Head have a double offering in the all mountain segment with three models under the Monster banner and more in the superb V-Shape family. The Monster 83X stands out on paper for its very reasonable price point; does that make it a beast or merely a horror?
This model has just the one layer of titanal whereas the other Monster 83 (no X... keep up!) has two. We didn't test the other model but the effect is the 83X is more forgiving (less stiff) and crucially £60 cheaper. It is also a new version for this season.
This Monster far out-skis its price point, especially given that bindings are included! It's even styled like a far more expensive ski and looks kind of cool.
It has a slightly aggressive tail, which could be detrimental in some people's eyes as it could be unforgiving. But as the Monster 83X is not aimed at intermediates but advanced skiers (strangely, given the price) that stiffness in the tail may well be welcome among strong piste skiers. And anyway, it's more or less soft enough to be useful as a platform for improvement for intermediates as it forces an honest finish to your turns.
The overriding factor here though is it's a bargain. Sure there are more versatile all mountain skis at a similar price point, but none that perform so well on piste.
