2023 Head Kore 103 W

The 2023 Head Kore 103 W is an awesome choice for advanced and expert ladies who are looking for a great blend of stiffness, flotation, and agility. With a bit of a refresh for 2023, the Kore 103 W gets a new topsheet and updated graphics. They have moved away from the polyester top layer and into a more traditional sheet for both durability and dampness. Built with a blend of karuba and poplar in the wood core, the Kore 103 W gets two sheets of carbon to add stiffness and response. The bottom layer of carbon sits below the core while the upper laminate follows the curve of the chamfered edge. When carbon is curved like this, it becomes a lot stiffer, and this allows for better performance in the ski without adding weight. In the 177, the skis generate a 16.5-meter turn radius, which is on the long side, but works quite well for softer snow and making predictable turns. On the groomers, this thing has impressive edge grip for the width due to the stiffer flex. It holds tight to a wide variety of firm snow, and that’s great news for skiers who want versatility to their skis.

Alix Klein skied the 170 and she noted that the length felt great. She scored the Kore 103 W 4’s out of 5 for overall impression, versatility, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and flotation. Stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, and edge grip all got 3’s. Alix states that “The tip of this ski is a little floppy for high speeds. Good maneuverability in varied conditions. Made many different radius turns well and wanted to go fast. The tip was slightly wobbly. Definitely stable for faster more aggressive skiers.” We have gone back and forth between who is best suited for these skis, and we are landing on the more aggressive skier as well as the lighter and more delicate. The middle ground kind of gets lost—smaller, more technical skiers might find the blend of stiffness and light weight a little off-putting, but larger and more aggressive skiers will be able to bend it while lighter and less-aggressive skiers can use it for quickness and agility without having to work too hard. It’s an interesting mix, for sure.

Louise Lintilhac also skied the 170, finding it to ski true to size. Louise gave top marks of 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge grip. Flotation got a 4 while overall impression, versatility, forgiveness, playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability all got 3’s. She states that “I have loved iterations of the Kore in years past but this ski felt more lifeless and slower than I remember. They were Slow edge to edge but favored shorter radius turns so I had to do a lot of work to meet this ski where it was at. Did ok staying on top of the chop but didn’t don’t have poppy playful qualities.” It’s always interesting to see how people’s opinions or experiences change and stay the same for a ski from year to year.

Ladies who are looking for an intriguing blend of light weight and stiff responsiveness will certainly gravitate to the Kore series from head. On the wider side of the spectrum, the 103 W is a great option if you ski mainly in softer snow areas, or if you prefer a wider all-mountain ski for daily operations.