2022 Head Kore 85 X

The 2022 Head Kore 85 X is an awesome example of an approachable all-mountain ski for a wide variety of skiers and skier types. Whether you’re a beginner skier looking for a higher-end feel, an intermediate looking to purchase their first pair of skis after years of demos and rentals, or an advanced skier who prefers something simple and forgiving, the Head Kore 85 X has something for everyone. Built with a karuba wood core, the Kore 85 X also gets a strip of graphene to boost the performance and stiffness of the ski. Graphene is a very light and stiff material, and it adds a good amount of energy and pop to the construction. At 85 mm underfoot, these skis are right in the sweet spot for true all-mountain skiing with an emphasis on front side and groomer cruising. If you never take these skis off of a groomed surface, they’ll still work great for what you need to do. In addition, the wider platform offers a good balance point, and does have enough width to handle off-piste skiing, whether you’re learning the bumps and trees or taking off on some sort of adventure.

It’s this type of ski that garners a lot of attention in the skiing world, and not because it’s the high-end, magazine cover ski that we all drool over, but rather it’s a workhorse, every day ski that just shows up to do its job. Bob St.Pierre skied the 177 and noted that “it has a very quiet composure to it, and this allows the skier to be on the more relaxed side of the spectrum, rather than clenching your teeth and holding on for dear life.” As a result, his top score of 5 out of 5 was given for forgiveness, with lower scores of 3 for torsional stiffness, edge hold, quickness, maneuverability, and versatility. “There’s a lot to like about these skis, and while someone of my size and ability needs something longer (177 is longest length) and beefier, there are a whole lot of skiers who will get a ton of enjoyment out of these skis. Great for the skier that’s looking to improve and get better on a variety of surfaces and terrain.” This type of skier definitely is in the majority of the ski population, so it makes a lot of sense that a company like Head would make a ski for the masses.

Another taller skier, Josh Wolfgang, also found the 177 to be on the short side. Most of the skiers who are looking for this type of ski will feel right at home on the longer size, even if they’re larger skiers, but it’s all about knowing the market and how a skier with a mix-mash of skills will ally themselves with a ski. Josh gave top scores of 4 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness, with lower scores for forgiveness, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. That said, he still understands the time, place, and skier type that should be on this ski. “For a cap construction it’s a decent ski. Tail felt pretty stiff which wasn’t a bad thing. At slow speeds it liked taking turns and made engaging in a turn easy.” This sums up a very large portion of the skiing population, and those skiers would be well-served on a ski like the Head Kore 85 X.

Easy to turn, yet with a higher-end feel and construction, the Head Kore 85 X is a versatile all-mountain ski for intermediate and expert skiers who are looking to improve and progress through the levels and have a good time on the hill. With a fun-loving shape and a nice overall feel, these skis are poised and ready to take a bunch of skiers to the next stage in their skiing career.