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2021 Head Worldcup Rebels e-Race Pro

SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Posts
1,202
Philpug: This is the first ski in a while that made me think I wanted to don a race suit and get into a Thursday night beer league. It just wants to be laid over on edge and turn and turn and turn some more. I am glad I took them out after the mountain got scraped off, because the harder the snow, the better it performed. While the e-Pro is not a full-bore race ski, it is as close to one as you will find.

Insider tip: Bring your A-game.​
 
Awards
Who is it for?
Those who think the Supershapes are a little too warm and fuzzy.
Who is it not for?
If you cannot appreciate a good groomer, stay on your fat ski.
Skier ability
  1. Expert
Ski category
  1. Race
  2. Frontside
Ski attributes
  1. Groomers
Segment
  1. Men

Specifications

right ad
Available sizes
160, 165, 170, 175, 180
Dimensions
121-68-102
Radius
14.4m@170cm
Rocker profile
  1. Full camber
Construction design
  1. All new
Binding options
  1. Plate

OleManMose

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Sep 18, 2020
Posts
1
Location
Whistler
Been lurking on the site for a while...

Anybody have any information or thoughts on how the Head Worldcup Rebels e.Race Pro compares to the Stöckli Laser WRT ST?
 

Magooski999

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Dec 30, 2020
Posts
4
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Perfect ski for east coast ice. Love mine. Wouldn’t want to take them to any kind of soft snow I’m taking even soft groomed snow but it is absolutely the ski for hard pack if you want to go fast.
 

DocGKR

Stuck at work...
Skier
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Posts
1,689
Location
Palo Alto, California
After some GS training at Squaw yesterday morning, I switched skis to my new 175 Head e.Race Pro's and was fortunate to free ski with ScotsSkier in the afternoon. The Head e.Race was a blast in all the conditions encountered--including harder "icy" snow in the shadows and soft spring-time conditions in the sun. The e.Race Pro has very easy turn initiation, good edge grip, and surprisingly handled the slushier snow quite well, including working nicely in soft bumps. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to take try them on firm hardened moguls. The i.Race Pro absolutely rips on groomers, with the 15m radius offering a variety of moderate shaped, easily adjustable turns over a wide range of speeds. Compared to my previous i.Race, the new e.Race Pro seems more energetic and lively, better in bumps, as well as easier to ski, along with offering more forgiveness of minor errors. The new e.Speed had a lot in common with my 177 SuperShape i.Speed, but with higher performance limits. In contrast to my 172 WRT, the 175 e.Race Pro seemed a bit more versatile and perhaps a touch more easy going and fun--more like a recreational SL, while the WRT was a bit more like a FIS SL. Best of all the e.Race Pro passed the true test of a ski, as they left me with a big grin on my face from all the fun we had!
 

DocGKR

Stuck at work...
Skier
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Posts
1,689
Location
Palo Alto, California
I'm weird, as I like my WRT and FIS SL moguls, so I will definitely be trying the e.Race in some moguls in the near future.

Also this makes bumps look easy on an i.Race Pro:
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,605
Location
PNW aka SEA
It's definitely been skinny ski time in the PNW the past several days. Had my iRace Pros out the other evening and will again tomorrow. The other evening? The east coast had nothing on us in terms of very hard snow. After reminding myself with a warmup run where I needed to be on them, it was just another great evening of skiing! For anyone wanting an excellent front side Carver without going FIS SL, this is a very good ski! I've skied them in bumps as well as summer at Mt. Hood (refrozen firm, and afternoon corn' funk), and chalky mid winter off piste. They work fine.

One note though, the slide bar that says "POWER" really needs a red tick on the finesse end as well... finesse in this case means, "likes and accurate pilot in a properly fit boot."
 
Last edited:

Magooski999

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Dec 30, 2020
Posts
4
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Before purchasing these skis I had a hard time finding any real world reviews about them. Figured I’d share my take and help some people out.

About me: 19 years old, 6ft, 200lbs, ex racer, skiing in Nova Scotia (90% of our skiing is on man made snow and more often than not pretty much all ice.)

Ski: Head e-Race Pro 165cm with Freeflex st 16 binding

How the skis are tuned, 3° side 0.5° base angles, diamond filled every time they are used. No wax, using dps phantom.

I’ll start off by saying very impressed by this ski. I bought the e-Race Pro as a replacement for my 2017 i.SL’s which were fantastic but I was looking for something a little more versatile for different size turns. The e-Race pro skis like it’s on rails on even the iciest parts of the hill and while I was never a believer in head’s kers I do think this is down to how emc works with the ski. Main selling point is that emc “calms” the ski by reducing vibrations which I would say actually does work, with less vibrations the ski isn’t bouncing on top of the snow and has better edge contact with the snow. This ski I’ve found I can confidently ski on shear ice just the same as I can on perfect hero snow. I’ve found the radius on this ski to be very versatile compared to a non fis Sl ski like the i.SL. The e-Race pro is stable doing near slalom sized turn but also larger up to a 16-18m turn. However if you never ski slalom sized turns the e-speed pro could be a better option. Compared to other skis in this category I’ve demo such as the Salomon S/Race rush sl and gs, Head i.Sl and volkl race tiger sl I prefer the e-Race Pro over them just because of its unmatched ability to hold an edge perfectly on ice. Salomon S/races are close or as good in edge grip but the in between versatility where the e-Race pro sits kinda between the s/race rush sl and gs is where wins in my eyes.

The bad: this ski isn’t for everyone. It’s very stiff and you need to be on top of it all of the time. It only likes to go fast. Your going to want a stiff boot to push this ski to its full potential but also the ability to put the ski over in its edge and be able to push it. This ski only likes ice, if it’s soft or lots of piles everywhere your going to hate your life, doesn’t handle well at all. The ski isn’t designed for that so thats what I expected in softer conditions.

Who’s this ski for: if you’ve got the skills to ski a proper carving turn and used to race or just love to rip some groomers this ski will let you do exactly what you want them to do. Always fast and loves the hard pack, true east coast groomer ski.
 

crazycanuck

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 19, 2020
Posts
102
Location
Canada
Greetings from NS too. It was certainly icy on Thursday night when I was skiing, but with those soft piles of granular at the end of the day that were giving my iSLs a headache too!
Although that 20 cm yesterday should help! Heading to the hill in a few minutes, maybe I'll see you there! haha
 

Csr_jr

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
38
Before purchasing these skis I had a hard time finding any real world reviews about them. Figured I’d share my take and help some people out.

About me: 19 years old, 6ft, 200lbs, ex racer, skiing in Nova Scotia (90% of our skiing is on man made snow and more often than not pretty much all ice.)

Ski: Head e-Race Pro 165cm with Freeflex st 16 binding

How the skis are tuned, 3° side 0.5° base angles, diamond filled every time they are used. No wax, using dps phantom.

I’ll start off by saying very impressed by this ski. I bought the e-Race Pro as a replacement for my 2017 i.SL’s which were fantastic but I was looking for something a little more versatile for different size turns. The e-Race pro skis like it’s on rails on even the iciest parts of the hill and while I was never a believer in head’s kers I do think this is down to how emc works with the ski. Main selling point is that emc “calms” the ski by reducing vibrations which I would say actually does work, with less vibrations the ski isn’t bouncing on top of the snow and has better edge contact with the snow. This ski I’ve found I can confidently ski on shear ice just the same as I can on perfect hero snow. I’ve found the radius on this ski to be very versatile compared to a non fis Sl ski like the i.SL. The e-Race pro is stable doing near slalom sized turn but also larger up to a 16-18m turn. However if you never ski slalom sized turns the e-speed pro could be a better option. Compared to other skis in this category I’ve demo such as the Salomon S/Race rush sl and gs, Head i.Sl and volkl race tiger sl I prefer the e-Race Pro over them just because of its unmatched ability to hold an edge perfectly on ice. Salomon S/races are close or as good in edge grip but the in between versatility where the e-Race pro sits kinda between the s/race rush sl and gs is where wins in my eyes.

The bad: this ski isn’t for everyone. It’s very stiff and you need to be on top of it all of the time. It only likes to go fast. Your going to want a stiff boot to push this ski to its full potential but also the ability to put the ski over in its edge and be able to push it. This ski only likes ice, if it’s soft or lots of piles everywhere your going to hate your life, doesn’t handle well at all. The ski isn’t designed for that so thats what I expected in softer conditions.

Who’s this ski for: if you’ve got the skills to ski a proper carving turn and used to race or just love to rip some groomers this ski will let you do exactly what you want them to do. Always fast and loves the hard pack, true east coast groomer ski.
Super helpful here - thanks! I'm looking for a ski between my i.SL (too soft) and i.Sl RD (too much speed required to ski with my young kids). Trying the Salomon this weekend or go for a fresher, less worked in, e.Sl
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,605
Location
PNW aka SEA
Super helpful here - thanks! I'm looking for a ski between my i.SL (too soft) and i.Sl RD (too much speed required to ski with my young kids). Trying the Salomon this weekend or go for a fresher, less worked in, e.Sl

FWIW, I've skied them in mixed conditions and shallow off piste crud... no problem.
 

Csr_jr

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
38
I have a pair of 2018 Head i.SL RD 165 and a Head i.sl I use for teaching and kid skiing which is now really softening up (snap starts to go after 60 - 70days+ as I'm a bigger chap). I.Sl also has a super catchy tail if the conditions get a climate change dose...

Our hill is very small - as mentioned, I'm looking for something in between my RD and the i.SL. Thinking the e-race could fit the bill in 165 as the sidecut measurements are the same as my i.sl RD (I can save some $ by moving the bindings over).

Question to the thread is - is the e-race softer than the RD or is this a lateral move? Thanks!!!!!
 

Csr_jr

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
38
btw, very little chance of me getting a demo ride, so it's always shoot and hope lol.
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,605
Location
PNW aka SEA
I have a pair of 2018 Head i.SL RD 165 and a Head i.sl I use for teaching and kid skiing which is now really softening up (snap starts to go after 60 - 70days+ as I'm a bigger chap). I.Sl also has a super catchy tail if the conditions get a climate change dose...

Our hill is very small - as mentioned, I'm looking for something in between my RD and the i.SL. Thinking the e-race could fit the bill in 165 as the sidecut measurements are the same as my i.sl RD (I can save some $ by moving the bindings over).

Question to the thread is - is the e-race softer than the RD or is this a lateral move? Thanks!!!!!

eRace Pro, quite different feel, but more lateral. eRace, softer. Still a great ski.
 

Csr_jr

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
38
Sorry- was only meaning the e-race pro. We aren't seeing the e-race in Canada
 

Angus Grizzly

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Posts
50
eRace Pro, quite different feel, but more lateral. eRace, softer. Still a great ski.
Hi, I have the chance to pick up an eRace 175 at a great price (but wont be able to try it). Can anyone compare the eRace to the Pro? How much softer? I am 5’10 160lbs. Thanks for any insights.
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,605
Location
PNW aka SEA
Hi, I have the chance to pick up an eRace 175 at a great price (but wont be able to try it). Can anyone compare the eRace to the Pro? How much softer? I am 5’10 160lbs. Thanks for any insights.

The eRace is your ski. Jump on'em!
 

Angus Grizzly

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Posts
50
The eRace is your ski. Jump on'em!
Thanks. Looking at the website, the build on the eRace and the eRace Pro looks the same and the weight is only 20g different in the 170 reference length. That is probably down to the different plates. I have a feeling they might be same ski with a different plate on them. Thoughts? Cheers.
 

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