K2 once reigned over the US market for so long its leadership practically became a cliché. The keys to its sustained success were manifold, but from a product standpoint it’s not hard to summarize: K2’s are easy to ski. Regardless of your skill level, your terrain...
No doubt K2 is tired of hearing about the success of the Blizzard Black Pearl. Just who was it that practically invented the women’s ski? Who for 20 years has insinuated women into its prototype-testing loop? Who made made-for-women skis a viable genre in the first...
Kästle isn’t what it used to be, and that’s a good thing. Not to dis the current Kästle’s ancestry, but Kästles of yore could be clumped in two camps: race skis it took a god like Zurbriggen to bend, and kooky creations that should have been euthanized in development,...
Fischer didn’t fiddle much with its 2018 collection, for the most part sitting on a pat hand. It made the Ranger 115 FR 100g lighter and a little more buttery than its predecessor so it makes a better match with Fischer Ranger Free 130 BC boot. (BTW, it’s awesome.)...
Every mainstream ski brand can trace its roots to a founder, a visionary who nursed a fledgling idea to life. If we’re aware of a brand’s history (a big if), we’ll associate the brand’s formative years with the sepia-toned photos of its first factory. But new brands...
There aren’t many skiers who should be allowed to procure an MX99. On the feet of an intermediate, it would be like arming a baby with a loaded bazooka. Outraged citizens might well require certification before equipping the average citizen with so much power. Do I...
