The all-mountain skis K2 introduced last year looked nothing like the 15-year parade of models that preceded them. The older generation of K2’s earned a huge following by being super simple to ski and as damp as soup.
The new K2’s, christened iKonic, stripped away a decade’s worth of embellishments in search of a leaner, more sensitive ski that would be both lighter and more reactive. To make a possibly inappropriate extended metaphor: compared to skiing, say, the Aftershock, skiing the iKonic 85 Ti is like waking up inside a B movie to find your wife is suddenly 20 years younger.
A typical encomium from one of the Footloose faithful encapsulates the Pinnacle 95’s personality: “Stable, responsive, very lightweight, not bulky. Holds edge through crud but remains playful and can change directions in an instant. Loved this…” Note the aptitude for instant direction change: the Pinnacle 95’s lightweight core contributes to lower swing weight, reducing turning effort, and its well-rockered baseline offers no resistance to foot steering.
K2 earns our eternal admiration for keeping their focus on making off-trail skiing easier. This is particularly apropos in the Big Mountain arena, where the best skiing isn’t on the groomers. The Pinnacle 105 possesses the magical quality of making previously unplayable terrain part of the daily routine, like playing the forward tees allows the average golfer to enjoy a tough course.
The Pinnacle 105 might be the best application of K2’s Konic technology that concentrates practically all mass over the edge. The Nanolite material used in the central core fans out at the extremities, forming the tip and tail entirely from this featherweight stuffing. The reduction in swing weight is one reason the Pinnacle 105 steers like a narrower ski.
If memory serves, Seth Morrison was the first freeride athlete to have a signature model. He’s been flying the K2 flag for over two decades, often upside down into a crevice of powder surrounded by a rock garden. After a jaw-dropping aerial entry, Seth doesn’t clear out the bottom of couloirs with a sideways smudge but skis a clean line using classic technique.
Just as Morrison is a remarkable hybrid of Old School skills and New School bravura, his ski, the Pinnacle 118, is responsive to conventional, directional ski technique despite an amply rockered baseline. There’s no need to adapt your style to fit the ski or the situation; just aim at the deepest pile of snow you can find and go get it.
