The Supershape i.Rally from Head is a high performance carving ski that uses a slew of advanced technology in its construction. At the core of the ski is Head’s Graphene World Cup construction. This builds a lot of torsional stiffness into the ski, but Graphene is a much lighter material than if it was just pure metal. So, although the i.Rally does use metal, it’s significantly lighter than some comparable carving skis. The have a relatively short, snappy turn radius of 13.7 m at the 170 cm length ski surrounding the skis 76 mm waist width. While Head refers to it as a ski that can go from side stashes to groomers and back again, the 76 mm waist width in our opinion seems most appropriate for use on firmer snow, but let’s find out what our testers thought.
Benny Wax just wrote “Yippeeee!!!!” in big letters across his test form, so we think he liked them. Okay, okay, he wrote more than that, but we really like that response. Benny tested the 170 cm length and described the i.Rally as “quick turning, responsive, and lively.” Benny also gave the ski “5 stars,” which wasn’t a test criteria by any means, just something that he wrote next to “Yippeee!” He thinks it’s a perfect choice for a hard charging, technical skier that loves to ski hard and fast.
Steve Brown definitely thought the i.Rally was most appropriate for use on firm snow, and we agree. It’s hard for us to agree with Head’s description of being a good side stash ski as realistically there are many skis better for that type of terrain (the Head Kore 93 comes to mind as more of a side-stash-capable all mountain ski). On the contrary, it’s a very high performing carving ski when on firm snow, and Steve seemed to share that thought. “At 77 mm underfoot it needs some hard pack snow to get the most out of the ski. Great turn shape, initiates fast and holds its edge very well. Fun ski, but likes to be on harder snow, so I’d call it an ‘on-trail carver.’” Steve was testing the 177 cm ski, the longest available length.
David Wolfgang also skied the 177 cm and agreed that they’re intended for use on groomed slopes, “this ski is for the aggressive frontside carver.” David went on to emphasize that a certain level of aggressiveness is important for skiers looking to pick up a pair of Supershape i.Rally, “The ski wants to be pushed. It’s not for the timid. The more you ask of it, the more it will give back.” Less aggressive skiers may find the energy and responsiveness combined with the relatively short turn radius to be a little too much to handle. Not in a straight line speed sense, however, more in a sense that the ski wants to just keep making turns, and they’re relatively aggressive turns.
Although Marcus Shakun’s 6’5” height is a little tall for the 177 cm ski he was on, even he found them to have solid edge grip. Marcus, like our other testers, referred to the ski as an “all mountain frontside carver.” He further described the feel of the ski saying that “when you need the edge it’s all there.” Marcus found that the i.Rally made “nice short to round medium turns,” which makes a lot of sense considering the 13.7 m turn radius.
Ultimately we think the Supershape i.Rally really is best suited for skiing on groomers and will be most appreciated by relatively aggressive skiers who like to make a lot of carving turns. It’s not a long, drawn out GS turn shape, but rather leans towards a slalom turn shape. For those looking to link endless turns down groomed slopes, it’s tough to say any ski does it better than the i.Rally.
