K2’s Luv Boat 108 had only been afloat for a year when it was scuttled a year ago and replaced with the Luv Boat 105, a modestly modified spin-off of the Pinnacle 105. K2’s merger of the women’s specific Luv Boat 108 with the unisex Pinnacle 105 was inevitable, as the raison d’être of the Pinnacle was to pare away as much weight as possible without impairing performance, a women’s market mission if ever there was one.
Like all Kästles, the BMX 105 HP comes alive when it’s raked over, giving it all the motivation it needs to knock crud to the side and pummel wind drifts to pieces. Just because its baseline allows it swivel sideways doesn’t mean that’s how the BMX105 HP prefers to get the job done. In the clash of personalities, the carving character has the upper hand.
The Pinnacle 105’s better grip isn’t all due to tweaking the baseline; a construction change that added 20% more mass over the edge is a major contributor to the ski’s clean, continuous snow connection. Every tester attested to this K2’s expanded performance envelope, citing its groomer chops as the unexpected bonus that elevated the 2018 Pinnacle’s overall score and shifted its style from Finesse to Power. But don’t worry K2 fans; the Pinnacle 105 is still ease incarnate.
The FulLUVit 95 is the original Pinnacle 95 with a slight change in the wood used in its Konic core. All the qualities that make the Pinnacle 95 a home-run Finesse model for men apply in spades to the FulLUVit 95. Its primary virtues are mindlessly simply steering, a mild temperament and a sweet spot that seems to run end to end. “No change this year,” notes Liz Elling of Gravity Sports, “but what an amazing, all-around, versatile ski it still is. Does it all with ease.”
K2 didn’t change the Pinnacle 95’s basic Konic lay-up, nor did they alter the ski’s essential character traits. However the K2 crew tinkered with the particulars, the net effect is a ski with a bit more of everything: more stable on edge, more connected at the tip, more tranquil at speed, more lively out of the turn, more confident in sketchy conditions. “Much more power than its predecessor,” professes Pat Parraguirre, major domo chez Bobo’s in Reno. “Earlier turn initiation than the old ski, too,” he adds.