THE GEAR PICKER
skis / compare
Head-to-head · piste

Head Pure Joy vs Rossignol Nova 8

The Pure Joy and the Nova 8 compared. They share 75 mm underfoot. The Pure Joy is 188 g heavier at the default length (1,738 vs 1,550 g). Turn radii are 13.1 m and 11 m.

Head Pure Joy — topsheet
Pure Joy
$599 MSRP 5 lengths · 143, 148, 153, 158, 163 cm
Rossignol Nova 8 — topsheet
Nova 8
$850 MSRP 4 lengths · 142, 149, 156, 163 cm

Where each ski sits across every ski we carry

Pure Joy
Nova 8
Waist
75 mm
75 mm
Narrower · firmer-snowWider · powder
Weight
1,738 g
1,550 g
Lighter · playfulHeavier · damp & planted
Tip taper
46 mm
53 mm
Straighter · grippyMore taper · loose
Turn radius
13.1 m
11.0 m
Shorter · quickLonger · stable

Head to head, by character

Each ski's own read, side by side — the same three things that define how it skis.
Turn & shape
A 13.1-meter radius covers versatile, all-purpose turn shapes; a generous tip taper keeps turn entry easy and the shovel quick to engage.
A short 11.0-meter radius with a wide, tapered tip makes for quick, easily-pivoted turns — it hooks into a turn fast and releases it just as readily.
Stability & dampness
At 1,738 g it carries a moderate, manageable weight underfoot.
Built without metal on a poplar pefc wood core, it's lighter and livelier underfoot — easy to release from a turn and quick edge to edge. At 1,550 g it's a genuinely light ski, nimble and easy to move around.
Float & width
At 75 mm it's a narrow, firm-snow ski — quick from edge to edge and built to grip hardpack rather than float.
At 75 mm it's a narrow, firm-snow ski — quick from edge to edge and built to grip hardpack rather than float. Tip rocker eases turn entry and float; a cambered tail holds the edge through the turn.

Full spec comparison

SpecPure JoyNova 8
Waist 75 mm 75 mm
Sidecut 121·75·107 mm 128·75·111 mm
Weight @ default 1,738 g 1,550 g
Weight range 1,738 g 1,500–1,600 g
Turn radius 13.1 m full-length 11.0 m full-length
Metal Not published None
Core Not published Poplar pefc wood core
Lengths 143–163 cm 142–163 cm
MSRP $599 $850