The story behind the 2019 edition of K2’s Pinnacle 105 Ti is a tale of error correction, optimization and resurrection. The first generation Pinnacle 105 was on the soft side, super easy to steer but showed its frailty at speed. In 2018, K2 powered up the Pinnacle 105 Ti by increasing the Titanal dosage over the edge by 20% and pumping up the camber underfoot. The resulting stability significantly improved both calm on edge and responsiveness. It’s amazing what a little more mass will do: the new Pinnacle 105 Ti now behaves more like a Power ski than a docile cruiser, although it hasn’t lost touch with the Finesse side of its personality.
Three seasons ago K2 radically revised its ski design, ditching more than a decade’s worth of dampening material and generally paring away excess weight wherever it could. By its own estimation, it went a little too far, so last year K2 reduced the rocker and bolstered the construction of its new star, the Pinnacle 95, with more mass, metal and camber. None of these improvements altered its flagship’s easy-going nature, so the renamed (but not re- redesigned) Pinnacle 95 Ti remains mindlessly simple to ski. One reason the Pinnacle 95 Ti earns elevated scores for Forgiveness is it doesn’t need a high edge angle to hold, so Finesse skiers can tootle along with their feet comfortably underneath them and still ride a secure edge.
