The 2020 Head Supershape I.Titan is a ski built for pure carving bliss. They have a wider footprint than the narrower I.Rally, but are impressive turners in their own right. At 80 mm underfoot and with pretty much a full-camber profile, the skis are built for some serious tip to tail carving action. The edge grip is pretty ridiculous, and the ability of the ski to initiate and complete turns is extremely high-end. With a flat tail that has no taper, the skis love to hold an edge throughout the arc, and are reluctant to let go, but when you do, all that energy that has been building throughout the turn gets released, resulting in a snappy and powerful rebound. This is by design, of course, thanks to Head’s KERS technology that seems to know how fast you’re going and how much energy is built up in the ski, because it is able to release it accordingly as it pertains to your speed. As a result, the ski behaves just as friendly at slow speeds as high speeds. Built with a World Cup style construction, these dual-metal laminate skis have a ton of strength and power. Our testers were very impressed with their ability to link turns and hold edges, and that’s what front-side carving skis are really all about.
Our resident carving expert, Ryan Daniel, ripped a few runs on the 177 and loved the quickness and maneuverability, with those categories each earning scores of 5 out of 5. The rest of his scores were all 4’s with the exception of flotation which garnered a well-deserved N/A. Powder skis these are not. Power? Yes. Ryan calls the Titan a “fun front-side carver.” In terms of the shorter turn radius due to the shapely nature of the ski, Ryan notes that it “likes to turn—not a glider.” But for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, and as far as the Titan is concerned, Ryan says it “held well on ice and is easy to turn.” Surely a carving enthusiast like Ryan appreciates the strength and carving power of the Head Supershape I.Titan.
Marcus Shakun is pretty tall, so it’s impressive that he thought the 177 was a good length for him. If they made something longer, he’d most likely prefer that, but for him, the 177 was not too short. This shows the strength and stability of the ski. Resultingly, his scores of all 4’s (another N/A for flotation) are pretty amazing, showing the front-side versatility and well-rounded nature of the Titan. He calls it “versatile in the sense that you can ski on or off trail and arc big turns.” If you try to fight the already short radius and really swish some short swing turns, Marcus will tell you to look elsewhere, because the Titan “doesn’t do short turns.” However, they are “stable at high speed and the edge hold is impressive. Great for someone that wants one ski for skiing 75% on-trail and 25% off-trail.” And a bit more on the ski’s all-mountain nature: “Stiff enough to hold at high speeds, but soft enough to bash some bumps in the woods.” Pretty good stuff from Marcus, here, noting that the ski shouldn’t be pigeon-holed as a trail-only ski, but the width and the build make it accessible for all-mountain skiers who are looking for a versatile carver.
We all want a ski that can do everything, and we’re constantly giving something up as a compromise. The Titan is no different, but for skiers who spend the majority of their time on-trial, they’re probably not seeking out the deep untracked stuff with these skis anyway. As a front-side carver with some added bonus skills built in, the 2020 Head Supershape I.Titan is an amazingly well-built ski.
