In one form or another, the Head Supershape E-Rally has been at the forefront of the front side realm for years. While the move from I-Rally to E-Rally wasn’t a seismic shift, the small changes and improvements certainly kept this ski at the top of the discussion chain. Head is in a great place in this front side world because they have such a successful racing department. As a result, they’re able to filter in a lot of those technological and construction advancements to their more recreational ski models. At the same time, these skis are at the very high end of recreational, offering a level of performance that most advanced and expert skiers may not even reach. That’s fine, though, because they also have the ability to make clean turns for less than elite skiers, so there’s a bit of a range here as well.

The build is what keeps this ski in the upper echelons of the ski world. We get Head’s World Cup Sandwich construction in the E-Rally, lacing vertical stringers of wood together in a precise and stable platform. We then get two layers of metal on top and bottom, and multiple laminates of fiberglass. In addition, Head uses a Graphen strip through the middle of the ski to stiffen it even further. This makes the Supershape E-Rally one of the stiffer and denser skis on the market, with the stability to match. From a technological perspective, Head implements their Energy Management Circuit to the mix which filters out unwanted vibrations in the forebody of the ski and through the tail. It claims to do a lot of fancy stuff, and whether it does or doesn’t do what it says, there’s no denying that the ski is very smooth and chatter-free. This leads to a confident and consistent feel throughout the turn, making the E-Rally one of the stronger performers out there.

In terms of shape, the Supershape E-Rally uses a 78-mm waist width to keep the ski firmly planted on the snow as well as providing a wider-bodied base to stand on for balance and poise. We’ve found that this mid to upper-70's is a great place to be for most skiers in the front side realm, as it offers that nice mix of stability and grip. Purists may say it’s still too wide, and since race skis are about 10mm narrower, there’s some validity to that argument for sure. Overall, though, for most skiers who are using these skis in a resort setting on groomed trails, this is a good width to be at. The 170 cm length produces a turn radius of 14-meters which is about right for what this ski is designed to do. There’s minimal to zero taper or rocker, so the ski is smooth from tip to tail with a very useful running length and effective edge. The longer the ski is in contact with the snow, the smoother the character.

Advanced and expert skiers, as well as former racers will find a lot to like about the E-Rally. While there’s some all-mountain versatility here, the ski is certainly more at home on the firm groomers and the on-piste realms. The fact that it has a wider shape overall than some of the more race-like skis does not discount the fact that it has a race-like build and a very aggressive carving character. Feel free to let it run or tighten it up in shorter turns—the E-Rally is one of the sweetest carving skis on the market today.