All Images: Jack Dawe, Courtesy of K2 Skis | Skier: Karl Fostvedt
You’d be hard-pressed to describe modern freeskiing without including Karl Fostvedt. The Idaho-raised, multi-talented freeride skier is one of the most successful to ever put on a pair of planks, and his new pro model ski with K2 is a testament to his creativity and excellence in the field.
Crazy Karl, as he’s known, has earned his rank among both core and mainstream freeski audiences thanks to a multitude of accomplishments. He’s had incredible segments in huge movies like Matchstick Production’s “The Stomping Grounds,” 1st Place finishes at Kings and Queens of Corbett’s, produced his own short film series called “Brap Ski,” and the list goes on and on. Truthfully, it isn’t the films or awards that set Fostvedt apart; it’s his commitment to the craft in every form. He’s been a mainstay in the culture for over a decade, and those years of hard work and attention have built a skier and human that is as rare and enjoyable as any.
His dedication and love for skiing culminate in many different results. It can be seen in his fluid style, as he effortlessly throws massive Cork 7’s into a bewildering pillow line, making it look as if there was no other way to ski it. It can be seen in his passion for avalanche education, as he pours hours upon hours into preparing for the worst while studying with the best. And now, it can be seen in the Reckoner KF 114, his new pro model with K2 Skis. This project has been a long time coming. In fact, Fostvedt told us that the brainstorming started twenty years ago. After testing the Reckoner KF at the coveted FREESKIER Gear Lab, we can confidently say that it’s one of the finest pow-crushing, billow-bashing, switch-landing skis on the market. We sat down with Fostvedt to pick his brain about the ins and outs of this ski, and hear where the inspiration came from, what it means to him, how he hopes to continue to inspire backcountry skiing and safety, and more.
K2 Reckoner KF 114 Details
Key Features: Spectral Braid, Triaxial Braided Core, Uni-Directional Flax, Carbon Boost, Twin Tech Sidewalls, Bio Resin
Sizes (cm): 172, 177, 184, 191
Dimensions (mm): 137 – 114 – 134
Rocker: Powder Twin Rocker
Turning radius: 23 meters @ 184 cm
Thanks for talking, Karl. Let’s start from the ground up. What was the beginning process of building the Reckoner KF 114?
I’d say it started 20 years ago when I put a pair of K2 Extreme’s on my wall. It was one of the first brand-new pairs of twin-tip skis I’d ever had. I got them about a month before the season started, put them on the wall, and stared at them every day. That year, I made it my goal to grow up and represent K2. They had the most insane pro models coming out at that time with The Seth Pistol and The Kung Fujas [skis] Those skiers and those skis were huge inspirations.
Your first pro model was with ON3P around 10 years ago. How did that experience help you in creating this ski?
It was great to work with [ON3P] and build out a pro model line, the Kartel series. That experience gave me a good understanding of what goes into making a ski; how to streamline the process, learn what changes are easier and which ones are more difficult. I think the most valuable piece I learned as far as the construction goes was the importance of dialing in the shape and rocker early. Finding a good shape is important for everything else in the ski. For my style of riding, I need a ski with tons of rocker in both the tips and tails. Lucky for me, K2 is the King of Rocker.
When I got picked up by K2, I was introduced to the ARC (Advanced Resource Collective), which was a game changer. I got together with Sean [Fearron] and Jed [Yeiser] who both design skis with K2, and did my best to learn how to speak their language. It’s always great to spend time with and learn from them. There’s so much that goes into making the perfect ski, and I can’t believe my job is to go out and test new prototype skis for the most OG brand in skiing. I love being able to test out so many different shapes and c\ore profiles, and really hone in on what makes a ski perform magically. I can’t thank the crew at the ARC enough. They’ve embraced my style of skiing and let me go all-out with a one-of-a-kind buttery, bouncy, trampoline of a pow ski.
How many different prototypes did you go through to get to this final version?
Oh man, we experimented with tons of different core types and layouts. [Laughs] That all ended up with me having so many [prototype] skis sitting around in my garage, putting maybe 10 to 20 days on each. I’m not sure how many it was in total, but it was a lot. Once we got the ski close to its final version, we did five more rounds of prototypes. We labeled them J1 through J5, with J1 being the softest and bounciest, and J5 being the heaviest and stiffest. We almost went with one of the stiffer versions, but there was something special about the J2 that made it the clear winner.
My first time trying the J2’s, I was skiing the bowls in Sun Valley on a powder day. As the pow got skied out and turned into crud, these skis started to shine. Every little bump or ripple in the snow was a chance to get airborne. The skis felt like they were double-bouncing me into the air off each hit. It felt like you could load up a limitless amount of energy into the ski and it would feed it right back to you.
There’s a lot of tech in this thing, from K2’s signature Spectral Braid to the fiberglass laminate. What’s your favorite piece inside the ski and what does it deliver?
To me, what makes it such a cheat code of a ski is the full wall-to-wall sheet of carbon fiber. It just shreds, and adds so much pop without adding a lot of weight. I love it. I’d say the other thing that stands out is the soft flex profile. I like to compare it to skateboarding, where a lot of the best skateboarders out there have crazy loose trucks. This ski is like that. Soft skis can be easier to ride for people who are less experienced, which is great, but the softness can also be a great tool for an advanced rider once you find the balance point.
That echoes a quote I saw from [K2 Designer] Sean Fearon. He said, “Karl wanted a trampoline and that was the best way we could give him one — a soft flex pattern and a boatload of carbon.”
[laughs] Exactly, that was 100% the idea. A good ski is totally subjective, but these days I look for a ski that has a good rocker profile, is light and has a lively core.
Where do you think the Reckoner KF truly shines?
Anywhere with jumps and pillows. If you have a backcountry or resort run you want to do tricks on, this is the ski. You can get so creative with it. It’s made for bouncing, buttering and landing switch in pow. I brought so many visions to life with this thing and I’m sure other skiers will too.
After talking with Jake Hopfinger recently, he said you two had a blast filming in Idaho. Who are a few other skiers you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Jake [Hopfinger] is a lifesaver. Everything was going to shit right before he showed up. He helped me tow my truck down south, keep my spirits alive and stay positive even though there wasn’t much snow on the ground and conditions were sketchy.
I’d love to work with him and Parkin [Costain] again. They’re so great to be around in the backcountry. There are so many talented rippers out there, but for now, I want to keep working with our Brap Ski crew – Thayne Rich, McRae Williams, Toby and Addie Rafford, Wing Tai Barrymore, and Collin Collins. It’s a wide spread of ages and styles which makes the whole crew fun and always exciting to be around.
Most people see your impeccable skiing obviously, but your commitment to avalanche education and snow safety is also world-class. As someone who wears many hats in that world, from student to professional, what have you learned that you’d want to share with others?
It’s amazing how many resources are available now in that field, and I just hope to see more riders taking advantage of them. I’ve done most of my learning through the American Avalanche Institute, and they’ve got some fantastic, welcoming folks over there. People can have the best days of their lives in the backcountry, and people can also have the worst, most tragic days of their lives. My biggest fear is losing a loved one in an accident out there. I want to bring people out into the backcountry and know I have the skills to help prevent an accident or assist in one if it comes to that.
The thing I’ve come to understand is that if you’re going to be a lifer in this game and you think about all the risks and potential ways something could go wrong, it’s not an ‘if’, it’s a ‘when’. I never want to be in a situation where I’m around or involved in an accident in the backcountry and I walk away from it feeling like I was ill-prepared. Preparation is the key to having good days in the backcountry. For me, courses through The American Avalanche Institute have played a huge role in how I prepare for skiing in the backcountry.
I have a great appreciation for the risks out there. There are times when I feel like it’s not even worth it, but I know that I get so much fulfillment out of these experiences in the backcountry and that I could never walk away from it. I need to do everything I can to be prepared for when shit hits the fan and to learn as much as I can to prevent those incidents from happening in the first place. All that starts with just understanding the snowpack, spending a lot of time digging pits, and studying. It can be intimidating if you think about the whole, but to just go one piece at a time makes it a lot more digestible.
Part of that safety equation is ensuring that others are also prepared. How do you look to inspire people to learn without trying to lecture or impose?
Yeah, that’s a good point. For me, it all goes back to a mentor of mine Bruce Tremper who wrote the book ‘Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.’ He mentions a problem in action sports, that the films tend to only show the radical action side of things and it’s rare for movies to show the behind-the-scenes portions of avalanche awareness and safety protocols. He makes a plea for people in the spotlights of these sports to promote avalanche and snow safety education. Awareness has certainly improved since my days as a grom, but we can always do better.
Now that I’m in this position of being a professional athlete and filmmaker, I have the perfect opportunity to continue pushing Bruce’s message and inspire others to get out there and be safe. I don’t want to tell anyone how to live their life, but if you’re out there and other people are depending on you, I certainly think you have a responsibility to do the best that you can to soak up knowledge and be prepared.
Will we ever see Crazy Karl in a full-time education or guide role?
I always want to leave that door open. I don’t really have a long-term plan when it comes to skiing or filmmaking, so [snow safety] is certainly a career path that has caught my interest. If I continue to feel a calling there, which I think is very possible, then I definitely see that as an option. I don’t think a full-time role will be happening soon, though. I still have a few segments I’d like to make and a few more skis to build!
Click HERE to learn more about or purchase the Reckoner KF 114 on K2’s website
