Mindbender 99 Ti - Realskiers

2023 K2 Mindbender 99 Ti

1

Ski Stats

Sidecut 134/99/120

Radius 19.6m @ 184cm

Lengths 166,172,178,184,190

Weight 2200.2g @ 184cm

MSRP $900

FIND

Power Score: 8.71

Finesse Score: 9.07

3

1

Of all the new models introduced this season, K2’s Mindbender 99 Ti took by far the greatest leap up in our standings, all the way to the top of our Finesse Favorites. But it wasn’t its Finesse properties per se that drove its across-the-board improvement, but the new Mindbender 99 Ti’s vastly enhanced Power properties. When a ski is calmer on edge on hard snow, it improves the overall impression of forgiveness and ease as the skier doesn’t have to struggle to stay in balance. So, the new Mindbender 99 Ti comes off as a kinder, gentler ski precisely because it’s a much better Power ski than its predecessor. Driving the 2023 Mindbender 99 Ti’s ascension to the top rung of the Finesse ladder is a re-design of the ski’s signature feature, Titanal Y-Beam. It’s still shaped like a futuristic slingshot, with the forks of the yoke running up each side of the forebody, a wall-to-wall stretch underfoot and a centered tail section. K2 fiddled with the size and shape of the forward forks so the ski hooks up earlier and with more authority, but it’s the transformation of the Y-Beam’s tail design that contributes the most to the Mindbender 99 Ti’s newfound tranquility on edge. Not many skiers lose sleep thinking about the effects of tail design on turning accuracy, especially in a nation where carving a full turn is a dying art, but the palpable improvement created by a more supportive tail in the Mindbender 99 Ti proves that everything that goes into a ski - from tip to tail - affects the total result. The new model earned higher marks in every single criterion, not just turn finish or stability at speed, which one would expect to be enhanced by a beefier tail. On average, its Finesse scores were even higher than its boffo Power scores, indicating that the new Mindbender 99 Ti not only has a higher ceiling than any K2 AMW model in recent memory, it also manages to have a lower floor.

Of all the new models introduced this season, K2’s Mindbender 99 Ti took by far the greatest leap up in our standings, all the way to the top of our Finesse Favorites. But it wasn’t its Finesse properties per se that drove its across-the-board improvement, but the new Mindbender 99 Ti’s vastly enhanced Power properties. When a ski is calmer on edge on hard snow, it improves the overall impression of forgiveness and ease as the skier doesn’t have to struggle to stay in balance. So, the new Mindbender 99 Ti comes off as a kinder, gentler ski precisely because it’s a much better Power ski than its predecessor.

Driving the 2023 Mindbender 99 Ti’s ascension to the top rung of the Finesse ladder is a re-design of the ski’s signature feature, Titanal Y-Beam. It’s still shaped like a futuristic slingshot, with the forks of the yoke running up each side of the forebody, a wall-to-wall stretch underfoot and a centered tail section. K2 fiddled with the size and shape of the forward forks so the ski hooks up earlier and with more authority, but it’s the transformation of the Y-Beam’s tail design that contributes the most to the Mindbender 99 Ti’s newfound tranquility on edge.

Not many skiers lose sleep thinking about the effects of tail design on turning accuracy, especially in a nation where carving a full turn is a dying art, but the palpable improvement created by a more supportive tail in the Mindbender 99 Ti proves that everything that goes into a ski – from tip to tail – affects the total result. The new model earned higher marks in every single criterion, not just turn finish or stability at speed, which one would expect to be enhanced by a beefier tail. On average, its Finesse scores were even higher than its boffo Power scores, indicating that the new Mindbender 99 Ti not only has a higher ceiling than any K2 AMW model in recent memory, it also manages to have a lower floor.

“This Mindbender goes for everything and comes up aces,” enthuses Mark Rafferty from Peter Glenn. “The 99mm width is great for the rare powder day, but the selective use of Titanal allows it to grip and rip on hard pack. I always felt in total control. Fun in all conditions,” he concludes.

One motivation for K2 to improve the Mindbender 99 Ti’s demeanor on hard snow was to clear the way for the arrival of its new Dispatch series. If you’re perpetually on the hunt for powder, but occasionally use the lift system to get where you want to go, you’ll be better served on a wider and surfier Dispatch model. The debut of Dispatch frees the Mindbender 99 Ti to focus on the totality of what’s on the trail map – excuse me – trail app. If you’re an in-resort skier, your daily driver ought to be able to digest the whole enchilada, rather than pandering to a condition that’s becoming ever more difficult to find inside the ropes.

Now that the Mindbender 99 Ti is a better ski overall, it opens up its aptitude for different skiing styles. If you want to string together symmetrical, round, mid-radius turns the MB 99 Ti is happy to comply. If you’re more of a charger who doesn’t like to deviate too far off line, this ski has one word for you: giddy-up. There are other skis in the AMW genre that can hold a crisper edge on really hard snow, but none that offer such a high level of performance are so mindlessly easy to ski. One might almost say, mindbending…

Because its newfound power has actually elevated its ease of operation as well as the precision of its edge grip, we again award the Mindbender 99 Ti a Silver Skier Selection.