All these alterations make the new iKonic 80ti a much more competent carver than the ski of the same name a year ago. It’s particularly adept at short-radius turns, but will make bigger turns if asked. All these performance improvements haven’t altered the quintessential K2 trait of forgiveness. Turns flow intuitively edge to edge with a reliable grip that inspires confidence. For providing a first-class carving experience in return for a tourist-class expenditure of effort, we award the iKonic 80ti a Silver Skier Selection.
Meet Ms. Mid, aka the K2 Luv Sick 80ti. Her waist width is in the middle of the Frontside bell curve. Her tapered tip and tail and all-terrain rocker gently disengage her extremities so she can concentrate her efforts on the middle. While her sidecut is capable of making a tight radius arc, she’d rather ride at a lower edge angle and peel off medium-radius turns to keep her speed – you guessed it – moderate.
The most notable feature of the new K2 Catamaran is its asymmetric tip profile. As the Catamaran is a twin-tip, naturally the tail is likewise asymmetric. In action, the uphill ski engages less with the snow. The asymmetric effect is somewhat mitigated by the Catamaran’s full Powder rocker that keeps its ends off the snow.
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.
