2003 Head Monster iM-75 Mid-fat Ski Review

“Intelligent skis?” you ask. Yep, intelligent skis. Scoff no longer at the marriage between gadgetry and skis because HEAD has indeed come up with something that not only works, but works very well, particularly in the Monster 75.

The principle behind the Intelligence Chip System is to take forces within the ski that are created and amplify them in a form that can stabilize the ski. To accomplish this there are Intellifibers embedded within the ski and set at a 45 degree angle across the ski. Within a turn vibrations which can cause torsional instabilities create an electrical energy that is sent through a circuit to a microchip which then amplified the energy and sends it back to the Intellifibers that corrects the torsional movements of the ski. In plain English – the ski is stabilized while turning so you can focus on your next turn, on what you’re going to have for lunch, what that cute liftie is doing later…you get the picture.

Head Monster iM-75 Review

My first chance at skiing the Monster i.M 75 was at Deer Valley, the capital of the grooming world. Midway through my first run “GIDDY UP”, was my first reaction. My second was, “I thought these were mid-fats?”. Although the 75mm waist may categorize this ski as a mid-fat powder ski best suited for off-piste endeavors, these skis are very much at home on groomers.

The Intelligence Chip System and construction meant this ski was very stable at all speeds and the generous side-cut made for some great sweeping turns. The skis held on all surface types – icy slopes, soft packed powder groomers and buttery sun touched groomers. After bombing “Know You Don’t” and “Big Stick” I headed over to the North side lift and slowed down a bit to make turns of all sizes and found that once again despite the waist width I could still make small turns as well as the longer GS turns. It does require some work for the smaller turns, but they were surprisingly quick edge to edge for a mid-fat.

I was all smiles at the end of the day as I bombed “Big Stick” once again back to the parking lot.

Since I’d been to the grooming capital of the world for the On Piste I decided to take the Monster i.M 75’s to the powder capital of the world for the Off Piste. Yep, a 45-minute drive from my front door and I had arrived at Alta, Utah.

These skis are the true All-Mountain skis. They do it all and well. From “Wildcat” to “Catherine’s,” I had no problems dropping tricky entrances, carving sweet powder pillow or maneuvering my way across typically treacherous traverses. Float in powder they do. I found some nice untracked powder in “Catherine’s” and “Eagles Nest” and these skis float and love to ski powder.

In the tight entrances and narrow chutes they were quick and easy to manage. When riding the lift with my buddies who were all riding skis with 80mm+ waists, they all asked if these were the fat Monsters. After the way they skied, I could have been fooled as well into thinking these were the big daddy Monsters.

The Bottom Line: Head Monster iM-75

Get yourself onto a Monster i.M 75 this year and you won’t have to endure a lesser ski for another season. This ski is the real deal. From groomers to cut-up powder and finally to untracked powder, these skis are stout competition for the rest of the ski manufacturing world. I am surprised at how well rounded this ski is and can’t wait to get out and ski them again.

Buy Now: Search for Head Skis at Backcountry.com