2027 Head Oblivion 94

The 2027 Head Oblivion 94 gets a new graphic for this year but otherwise returns unchanged. As a result, Oblivion 94 continues to be a highly useful ski for creative and playful skiers that like to spend a lot of time in the air, but don’t want to fully give up on all-mountain freeride and fun. It’s a traditional twin shape with a lot to offer a multitude of skiers. With a full sidewall and a full wood core, this is a real ski with strong and fun-loving implications. While the flex is on the softer side in the tips and tails, it’s still a very capable ski with good approachability.

Head uses just enough sophistication here to keep the ski lively and entertaining. Fun, durable, and simple; the construction of the ski is basic, but in a good way. Twin tips don’t need a whole lot of fancy stuff in there, but what they do include must be on the burly side. Built with a full wood core and a sandwich sidewall construction, Oblivion 94 gets an extra thick base and edges. They do a good job of tapering the thickness of the core from beefy underfoot to thinner in the ends, and this helps with swing weight and agility in the air. They call it their Independent Suspension System, but it’s just a fancy way of saying “tapered core thickness.” This is more popular in twin tip and freestyle skis than it is in all-mountain ones, as they park skis need to be more flexible in the tips and tails, and this method allows just that. In the 177, the ski weighs 1791 grams, and while this isn’t exactly heavy, most of that mass is found in the underfoot zone. Many skiers have been surprised at the stout feel of the Oblivion 94. Tester Caleb Carbonneau states: “I really enjoyed how well this ski handled with tight quick turns. It made groomers fun while being playful in the bumps, making it easy to control. Overall, really enjoyed how they handled. This ski seems to be best suited for All Mountain terrain but can handle well on hard packed groomers. I felt like theses skis would be best suited for an Advanced to expert skier looking for an all-mountain ski that can handle hard packed as well as soft, bumpy terrain.”

These skis follow an old(er) school pattern. From a shape and profile perspective, Oblivion 94 relies on more of a traditional style with less rocker, more camber, and almost zero taper. The splay of the twin tip is the most dramatic part, and even that seems to be falling out of fashion these days. This doesn’t mean that it’s wrong, rather, more companies and their twin tips seem to be moving to a lower profile manner of splay. The Oblivion 94 has quite a bit of positive camber underfoot, so the ski is very energetic and poppy both on the trail and off the lips of the jumps. With minimal to zero taper, this makes for a very smooth carving ski, and a long effective edge to further that smoothness and confidence. The 177 produces a 20.8-meter turn radius, so that adds to the loping aspect of the ski. Again, this is not bad; it’s just a stylistic choice that Head makes, and there are a lot of athletes out there who like this design, so it’s nice that somebody’s providing this type of ski. There’s a good flex to allow access to that turn radius. It’s not catchy when you’re mid-arc, and that’s a huge bonus if you’re going super-fast off big jumps. Good feedback from tester Matt McGinnis here: “My first impression is that this ski is exceptionally soft, meaning it would work really well for beginners and early intermediates with park ambitions. I will say, they are exceptionally buttery, so if you’re looking for a ski to learn butters on, this could be it.”

The Oblivion 94 has developed a bit of a following over the years as it is a more specific option in the mid-90's. This ski has surprised a lot of skiers over the past few years. Most don’t think of Head when they are in the market for a park or freestyle ski, and that’s okay; it still seems like more of a niche company for this style. However, since they are so incredibly successful in making excellent on-trail and all-mountain skis with a high success rate in the ski racing world, it’s not surprising that those positive characteristics and qualities filter into the freestyle world as well. There is no requirement that you become a park skier on an Oblivion 94, but it definitely helps.