Close your eyes and picture the perfect run. Is it a big, open line or a shot through the trees? Are you powering through and accelerating out of each turn or making slashes and quick direction changes? The people behind K2 Skis know that most skiers who click into skis wider than 90 mm underfoot often descend a mountain in one of two ways—powerfully or playfully. With a focus on all-mountain performance, the company is now grouping its freeride skis into two collections: Freeride Maneuverability and Freeride Stability.
Inspired by the Pettitor, a 120-mm powder slayer and Sean Pettit’s pro model ski, the Shreditor 92, Shreditor 102 and Shreditor 112 all make up the Freeride Maneuverability collection.
“These skis are designed to have a more playful, surfy performance with versatility in all conditions,” says product marketing manager, MJ Carroll. “They are for skiers who are feature focused and prefer maneuverable, playful skis that are easy to release and turn on a dime.”
Seth Morrison’s pro model, the Annex 118, has evolved into the Annex series within the greater Stability collection, designed for “more fall-line focused skiers looking to exit every turn with predictability, power and confidence,” Carroll says.
For its 2014-15 line of skis, K2 also came up with a new build process dubbed Baseline 2.0. It takes a comprehensive approach to how the top shape of the ski complements the rocker side profile.
“We’ve developed skis in terms of shape and rocker, but now we’ve converged these two paths to the next level,” says Mike Gutt, global marketing director at K2. “The last two years, we started to look at designing these to work in conjunction with each other. For example, how the camber and waist interact or how the ski releases and how the tail is shaped. We’re reengineering the top shape, knowing what kind of rocker works in certain situations.”
In addition to streamlining ski categories and overhauling the build process, K2 is making waves with its emerging products such as helmets, boots, goggles and packs.“Helmets have come a long way for us,” says Gutt. “We’re now a legitimate player in helmet business in terms of volume.”
The company’s brand new Route helmet is the lightest helmet in the snow sports market, weighing just 320 grams. The Route is multisport certified (snow and bike) and features a Boa fit system and seamless goggle integration, something K2 has focused on since entering the category.
In 2013, K2 launched its first boot line, and this year’s collection includes a few updates, notably Intuition liners in every model. Three new models have also been introduced, including women’s-specific freeride boots, the Minaret 80 and Minaret 100, which include the same performance technology as the men’s Pinnacle boots but with a women’s- specific last, a lower cuff and a narrower heel. In addition to these new models, many K2 boots now offer multiple last options on the same model so your foot shape no longer determines your boot choices.
A new line of airbag packs; affordable goggles that don’t skimp on features; and all- mountain, resort-focused poles round out the new products from the brand. All of these put K2 in a position to outfit skiers of all kinds with the necessary tools for the job.
And, as always, K2 reminds you to have fun out there.
K2 Annex 98
“Inspired by hard-charging, fall-line focused skiers, the K2 Annex 98 ski attacks everything from hardpack groomers to fresh tracks outside the gate. The extremely versatile…” Click for full review.
K2 Shreditor 102
“The re-designed K2 Shreditor 102 is even more versatile than its predecessor. The new shape provides more playful and maneuverable performance, yet still rips…” Click for full review.
K2 Shreditor 92
“‘She’s like a Cadillac for the park,’ said one tester. Any ski in the Shreditor lineup is guaranteed to be a playful son of a bitch, and with a 92-mm waist…” Click for full review.
