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.
Mindbender 90 Ti
K2 completely changed every core model in its 19/20 line, without straying one centimeter from its core values. True, the Mindbenders are built differently than the Pinnacles of yesteryear, using all wood cores in their Ti incarnations (say ta-ta to Nano-tech), and more Titanal in the tail section to increase rear support compared to the passé Pinnacles.
Even though the Mindbender Ti series, of which the 90Ti is the narrowest, aims for a better class of skier (if you’ll pardon the expression), they’re not so stout they can’t be controlled by adventurous intermediates. The Mindbenders’ Ti Y-Beam construction puts Titanal over the edge in the forebody but moves it away from edge in the tail. This adjusts the skis’ torsional rigidity requirements to create more bite in the forebody and easier release of the tail, without affecting their even, balanced flex longitudinally.
Light and responsive to a gentle hand on the reins, the Mindbender 90Ti may at first blush feel a tad too loose in the tip to trust at warp speed, but it proves trustworthy if given a chance to run at high rpms. An elevated platform connected to the core by its robust sidewall gives the Mindbender 90 Ti turbo power when rolled on edge. “It turns the way you ask it to and holds with confidence on hardpack,” attests Ward Pyles from Peter Glenn.
MX83
The reason the return of the MX83 ought to interest experts everywhere is because it responds so intuitively to technical commands. All you have to do is look where you want to go, and you’re there. Its fully cambered baseline feels super-glued to the snow, inviting speeds that would cause lesser lights to shake loose. Most skis this torsionally rigid don’t flow over and around moguls too well, but the MX83 has an almost liquid flow bred into its bones.
One of the best indicators of a great ski is how well it performs in conditions for which it wasn’t made. By this measure, the MX83 remains an all-time great. Sure, it’s a gas to make deep trenches in corduroy at speeds that on another ski would be terrifying, but the MX83 adopts the same attitude towards all terrain. It doesn’t care where you point it because it’s confident in its abilities, a self-assurance that invariably rubs off on its pilot.
If it sounds like the MX83 is too much ski for you, in one sense you’re right and in another you’re dead wrong. You’re right in that you may never live up to the capabilities of this extraordinary ski; it’s ceiling will forever be above you. But you’re wrong to think the average skier can’t savor its delights. The MX83’s size range is skewed short so that lighter or less talented skiers can experience perfection without necessarily being able to epitomize it.