun today though. I haven’t had that much fun skiing for a long long time.
I got a chance to ski the Kore 105’s today and absolutely loved them. I felt like they have a very positive engaging edge and made a very precise turn shape-similar to my dynastar power track 89’s. I was able to ski some groomers, moguls, tracked and untracked powder. Overall I enjoyed them and feel they will make a good daily driver for me. I’m 6’4″ 200 lbs and learned to ski in the 80’s so I’m fairly traditional when it comes to skiing. I A/B’d them with a set of 184 Volkl Mantras, and while the mantras are easier to ski for me, the Kores were more rewarding, engaging and fun to ski than the mantras. I also feel they are quite a bit better in the powder. I was surprised, I didn’t think I’d like them, now I’m trying to come up with $700.
I demoed the Rossi Soul 7, Head Kore 105 and Armada Tracer, all in 188/189. All were great. I give the Soul 7 a 10, Tracer a 9.7 and Kore 105 a 9.5. The Soul’s turned a little easier which I like for the bumps and will do better in pow with more rocker. All were lightweight and easy to throw around. Can’t go wrong with any of these.
I just bought the KORE 105 in a 189, never demoed it, just went for it based on Blister and other reviews. I love this ski, they ski as advertised and for me maybe better. Day 1 was at Crystal Mountain Washington, Bluebird day one day after a 10 in dump, 18 degrees, medium soft groomers, set up junk south facing, softer mixed conditions north facing(Powder Bowl was ideal to test the 105) and a 25 minute hike to Silver Basin in the Southback-Knee deep untouched medium weight Pow. Finished the day skiing Brand X in the North Back and Employee Housing back to the base. I skied every condition over most of the Mountain. I have never been on one ski that nailed it all, blew me away(Set up junk south facing was the only area it got bucked around as would most skis except Monster 98-108 type of ski). I am still talking about them to anyone who will listen. I am know thinking of adding the 93 or new 99 in a 180 or the Renoun.
I like heavy skis, I own the Monster 88 and love it too. I was mental about the light weight, which is legit as I have skied some lightweight skis that got bucked around and the lightness never felt connected to the snow like the KORE does, don’t how HEAD did this but it works very well.
I am 5’11, 185 LBS, 59 years old, expert skier. For us old guys the KORE makes you feel 25.
Hi Jonathan or any other reviewer/advisor!
I’m searching a ski to do some touring (not long one -> max 1-2 hours uphill) but also to use in resorts, especially when condition are good (fresh snow) because I already own a pair of Völkl RTM 84 (2013-2014) with whom I’m very happy on-track. But they’re definitely not comfortable when it comes to pow & crud.
I think I’ll opt for the new Salomon Shift binding as it’s seems to be the most efficient downhill. I know it’s not lightweight… so I’m searching a ski which is pretty lightweight… because If I take a heavy binding + heavy ski I think I’ll suffer uphill :-D.
I did have a look at the following skis:
– Black Diamond Helio 105 (love the design :-P)
– Head Kore 105
– Blizzard Rustler 10
– Volkl BMT 109
Regarding it’s weight, is the Black Diamond Helio 105 really worse compared to the others? Any other suggestion?
Thanks a lot for your reviews and a big Hi from Switzerland :-).
Bastien
Hi Jonathan,
Thank you as always for the helpful review. At 6’3″ 260lbs am i too heavy for this light ski. I ski 70% hard pack 30% off-piste put working on evening out that ratio. Looking at this versus the Stormrider 105, Bonafide, or moment commander.
Thank you again.
Mat, I am 200 LBS and 6’4″ tall. I bought the 189 Kore 105’s in January and skied them to the end of the season and loved them. They take some muscle to bend on hard pack but are otherwise a fantastic ski. It’s strange that such a light weight ski is so good with edge hold on groomers but the harder you push the better they ski. They really excel for me off piste and in soft snow conditions. I still have a set of narrower 90mm skis for those days when I know I’m not going to be skiing off piste.
“All Mtn Skis” bout as good as a set of all season tires, they do everything about ok. With that said, some ski traits simply excell in different disciplines. The Kore series excels on firm snow and skis the soft quite well. I don’t think the folks mentioning a redundant version of the Soul 7 would say it excels on firm, that would be Rossi’s other offering the Experience Ti. No mention of the Stockli Stormriders in here… the skis finish alone, cannot be compared.