2022 Head Supershape e-Magnum

Fast and fearless, the Head Supershape e-Magnum sits somewhat in the middle of the front side lineup, offering a 72 mm waist and a burly build for all of your front side carving needs. These Supershape skis have been around for quite some time now, and for 2022, they stand pat, thanks to the tweaking last year. The Magnum has that narrow(ish) waist and a World Cup construction featuring a dense wood core and two sheets of metal. They also add Graphene to the mix as well as their Energy Management Circuit (EMC) in order to stiffen and stabilize the ski. Graphene is knows for its crazy strength to weight ratio, and it makes a lot of sense to use in this capacity. In the 170 cm length, the skis generate a 14-meter turn radius, so these short-turning skis love to be on edge and in a carved turn.

With a dearth of rocker and taper, the Head Supershape E-Magnum has a pretty long effective edge, so even in the 170 cm length, these skis are quite smooth and stable, even for bigger or more aggressive skiers. The total lack of taper gives the ski true tip to tail edge contact, and like we've seen with these Supershape skis in the past, the flat tail is about as flat as they come--allowing for a strong hold through the turn with a relentless grip and snap into the next. As a result, skiers do need to be on their game on these skis, as they do prefer to be driven by an accomplished driver with a good sense of balance and timing. The harder the better, when it comes to the snow surface, as this allows the ski to dig in and do its job from the top of the lift to the base.

At 72 mm underfoot, these skis certainly lean to the front side of the mountain in terms of conditions and terrain, but it's starting to open up the discussion of off-piste character. The width of the shovel and tail do make for a bit of a floaty feel, and while we'd avoid at all costs calling these skis "powder" boards, they do have some of that capability to them, especially on the feet of more seasoned skiers. 129 mm in the tip is pretty wide, and while these skis use that dimension more for turn initiation, if you do manage to keep them on the flat side of the spectrum, they will float and plow through fresh snow and crud. They end up being a lot more like a blunt instrument rather than a surfy plaything, but they do manage to get the job done, and that's due in no small part to Head's ability to simply make a great ski.

If you're the type of skier who likes to rip carved turns on the groomers until they get cut up and then venture off in search of some adventure, the Head Supershape E-Magnum is a solid choice. Leaning more to the front-side aspect for sure, these skis have the power and stability to feel like race skis at one moment, and then all-mountain skis in the next. It's pretty impressive what Head can do with this build, and since they have a strong foundation to stand on with the Supershape line, they're able to take advantage of the different shaping options and come up with fairly tailor-made skis for any advanced or expert front side skier.