MX74
At 74mm underfoot, any pretense of off-piste proficiency is pure puffery, so the new MX74 can be forgiven for losing interest in off-roading. It’s all about arcing, stringing short, round turns together as calmly as oysters make pearls.
Powabunga
[Scores were derived from 2014 test results; the Powabunga is unchanged and was not re-tested last spring.] If a giant race of aliens with penchant for space travel and powder arrives on earth anytime soon, K2 is ready for them. The Shreditor 136, aka Powabunga, could...Petittor
[Scores were derived from 2014 test results; the Pettitor 120 is unchanged and was not re-tested last spring.] There’s something about twin-tips, aerial tricks and powder that mix well together. The marriage of Pipe & Park shenanigans and backcountry bowls loaded...Pinnacle 118
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.