The Hagan Ski Lineup Explained

The following is an in depth look at the current Hagan Ski lineup in 2024. My goal is that this provides both the necessary information on each of Hagan's ski series and analysis of the differences between the models within the series', to help you select the ski that best fits your touring needs. So lets begin:

Structure:

The Hagan lineup is composed of 5 series: Core, Boost, Ultra, Pure, and Special. Each is designed to fulfill a specific need across the ski touring landscape, factoring in everything from terrain type, skiing ability, to cost, and more. Together, these skis embody one of our fundamental principles:  creating reliable, high quality field proven equipment that meet a wide variety of needs in order to make ski touring accessible, and share our passion for the sport with as many people as possible.

Here is a quick breakdown:

The Core Carbon series is designed to be a versatile option offering optimal climbing and descending across all conditions and terrains. If you are looking for a one ski quiver, that excels in everything from powder to breakable crust, then choose the Core Carbon series.

Our Pure line was engineered for the ski tourer looking for a forgiving, durable, and cost friendly touring ski and experience. Lightweight enough to get you anywhere you want to go, with a focus on making the downhills smooth and predictable.

The Boost series is our freeride oriented line. These skis were designed for optimal float and performance in powder. This is for those seeking first turns, big mountain skiing, and the best possible experience in powder.

Our Ultra line, emphasizes lightness and speed. The skis are engineered for the true ski mountaineer or racer, looking for reliability, stability, and durability, as they climb big peaks and descend tight couloirs. 

Special: 

Special Series skis serve the unique needs of our diverse fans. Off Limits skis suit a bunch of roles: high alpine climbing approach skis, snowshoe replacements, kite skiing, winter para-gliding, park and pipe and the special secret - tightly wooded powder stashes. Off Trace skis are wonderful for low-angle backcountry skiing. 

Analysis

Our Core Carbon series was completely revised for the 23/24 season with the following updates:

• Lower-upper chord: New with carbon fiberglass
• Structural grinding: finish for the entire CORE Carbon series - known from racing for optimum downhill performance and glide
• Lite version: an optimized ski construction for the lighter ski tourer

CORE CARBON 92:

A lightweight, wide ski that offers excellent performance. Its 340mm front rocker provides buoyancy in powder, making it ideal for ski tourers who frequently venture into open terrain and desire a slightly more downhill-oriented ski.

CORE CARBON 89:

The upgraded successor to the award-winning CORE 89, it boasts even greater versatility thanks to its new 3D cap. It's the perfect ski for all snow conditions and lightweight enough for extended climbs.

CORE CARBON 84:

A sporty and lightweight all-rounder for advanced ski tourers seeking a ski for high alpine terrain. With a medium width of 84mm, it's versatile across all conditions - powder, piste, or even icy days.

CORE CARBON 89 LITE:

Based on the design of the CORE 89, with Karuba/Carbon as core materials, it is optimized for lighter ski tourers. With a medium width of 89mm, the ski offers stability and lots of fun on the descent, regardless of whether the conditions are powdery or harsh.

CORE CARBON 84 LITE: 

Slightly lighter than the CORE CARBON 84, it provides even greater energy-efficiency during ascents. Playful and reliable in all conditions, it's ideal for the lighter ski tourers among us.

Choosing between the CORE CARBON models:

The differences here lie in ski waist width and skier weight. The 89's will be the most versatile, balancing performance in hard packed icy conditions, with soft powder. As you move to the 84, the ski will favor hard packed conditions as the narrower waist offers increased maneuverability and handling. Contrarily, the 92's will excel a bit more in softer conditions, as the wider waist naturally provides a bit more float. 

The Lite versions are aimed at optimizing ski performance for the naturally lighter skier. With less skier weight, less "ski" is needed to achieve the same optimal maneuverability and float. Subsequently, these models are able to be composed of lighter materials such as fiberglass and poplar to account for this. They are therefore the lightest skis in the series. Keep in mind although we offer waist width options, the variation in performance between the Core Carbon models is the least of all our series and for good measure. This series was designed with versatility in mind, balancing ascending and descending well in as many different conditions as possible.

Pure Series: 

Pure 75:

Built for comfortable cruising on the piste at short to medium radii turns, it is also the perfect ski for making brief excursions into deep snow. The Pure 75 emulates the 85’s all-mountain aggression with unique versatility, courtesy of a narrower waist. Tour rocker and a traditional sidecut for chasing powder or carving groomers.

Pure 85:

The Hagan Pure 85 is a brilliant companion for all snow conditions. It is ideally balanced for the ascent and descent. Updated sidecut and a karuba/poplar core provide increased stability and control during high speed turns.

Pure 90:

The PURE 90 is very agile with a modest tour rocker.  Updated sidecut and a karuba/poplar core provides increased stability and control during high speed turns. A great ski for on and off piste.

Choosing between the PURE Series models:

With a waist widths of 75, 85, and 90 mm available, the differences within the Pure Series skis are primarily in terrain performance. To help balance the increase in waist width compared to the Pure 75, the Pure 85 and 90 have slightly shallower sidecuts, to help the ski remain stable during big high speed turns. As you trend up in width (85 and 90), the ski will tend to float and provide more power conducive to softer and powder conditions. A narrower width (75) will allow for more maneuverability and edge control, which is ideal for more firmer/groomer conditions. However, I would not get too caught up on these differences as they are relatively small. They will allow you to choose a model that is tuned towards your terrain preference, but remain confident that it will perform well in a variety of conditions. The PURE series was developed and designed specifically according to the requirements of beginner ski tourers - a special focus was placed on control and generating a feeling of simplicity while turning in a variety of conditions.

BOOST: 

Boost 99: 

The Boost 99, is the widest touring ski in the HAGAN lineup. It is downhill oriented. Designed to excel at high speeds, while maintaining its stability and smoothness thanks to fiberglass and titanal reinforcement underfoot. At 99mm the ski will float in the deepest of conditions.

Boost 94:

Simply a slightly slimmed down version of the Boost 99, maintaining the same construction and mold as its big brother. With a narrower waist and 150 grams lighter, it offers slightly improved maneuverability and climbing performance than the 99.

Boost Junior:

Hagan was the first ski company to manufacture and offer touring skis specific to kids. Available in 125, 135 and 145 cm lengths, each with a specially tuned sidecut to ensure easy turning descents for juniors of the corresponding height and weight. A lightweight construction with 220mm tip rocker gives the ski optimum flotation.

Choosing between the Boost 94 and Boost 99:

Both models are built with performance enhancing 3D diminishing rib profiles — a tall narrow ridge at the ski center widens and tapers towards the ski ends. This design creates stiffness near the center of the ski for edge hold while allowing us to precisely engineer optimal progressive flex – all with a reduction in weight, especially crucial swing weight.

Tip and tail rocker help float over soft snow and cut through chop, while camber underfoot and carbon stringers provide stability and stiffness, ensuring they rip the hardback. As previously mentioned, the 94 will climb slightly better and feel a bit more maneuverable than the 99. However, the width of the 99 will give it a smoother and more stable feeling when making turns at the highest speeds and in the deepest conditions, ultimately creating a downhill experience unlike any other ski in the Hagan lineup.

ULTRA:

The new Professional ULTRA series, released in 2023, was developed with two key attributes in mind: lightness for faster ascents and stability for skiers to have complete confidence in their equipment even in high alpine terrain. 

The result is three ULTRA models featuring a continuous layer of carbon throughout the entire ski, as well as the innovative ULTRA 65 with a lightweight Karuba core, weighing in at just 700g.

ULTRA 89: 

The widest model in the ULTRA series, offering buoyancy for those seeking powder turns during demanding alpine adventures. It delivers smooth performance even in challenging conditions.

ULTRA 84: 

Versatile, but specifically designed for demanding and high alpine tours. Despite its lightweight design, it offers extra stability during descents, setting it apart from other touring skis.

ULTRA 79: 

Perfect for ascent-focused tourers looking to maximize their uphill speed and reach the summit even faster. Weighing in at just 935g for a length of 164cm, it is still very controllable, even on steeper downhill passages.

ULTRA 65:

Designed specifically for ski mountaineering races. Meets the rigorous material requirements of professional competitions. Despite its weight of just 700g at a length of 161cm, the fiberglass reinforcement and carbon stringers provide ample stability and make it a durable model. Both 161cm and 151cm models adhere to the male and female ISMF racing standards accordingly.

Choosing Between the Ultra Series Skis:

When analyzing the Ultra series, I separate it into two groups: the first includes the Ultra 79, 84, and 89, as ski mountaineering skis designed to meet the demands of even the biggest and most challenging alpine adventures. The skimo race specific Ultra 65 stands alone, ideal for everything skimo racing: training up your local ski mountain, racing your weekend skimo series, all the way to performing on the ISMF skimo world cup.

Following a similar theme as the previous series, the primary differences between the 79, 84, and 89 are the widths and the inherent ski qualities that this imposes. The newly engineered core of the Ultra Series, consisting of a karuba center sandwiched between a double prepack foil composed of carbon and fiberglass, and full length layer of carbon fiber, has improved stability and durability while shedding weight. At just 1130g in 170cm the Ultra 89 is the lightest ski of its class. 20 grams lighter than the Dynafit Blacklight 88 (172cm) and 175 grams lighter than the DPS Pagoda Tour 87 (170cm). This keeps the powerful and stable downhill feel consistent with a midfat ski, while still staying light and maneuverable on the ascents so you can get to your objective quicker. 

Coming in at less than a kilo in all its lengths, the Ultra 79 is designed for pure mountaineering adventures. This is the ski to get you places. Featherlight so you can move fast in the mountains, while durable and stable so you can trust it in steep and icy terrain, and as you rappel down and boot up tight couloirs. The Ultra 84 blends the qualities of the 79 and 89 to create, in my opinion, the ultimate mountaineering ski . The perfect balance of weight and "ski" produces unmatched versatility. No matter the objective - a steep open face, a tight couloir, a multi day traverse, this ski can do it.

Special:

Off Trace: 

Blends touring with cross country skiing. Great for low angle back country tours or the groomed cross country track. Skin insert gives a desirable balance between grip and glide. 

Off Limits:

Off Limits is adept as an approach ski, ski board, variable conditions ski or for snow kiting. The new Off Limits is now enhanced with a lightweight wood core, 180 mm soft rocker and slightly modified shape. 

Sizing:

The optimum ski length for touring skis depends on various factors such as skill level, type of touring ski and personal preferences. As a beginner skier, or someone who likes to make quicker turns at lower speed, we'd recommend you error on the shorter and narrower side. This will give you a ski that is easier to turn and more forgiving.

As you progress in your skiing or want something more stable at higher speeds, then a longer ski will be more appropriate. Extra length will drive performance at these higher speeds and in demanding conditions as you dive deeper in to the back country.

Here is our general sizing recommendation: