K2’s Mindbender series manages to cover all of its bases with just two principal constructions, Ti Y-Beam and Spectral Braid. Substituting the cross-hatched fibers of Spectral Braid for a sculpted sheet of Titanal saves both weight and money, bringing the MB 90C W price down to an economical $499.
The Mindbender 90C W probably isn’t the right choice for all experts, but for someone whose off-trail skill set is still in its formative stages, it’s probably a better fit than the Mindbender 88Ti Alliance. Here’s what veteran K2 tester – her tenure began in 1990! – and freeskiing icon Kim Reichhelm has to say about the MB 90C and its suitability for her ski camp clients. “The Mindbender 90C Alliance is my go-to resort ski and the most popular ski for my Women’s Ski Adventure clients.”
It’s instructive that the 99 Ti is the widest women’s Mindbender with Titanal Y-Beam; the next widest Mindbender, the 106 C W, uses carbon as its principal structural element, as does the 115 C W. This underscores the dividing line between a true all-terrain, in-resort ski like the MB 99 Ti W that will spend roughly half its life on hard snow, and a powder-specific board like the 106 C that could double as a sidecountry touring model. The metal that makes the 99 Ti W proficient on rock-hard groomers would add so much mass to a 106 it would be hard to push around off-trail and murder for climbing. Expert women who want an everyday, all-condition ski for in-bounds skiing should opt for the MB 99 Ti W and leave the wider Mindbenders for the rare powder day.
It bears mention that a skier of limited skills and off-trail experience probably shouldn’t be on a ski as wide as 99mm underfoot, and probably would be better served by a carbon chassis with minimal metal in its make-up, like the K2 Mindbender 90 C W. Which isn’t a diss – a 99-waisted ski that sells for $900 should shift its suitability to meet the expectations of experts. Which is just what K2 has done.
The Mindbender 106C W ties together several strands of K2’s DNA. One strand is K2’s pioneering history of women’s models; since K2 introduced its first women’s ski, I dare say they’ve marketed more women’s models than any other brand. Another spiral of its genetic make-up is K2’s early adoption of rocker, giving it a wealth of experience in mastering flotation and ease of operation in deep snow. The baseline of the Mindbender 106C uses a low, gradual rocker on both ends, so all that surface area can take care of job one.
The third embedded gene is K2’s integration of its Women’s Alliance test team in its product development, a process that has been going on for over twenty years. Kim Reichhelm has been a leader of K2’s Alliance since its inception. Last year she filed a review of the Mindbender 106C W that provided peek behind the curtain at her role at K2:
“Testing powder skis is a real treat, but it’s also a real job. Our mission is to design skis that are high performance and complement our individual style, regardless of our stance and aggressiveness.”
