Mindbender 90C Alliance
Tester: Kim Reichhelm
When we design a new ski the first thing we do is develop the chassis (the shape of the ski including sidecut, camber and rocker) that will be the basis for each women’s mold. At K2, all women’s skis have their own, length-specific mold.
My days of being a big mountain ripper are past. I have a closet full of trophies and a body covered in scars. My goal these days is to be the most fluid skier on the mountain. I want my skis to complement my style and not punish me when I make a mistake. The Mindbender 90C Alliance is my go-to resort ski and the most popular ski for my Women’s Ski Adventure clients. The C stand for carbon; there is no metal in this ski making it more flexible tip to tail, which allows it to engage into the turn easily and be more forgiving coming out. The carbon adds torsional rigidity that keeps the ski from chattering on hard snow and adds some snap for carving and in bumps. The versatility of this ski is what makes it so fantastic. It carves, it skids, it’s fun in the bumps and even has some float in a little bit of fresh snow. The best part is, I don’t have to work hard to ski fluidly on this ski.
Mindbender 90C
Members get so much more content! Please sign-up today and experience all the Realskiers.com has to...Mindbender 99 Ti
It’s hard to classify K2’s Mindbender 99 Ti as either a Finesse or a Power ski as it migrates freely across the border between these two behavioral territories. It Power properties derive from a yoke of Titanal that runs along the perimeter of the forebody, segues to an edge-to-edge binding platform and continues down the center of the tail. This design puts a premium on engaging the edge early and releasing it gently. Its double-rockered baseline uses only enough elevation at tip and tail to maintain flow in uneven terrain, so the skier feels end-to-end snow contact whether on groomers or off-trail.
While the Mindbender Ti models were introduced just last year, they are part of a K2 tradition that stretches back several product generations. If K2’s essence could be distilled to a single trait or two, it would be made of equal parts forgiveness and ease of use. The Mindbender 99 Ti doesn’t try to dictate turn shape nor does it require breakneck speed to get it to bend. It doesn’t have a terrain preference – it’s surprisingly snaky in the bumps – but its torsionally soft tail is more attuned to pushing against soft snow than biting into ice. As long as the surface has some give to it, the Mindbender 99 Ti is a competent carver and a confidence builder for someone still polishing their off-trail talents.
Mindbender 98 Ti Alliance
Tester: McKenna Peterson
The first time I skied on what is now the Mindbender 98Ti Alliance was during our second round of testing at Crystal Mountain, Washington. It had snowed a bit up high but had rained down low on the mountain so conditions were variable. I’m a big mountain skier and have always preferred fatter skis for float and stability at speed, but there was something about this 98mm underfoot ski that made my jaw drop. Up high, the 98Ti floated through the powder, perfectly balanced between riding on top and diving too deep. The ski carved through the nasty re-frozen wet snow of the lower mountain as if it were butter. The ski was both confident and playful. We had a winner.
So much so that the engineers ended up adapting the new Torsion Control Design as finalized for the 98Ti for the entire men’s and women’s Mindbender collection. Torsion Control Design allows the ski to be stable and confident throughout the turn while also giving the option to release on a dime and playfully maneuver. This quality makes the 98Ti my ‘go to’ resort ski for any and all conditions. Fun fact: this ski graces the cover of the 2019 December issue of SKI magazine and the photo was taken after an unusual 40” dump at Sun Valley. Yeah, she’s skinny but she rips in the powder.