The Head Absolut Joy is all about balance and control, at least that’s what Head’s description says. The construction of the Absolut Joy, when compared to other skis within the line, is a little bit lighter as Head uses a Superlite Composite Core in replace of either wood or their carbon/Koroyd construction. It still does, however, use Graphene, which is prevalent in most of Head’s skis as one of the lightest and strongest materials on earth. Combine this construction with the ski’s 79 mm waist width, relatively short turning radius, and slight rocker profile and we’re looking at a ski that should be relatively easy to ski, maneuverable, and fun.
While you’ll typically find Kristi Brown on more aggressive skis, she really seemed to enjoy the relaxed nature of the Absolut Joy. Kristi skied the 158 cm length and scored it 5 out of 5 for quickness, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression, and commented, “What a delight! The Absolut Joy is easy breezy very pleasey!” Kristi found them to be “very user friendly,” which really confirms our expectations in terms of the ski’s performance. It’s going to be a great ski for less aggressive skiers that are looking to maximize their enjoyment on the slopes. It’s perhaps not suitable for super aggressive skiers, although Kristi is pretty aggressive sometimes and clearly enjoyed it. She did end her comments, however, by recommending the ski for “advanced beginners to intermediates,” because “the shape lends itself to ‘first-carve-101-class.”
Carly Monahan skied the 153 cm length and also found the Absolut Joy to be very user friendly and easy to ski. She gave the Absolut Joy 5 out of 5 for quickness and forgiveness, with playfulness and overall impression also coming in with relatively high marks. She described it as “very light and maneuverable.” Carly did say that “when pushing the ski to higher speeds and trying to open it up I felt a little unstable,” which supports our theory that aggressive skiers will likely want a heavier, more stable ski. According to Carly, however, “at moderate speeds the ski felt solid and snappy. Easy to swing around and gets on edge easily, but also makes nice quick smeary turns.” She also said it felt “very forgiving,” and thought it “would be a great ski for a lady who wants a ski she can ski all day without getting tired at mellow to moderate speeds while making various turn shapes.”
Wow! Great description, Carly. We think that accurately describes a lot of skiers and is an excellent way to describe who this ski is for. Skiing at mellow to moderate speeds definitely is where the Absolut Joy is happiest and its light weight and rocker profile make it very maneuverable. This makes it extremely fun for exploring intermediate to groomed advanced runs across whatever resort you typically ski and really will be appropriate as an all mountain ski for the less aggressive skier regardless of where you live. Even if you live in an area that receives high amounts of snowfall, advanced beginners all the way up to less aggressive advanced skiers typically spend the majority of their time on groomed slopes, which is easily where the Absolut Joy is most appropriate. The 79 mm waist width and rocker profile do allow for some off-piste exploration, but that’s not the highlight of the ski. It’s highlight has to be its confidence-inspiring, user-friendly feel on the groomers.
