Of all the new models introduced last season, K2’s Mindbender 99Ti took by far the greatest leap up in our standings, a stratospheric orbit it wasn’t able to sustain this year as new data knocked it back a few notches. But the slight dip in scores doesn’t negate the two crucial facts: 1) the Mindbender 99 Ti version 2.0 represents a vast improvement over its original incarnation, and 2) it’s one of the best AMW Finesse skis of its era.

Driving the 2023 Mindbender 99Ti’s ascension to the top rung of the Finesse ladder was 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 99Ti’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 99Ti 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 99Ti 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 99Ti’s demeanor on hard snow was to clear the way for the arrival of its 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 99Ti 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 that are so mindlessly easy to ski. One might almost say, mindbending…

Because the re-designed Mindbender 99Ti has elevated its ease of operation along with the precision of its edge grip, we again award the Mindbender 99Ti a Silver Skier Selection.