Three seasons ago K2 radically revised its ski design, ditching more than a decade’s worth of dampening material and generally paring away excess weight wherever it could. By its own estimation, it went a little too far, so last year K2 reduced the rocker and bolstered the construction of its new star, the Pinnacle 95, with more mass, metal and camber. None of these improvements altered its flagship’s easy-going nature, so the renamed (but not re- redesigned) Pinnacle 95 Ti remains mindlessly simple to ski. One reason the Pinnacle 95 Ti earns elevated scores for Forgiveness is it doesn’t need a high edge angle to hold, so Finesse skiers can tootle along with their feet comfortably underneath them and still ride a secure edge.
As befits a longtime leader in women’s ski design, marketing and sales, K2 makes a slew of Frontside skis for women. The brightest star in this galaxy of models, the new Tough Luv, might be the best women’s Frontside ski K2 has made in years. An unapologetic carver from a brand best known for its off-trail collection, the Tough Luv’s new tip design quietly tucks into the top of the turn and continues on a tight trajectory with an exceptionally stout turn finish.“ This all carbon, no metal ski was great,” confides one of Willi’s Divas. “It’s flexible, it’s fast, and turns well. You can almost tell it was built for a woman.”
K2’s new Alluvit 88Ti isn’t a mere improvement over last year’s iteration, but a major makeover with benefits for all women skiers, particularly those with off-trail travels on the daily agenda. Mirroring the moves made by the unisex Pinnacle 88Ti, the Alluvit 88Ti ditched the foam section of its core in favor of an all-wood affair featuring fir and aspen, then added a perimeter of Titanal to calm the edge and sharpen its bite. The changes flipped the Alluvit 88’s personality from meek wallflower to sassy extrovert. If the Alluvit 88Ti has a terrain bias, it’s in favor of soft snow in depths ranging from one inch to two feet.
There are three top-line reasons why women should entrust their precious time in powder to K2 and its flagship women’s ski, the FulLUVit 95 Ti. (BTW, the Ti is new to its name but not to its composition.) First, K2’s wheelhouse is building wide skis for the off-piste adventurer. Second, K2 was one of the first brands to develop a complete line of women’s skis and involve recreational female skiers in their product development and testing process through the K2 Women’s Alliance, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this season. The third and most important reason for hopping on a FulLUVit 95 Ti is that no other ski makes off-trail skiing any easier without surrendering stability on groomers. If the primary quality you want in your next all-terrain ski is ease of operation, you’ve found your ski.
Considering the reputation of Kästle’s formidable MX84, one might expect the LX85 to be likewise endowed with near-nuclear power. Yet this beauty is no beast, but a gracious cruiser that orders groomers for its main course with off-trail conditions on the side. Its slalomesque turn radius suggests a quick stick, but the slight tip taper and early rise on the LX85 don’t naturally dip into a short turn, allowing the skier to find a languid, GS arc that holds with minimal edge angle. “Stable at speed,” confirms one of the Footloose crew. “It does well with longer radius turns vs. short.”
