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.”
The Pinnacle 105’s better grip isn’t all due to tweaking the baseline; a construction change that added 20% more mass over the edge is a major contributor to the ski’s clean, continuous snow connection. Every tester attested to this K2’s expanded performance envelope, citing its groomer chops as the unexpected bonus that elevated the 2018 Pinnacle’s overall score and shifted its style from Finesse to Power. But don’t worry K2 fans; the Pinnacle 105 is still ease incarnate.
Bob Gleason of Boot Doctors sensed the change in the new iKonic 84ti, calling it, “a new feel for K2, a true all mountain carver. The elongated sidecut connects immediately with substantial power. A top contender among all mountain carvers,” he concludes. By “elongated sidecut,” Gleason is referring to the fact that the widest point in the iKonic 84ti’s forebody is up in the shovel, so the edge behind it provides a continuous rail all the way into the tail. In other words, neither tip nor tail is tapered as they would be on a Big Mountain model.
