Head’s Kore 105 is a ski that gives you plenty of options. You can use it as a go-to All Mountain ski for carving up big terrain on a daily basis, as the softer condition ski in your quiver for wonderfully smooth performance in the powder, or as a touring ski because it’s so lightweight. As the middle kid in Head’s very cool new Kore line (there is also a Kore 93, which we review in the All Mountain category of our ski test, and a Kore 117, which we did not test), the 105 takes full advantage of Head’s Karuba Light Weight Wood, and Graphene/Koroyd/Carbon Sandwich build, which the brand is calling “Topsheet Free Construction,” to offer easy to access power in a variety of turn shapes.

The Kore 105 did get some mixed reviews in the Hard Snow Pleasure category, earning as high as a 10, and as low as a 4, from one tester who said the ski felt too soft on the hardpack. Even that tester reported the ski was “Excellent,” as did 75 percent of the testers who skied the 105, with one tester ranking it his “Favorite.” The ski has very good Float and Sluff-ability, and also received high scores for its Stability, thanks in no small part to the Graphene-Koroyd-Carbon sandwich. The one thing every tester commented on is how easy the ski is to turn no matter where we skied, or as one tester wrote, “It’s nimble, with great turning ability, forgiving with a big sweet spot.”

Overall

The Kore 105 earned one 10 (out of a possible 10) in the Overall Classification, and several 8s. To a man, every tester was impressed with how easy the ski is to turn, with a propensity to make super smooth arcs off-piste. It did get some mixed reviews for Hard Snow Pleasure (see Full Review), but that was the only classification in which the ski did not earn a consistently high rank. It’s a very accessible ski for a lot of different skiers, from lift-served freeriders to turn earners who want a lightweight ski with top of the line downhill performance.

Sluff-ability

The mix of Early-Rise Rocker, a forgiving shovel flex, and the lightweight of the Kore 105 combine to create a ski with super Sluff-ability for schmearing absolutely sideways into a deep pile of fluff. As easy as this ski is to turn, it’s absolutely perfect for pushing around the soft stuff.

Stability

For such a light, easy turning ski, it was a little bit of a surprise to see the Kore 105 also get such high marks for Stability, including two 10s at the highest point and then 8s from everyone else. Except for on the hardpack, the ski was consistently confident and predictable wherever we skied it, with a consistently round turn shape.

Float

The Kore 105 earned 8s across the board on every single test sheet. While it doesn’t have the pure floatation of a ski like the Atomic Backland, it’s more than light and forgiving enough to come pretty close. Like right up there with the top Floating skis in the Powder Category.

Hard Snow Pleasure

As has been noted several times in this review, the Kore 105’s one point of contention among our test team was about how well the ski does – or doesn’t – carve on hardpack. One tester gave it a 10, while still recommending it predominantly for skiers in the West. While another gave it a 4, saying the ski was too soft, but still rating the 105 as one of the best skis in this category. Either way, hard snow isn’t the focus of the Kore 105, which from touring to flat out freeriding, rocks at everything else.