K2 learned from past mistakes not to overload a women’s ski with metal, but a single dose of Titanal gives any ski more bite on hardpack and superior serenity at speed. The Luv Machine has a Titanal laminate to reinforce its Channel Light Core, made from fir, bamboo and Paulownia with milled out sections to further trim away ounces. A fully cambered baseline gives the Luv Machine extra zing, carrying the skier effortlessly through the turn transition. Light as cotton candy with the gripping power of caramel, the Luv Machine 74Ti is one sweet ride.
K2’s Luv Boat 108 had only been afloat for a year when it was scuttled and replaced with the Luv Boat 105, a modestly modified spin-off of the Pinnacle 105, itself only a year out of R&D. 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.
When Nordica was first trying to find its feet as a ski company, it found a toehold among the firmament of A-list brands in the Frontside genre. A case could be made that, for a few years running, Nordica was making the best carving skis in the world.
Among the major brands, Head probably holds that distinction now, but Nordica’s new GT series serves notice that it would like to reclaim its crown. The new construction of the GT series is a major departure from Nordica’s more recent Frontside family, yet it’s already familiar to Nordica fans. Essentially, it doubles down on the Titanal Torsion Bridge used in the All-Mountain NRGY collection, adding a sheet of the cut-out titanium to the base and replacing the foam core channel with poplar and beech.
Rossignol created the Hero Master for Masters’ racers who, as in their adolescence, have to economize and use one ski for two events. But the Hero Master could live a long life without ever seeing a start house or a finish gate and still pass on to the celestial podium fulfilled. For this sweetheart loves to open up the gas line and burn fuel by the barrel, flying down America’s groomed highways with its sirens on and lights blazing.
K2 has made a tidy living by making performance skis that don’t flaunt their talents but tenderly embrace the less talented and encourage them to be better. People who are already struggling don’t care to be berated for their shortcomings by a ski that behaves like a bully; they’d rather find a friend who can coach them into competent players.
The K2 iKonic 80 Ti is such a companion, wise in the ways of the carving world and eminently approachable. If it feels lighter than the norm it’s because it is, K2 having pared away every gram of unneeded bulk and concentrating the remaining mass directly over the edges. Stripped to its essentials, the iKonic 80 Ti delivers better snow feel, the ineffable quality that doesn’t try to mute or homogenize every skiing sensation.
