Head’s legendary Monster line has always been all about providing superior stability at high speeds. With the line’s return this season, that reputation will remain unchanged. Featuring Head’s WC Sandwich construction, which mixes Graphene and titanal for a very damp feel–our testers agreed that this felt very much like a consumer-facing race ski. It rockets on the groomed, is capable of laying GS arcs through the bumps, and carves down the slickest steeps. This is a very exciting ski.

It’s also not for everybody. Intermediates will be over-powered, and even many advanced skiers will think it feels like a dead, sluggish ski. Fast traveling experts and ex-racers, however, will be thrilled beyond belief.