2025 Head Kore 105

Carbon-powered skis blend light weight and stiff flex extremely well. The 2025 Head Kore 105 is a versatile ski for soft snow that’s also ready to hang with the fluffy groomers from time to time. For years, the Kore 105 has been the gateway ski to Head’s freeride portion of the Kore collection, and that does not change now. With a different graphic but the same build as last year’s model, the Kore 105 brings forward a stiff flex, a light weight, and a strong focus on softer snow and freeride character. Kore skis have long had a crazy blend of stiffness and weight, offering something that no other ski could. The precision of these wider-bodied skis is off the charts, with each movement you put into it getting transmitted to the snow below. There are a lot of skiers out there who don’t want to wrangle around a bulky and hefty ski, and this is where the Kore 105 comes in. Lightweight playfulness without losing response is the key here.

Head relies on technology and innovation in their construction. The wood core features a blend of karuba and poplar to keep the ski light and agile. We get two sheets of carbon in this ski, the bottom laminate sits flat on top of the base, and the upper layer is curved to match the chamfered shape of the ski. We’ve talked about this before, but when you take carbon, or other laminates, and place them in a three-dimensional shape, the stiffness of the material is increased. With carbon, starting with an already stiff material and boosting that with the curve, the ski gets darn rugged fast but without gaining weight. In the 184, we’re hitting the scale at 1874 grams per ski. For a ski at this level of performance, that’s pretty darn impressive. The fear that it may be unstable at speed or in deeper snow is not very warranted—it's about as strong as it gets. It’s not quite as damp as heavier skis with metal, but if you can deal with a bit of wavering, it’s still a whole lot of fun. Tester Greg Petrics notes that he “Loved this ski. It had great flotation in some fresh snow, and also great edge hold on a soft piste. Was impressed with how well it did what I wanted.” That responsiveness is key.

When it comes to shape and profile, this ski checks a lot of boxes. 105 is a great place to be for soft snow and powder, and it makes a lot of sense when it’s combined with a spoony tip shape with good rocker to go along with it. The tail is still more of that directional shape with a flatter profile, but there is some shape to it still to accommodate flotation. It’s still not all that playful, mainly due to the flex, but the profile does help it along. There’s not a whole lot of camber underfoot adding to the energy—it's more about the carbon’s pop and energy rather than the built in energy through the camber. This makes it smooth when you want it and dynamic when you ask. The radius of the ski settles at 18.2-meters allows skiers to be able to mix up turn shape and style depending on the skier’s whim and preference. It’s long when you let it run, but if you get it up on a high edge angle, it comes around nicely and with agility. When mixed with the carbon, it makes for a strong finish to the turn and a nice kick at the end. The shape and profile are decidedly more in the soft snow realm, but it’s hard to discount that carbon as functioning well in a groomer format, especially if the snow is even remotely soft. Greg also states that “This ski is great for the entire mountain, but seems best suited in softer snow, and the trees.”

In terms of skier application, this is best used by advanced and expert skiers not scared of a stiffer-flexing ski. The 2025 Head Kore 105 has a lot to offer by blending the all-mountain and freeride realms. This ski is comfortable in crud, chop, chalky, and windblown snow, which is somewhat surprising given its weight. The carbon more than makes up for it, though, allowing for aggressive skiing and direct fall-line applications in big mountains and technical terrain. Skiers are generally surprised at how much they enjoy the Kore 105.