Porsche Head 106 Series review: Top Gear's first test of the freeride... ski

That doesn’t look like a car.

Well done, these aren’t cars. They’re skis. And not just any old planks of wood, the high society of skis, with 'Porsche' scrawled across them. In fact, this is what happens when you pair an Olympic downhill ski champion with Porsche’s chief designer. A funky freeride ski that blends Head’s ski expertise with Porsche’s material know-how.

What the hell is a freeride ski?

Think of it as the ultimate off-roader – the Land Cruiser, Defender or G-Wagen of the slopes. They’re big, bulky and happiest when you’re stuck waist-deep in powder in the backcountry. Like how diff locks and chunky tyres aren’t great on-road. Compared to your traditional ski, these aren’t great on piste, they’re skewed to be off-road. Sorry, off-piste.

Interesting. But who the hell is Head?

Head is one of the ski world's heavyweights. If you’re not into lobbing yourself down a mountain on two floorboards, you may be more familiar with their tennis rackets. Porsche has collaborated with many brands in the past, from hi-fi firms to watch companies. Since 2021, it's been cooperating with Head to produce a range of high-end skis, from the Turbo-styled, 7-Series made for hard-packed groomers, to the 8-Series that takes you all over the mountain (a bit like a 911 Dakar).

This 106 Series has been developed by two-time Olympic champion and spandex enthusiast Aksel Lund Svindal and Porsche chief designer Michael Mauer to take you places only a helicopter can get you out of.

So what has Porsche done?

If you’re cynical, stamped its name on it so people who buy a new Porsche see it as a tick-box option to flex in the Folie Douche. But also the design. In Weissach, no less – home of all Porsche’s GT and race cars.

What are they made out of?

Well, Porsche helped here too. It worked with Head to provide some knowledge on the dark arts of materials science, borrowing intel from motorsport and the GT3 RS to create the ultimate planks for off-pisters. Because just like cars, ski performance is all about the manipulation of the environment/ski to provide grip, agility and speed. The ski needs to be strong but flexible at times, and Porsche learned during its development of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR (which competed in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring), that poplar, rattan, and flax (natural fibres produced in agriculture that have similar properties but produce 85 per cent less CO2 during their production compared to carbon fibres) would be a good fit.

They also just so happen to look bloody cool, so the 106 Series has no top sheet, allowing you to see through it to its core – a bit like a clear window in the back of a supercar to see its engine.

What are they like?

An enthusiast's choice. If you’re a week out of ski school, we wouldn’t recommend them. But if you love getting neck deep in the soft stuff, they’ll be up your street. Like off-roaders or race cars, you need the conditions to be right to get the best out of them. Thanks to the wide shape of the tip and tail paired with the 106mm waist width and lots of rocker (enabling you to skim over the surface) they lift you out of the snow so you can float and be agile and powerful off-piste.

If the conditions are right, you feel like you’re levitating. Which is as close to those god-like feelings of nailing a drift.

On firmer, traditional pistes, they lack the edge bite and control of other skis, especially in harder-paced, more icy conditions. But they are available in two different sizes, 177cm and 184cm. In the longer 184cm guise, the ski has a sidecut of 131 – 106 – 127mm and a radius of 17.8 metres, so you won’t be competing in any slalom events but you can carve like a beast.

Though it’ll be a bit like taking an Ineos Grenadier on a track day. Fun, but not fast and particularly filled with feedback. They’ve got an extremely specific use, so a bit like a two-car garage, these won’t be your only skis – just perfect for the right conditions. We’d suggest another set as a ‘daily’.

How much are they? 

Prepare yourself. The non-binding retail price of the 106 Series is £1,500. They’ve just been reduced to £985 – bargain. If you want the whole look and to really stand out in the lift queue, they’ll pair well with Head’s Rothman’s liveried Carbon Ski Poles and the £200 Turbo tartan pullovers. Because why not flaunt it if you've got it? Just don’t tell everyone about your 4-cylinder 718 Boxster at Après.