Head Rev 85 Pro (2014)

Rating: 3.19 / 5
Price: $950.00
Year: 2014
Level: 3
Gender: Male
Waist Width: 86
Tip/Tail/Waist: 132-86-114
Lengths: 163, 170, 177, 184

Stability at speed: 3.65 / 5
Hard snow performance: 3.55 / 5
Crud performance: 3.12 / 5
Flotation: 2.60 / 5
Forgiveness: 3.43 / 5
Overall: 3.19 / 5

Metal reinforcement gives the REV 85 a different, more trail-oriented flavor than the three wider models in Head’s REV series. Without adding too much weight (as it would in the wider skis), metal can be used here in the 85-mm model to quiet the ride at high speeds for glued-to-the-snow performance. It’s the only REV model offered either flat or with binding (Head’s 12-DIN PRD plate/binding system). The REV series is a broad collection of frontside-oriented all-mountain skis ranging in width from 105 mm down to 70 mm. The signature technology throughout the series is Head’s ERA 3.0 design philosophy. The “3.0” refers to the fundamental triad of radius (ie. sidecut), rebound (ie. flex), and rocker. Head designs all ERA skis so that these three fundamentals work in harmony, specifically adding more width at the tip so that the introduction of tip rocker doesn’t compromise turn initiation. Head’s Allride Rocker combines 80-percent camber for edge and rebound with 20 percent tip rocker for soft-snow flotation and shock absorption. Higher-end models in the family (80 mm and up) feature Head’s Sandwich Cap Construction (wood-core laminate layup with shortened vertical sidewalls, for edge grip, topped by rounded cap-construction shoulders, for a touch of forgiveness). The fatter REV models are sold flat; narrower ones are sold as systems (with binding).