Head Hello Sweden SW Railflex Skis 170cm

Size: 170cm
Sidecut: 115-68-101mm
Turn Radius: 14.3m

Features:
Color: Black (some have called it very dark purple), silver (some have called it beige), and Swedish Blue/Yellow - It sounds weird but looks awesome.. especially if you always wanted to be Swedish or date a Swede (and who hasn't?)
Target Skier:Expert skiers who spend 80%+ of their time carving like rock stars.
Terrain: Groomed, hard pack, ice.
Skiing Style: Aggressive skiing, no cruisers allowed
Speed: Fast, faster and fastest.

Ok, here's the story. This ski is the same as the Euro 1100 which is the same as the US 1200, which is to say it kicks serious booty. We aren't entirely sure, but believe this ski was made to commemorate Head's 25 years of sponsoring the Swedish ski team (the 'Hello Sweden Team 25 Years in the game' note on the ski kind of indicates that.) These were probably made to be used by the team in their non training hours. In any case though you will find no info about it and the ski itself also does not clue you in with any specs or features, rest assured they are as advertized. They look like the real deal too, you won't be out there fooling anyone on Mickey Mouse material. We strongly recommend this to all aggressive non Norwegian skiers. We understand the Sweden envy of those from Norway would never allow them to own such an item.

Sandwich Construction (SW): SW means that the sides of the skis are a vertical wall rather the rounded Cap construction found on most skis. Since none of the skis material needs to be exerting force maintaining shape at the edges, SW skis are stiffer than their Cap counterparts. Most people find SW skis to be damper, that is more glued to the snow, superior at high speed GS turns and top notch at busting through crud or choppy snow.

Liquid Metal Technology: The state of the art highest performance ski layer you can buy. Resting below the ski surface, the Liquid Metal layer provides the highest level of rebound with the lowest level of breakdown. English? Skis with liquid metal provide great pop from turn to turn for lively skiing and the layer does not go limp over time so after 40 days on the hill your ski still performs fresh. There's a lot of techno mumbo jumbo we could put in here, all you really need to know is this ski will offer higher race like performance for a long time.

Metal Jacket: High speeds require high stability. There is no topsheet more resistant to vibration than metal topsheets. If stability at top speeds is your main concern then this feature is a must.

Wood Core: The standard core which has throughout time provided the best performance and durability. Each model may have it's own density level to help define flex and maximum speed but every wood core ski will be solid.

Intelligence Technology: Allows for a transfer of energy throughout the ski to provide stabilization at higher speeds. When the ski begins to shake in front of the binding electricity is transmitted forward through the ski to stiffen it up, thus anticipating the vibration (chatter) and reducing it.

Textured Surface: Ideal for repelling wear and tear on the skis surface. Textured ski surfaces (aka snakeskin topsheet) are rough surfaces to the ski that hide or repel scratches keep your skis look new long after they are not. Originally designed for rental skis for obvious reasons, this surface is now available on a wide variety of retail skis as well since everyone likes their skis to look nice.

Integrated Railflex Plate: Railflex bindings are the optimal choice for most any skier. This ski comes with a Railflex plate integrated into the ski at the factory so you don't have a choice. If you have a tested Railflex binding from any of the past 5 years you can simply slide it on to the plate, otherwise you are best off choosing one from the drop-down list above. You know that you won't find a better price. Please note that you cannot use a Railflex Lite binding on this ski.

UHM C Base: The most durable, quickest base material on the market. It requires very little maintenance and allows your skis to do what they are made to do until you decide you've hit so many rocks that it needs a tune.

Products weight: 9.5lb

Marketed to: Men (though juniors and women can use these too if the sizing is correct.)

Ski sizing advice
Manufacturers Warranty: 1 year
Model Year: 2008

If you purchase a ski/binding but no boot from us to go with the skis, we can mount the bindings but you will need to have them adjusted by a local certified binding technician. If you also buy a boot from us on the same order, we will test and adjust the bindings to the boots. New skis come with a thin factory wax layer so you can be ready for skiing out of the box.

All products are new in original packaging with all warranties. This is the same gear selling elsewhere at twice the price. And yes, items like skis, boots, bindings, poles, gloves, etc come with 2 at the listed price.

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As a retired racer and current race coach I'm looking to get off of my racing skis and move to more of a high octane all-mountain ski. Will this ski fit the bill? I's also like something that has enough pop to jump into a course on occasion without issues. Thanks.
-Chris December 23, 2009 6:56AM

I think you are the type of skier that these skis are designed for. This will definitely be that high octane ski you are looking for. This will hold up through all sorts of skiing especially if you want to bash some gates every now and then!
     -Dan (L9 Employee) December 23, 2009 9:12AM

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As a retired racer and current race coach I'm looking to get off of my racing skis and move to more of a high octane all-mountain ski. Will this ski fit the bill? I's also like something that has enough pop to jump into a course on occasion without issues. Thanks.
-Chris December 21, 2009 5:42AM

It sounds like it fits the bill. Its not quite a race ski, but still stiff enough to handle casual/club racing. And when you need to get off trail, they are more forgiving than race skis, so this might be the ski you are after.
     -Jon (L9 manager) December 21, 2009 8:15AM

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I'm thinking about a faster performance ski than my K2 Enemy 173s. I'm 50 years young, 6' 230lb. Some days I really enjoy 40 to 60 mph runs. Would you recommend this ski and length for me? My previous race skis were 208cm VERY heavy but very stable even at 70 mph. Cheers
-Bruce Whittaker December 21, 2009 2:02AM

They will feel short like your K2 Enemys, but much more stable. They, of course, will not feel as stable as your 208's. Basically, they are definitely an upgrade from your K2's.
     -Jon (L9 manager) December 21, 2009 8:12AM

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hi there, looking at these ski's description is amazing - however I do wonder if they will work for me: 52, 210lb, 6', advanced skier, skiing since 7yrs old, in Ontario=groomed, hard pack, crud..., garmont endorphins-alpine mode.
-Graham December 19, 2009 9:46PM

As for the boot.. as long as they work in alpine bindings it's AOK. As for the skis... these are basically recreational race skis.. if you still rocket down the hill.. ya blast off.
     -Rich (L9 owner) December 20, 2009 8:52AM

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How do these compare to the Head XRC 1400 skis? Worth upgrading?
-ATM October 12, 2009 6:47AM

It depends on which year of XRC 1400 you have. If you have the cap version from a few seasons ago, then the Hello Sweden will be an upgrade. The sandwich construction and vertical sidewalls give the ski more bite on firm snow than the cap skis, and a solid feel even though the snow might be rough or icy. The only thing you are loosing out on, is the Chip, which helps even more with vibration absorption. Also take a look at the turn radius, as that will likely be different from your 1400's.
     -Jon (L9 manager) October 12, 2009 9:08AM

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