2027 Head Discovery 82 Pro

The 2027 Head Discovery 82 Pro is a new ski for this year, representing the narrower of the two Pro level skis. These work great as an on-trail primary ski with a bit of an all-mountain flavor. Head does a great job building skis for progressing skiers that have a high-end feel and a high-performance ceiling. They do not skimp on the quality of their skis at the mid-level, and since most skiers are truly in that zone, it makes good sense. We find that the Discovery 82 Pro does a great job at making it easy and fun to link turns on groomers without totally giving up on the off-trail or adventurous side of the sport.

The Discovery 82 Pro uses a unique blend of materials to create a smooth and energetic feel. It all starts with a wood core, but the bigger story here is the shape to it. This elliptical pattern puts more emphasis on the edges while keeping the center of the ski lighter and a bit more flexible. They then use multiple damping layers and their Auxetic Technology. This unique material expands under load, so the harder you push the ski, the stronger it responds. This is a high-end technology to be used in an intermediate and advanced setup. Tester Matty Kuhnel notes: “What a pleasant surprise, it’s two skis in one. At low speed they handle well and can be skied with low energy just leaning side to side making great turns. When driven, putting lots of pressure in the front of the ski they rip. A little rocker makes them forgiving and they still have plenty of grip for the ice. The discovery is playful, but feels just slightly slow edge to edge given its width. The new mesh stiffening technology seems to work.”

At 82 mm underfoot, this ski does lean slightly to the front side and on-trail segments of the mountain. It’s also mostly cambered and not terribly rockered and definitely not tapered. This gives the carving feel of the ski a boost with the added energy of the construction. We get a turn radius of 14.4-meters in the 170 cm length, and that, too, points the ski into the more carvy side of the spectrum. Tester Bob St.Pierre states that “The Discovery 82 Pro is a fun ski with great rebound and energy. It's one of those skis that punches above its level and is more surprising than anything else. There's also nothing that particularly stands out about this ski--it's a completely pleasant and fun skiing experience and that's about it. The Discovery 82 Pro has a solid feel, a quiet nature, and a great rebound for fun and engaging carved turns.”

We do think that there’s a large audience here, full of skiers who should be skiing on a Discovery 82 Pro. They spend most, if not all, of their time on groomers and are looking to link turns with confidence without having to work too hard. At the same time, this skier does not want a noodle—they want something that if needed, they can really stand on with confidence. That’s the beauty of the Discovery 82 Pro—it can feel like it operates on multiple levels with a fantastic feel of quality.