The contrast between how the Pinnacle 118 looks and how it skis is striking. It looks like another big barge of a Powder ski, but it handles like an acrobatic All-Mountain model. Unlike most Powder skis that prefer to bank off a wall of snow on their bases, the Pinnacle 118 will hold a carved turn with only its edge in the snow. Because its edge grips so well and its core isn’t too torsionally rigid, the Pinnacle 118 skis feels quicker edge to edge than other skis with its XXXL dimensions.
It’s interesting to see a K2 on a list of Recommended Technical skis, as the brand devotes most of its energy to off-trail, freeride models. But the Luv Machine is the real deal, a carving utensil with a deep commitment to laying down ruts in groomage. It all starts in the shovel, which in contrast to the usual rockered and tapered K2 tip, connects quickly to the snow. The deep (12.5m @ 160cm) sidecut runs past the forward contact point, so if you’re tipping, you’re carving.
The OoolaLuv gets its determination to excel from a Titanal laminate that significantly augments both edge hold on hard snow and stability in choppy off-road conditions. Its All-Terrain Rocker is tuned to tackle whatever you find off-trail and K2’s signature, ginormous sweet spot helps keep the pilot centered in the turbulence encountered in crud. When the skier breaks back out on the well-traveled trail, the OoolaLuv’s substantial sidecut (14.6m) takes over, linking long, medium and short turns on demand.
K2 didn’t change the Pinnacle 95’s basic Konic lay-up, nor did they alter the ski’s essential character traits. However the K2 crew tinkered with the particulars, the net effect is a ski with a bit more of everything: more stable on edge, more connected at the tip, more tranquil at speed, more lively out of the turn, more confident in sketchy conditions. “Much more power than its predecessor,” professes Pat Parraguirre, major domo chez Bobo’s in Reno. “Earlier turn initiation than the old ski, too,” he adds.
The FulLUVit 95 is the original Pinnacle 95 with a slight change in the wood used in its Konic core. All the qualities that make the Pinnacle 95 a home-run Finesse model for men apply in spades to the FulLUVit 95. Its primary virtues are mindlessly simply steering, a mild temperament and a sweet spot that seems to run end to end. “No change this year,” notes Liz Elling of Gravity Sports, “but what an amazing, all-around, versatile ski it still is. Does it all with ease.”
