goods on the goods

Contributed by Bryce Phillips, K2 Team Rider, EVO Owner

Don’t hesitate on this one. I’m very serious about this. If you want a ski to truly change your life and the sport as you curently know it, you have to ride the Pontoon this coming year. Don’t let the shape and size scare you. Think about it. In hindsight, would you have skiied on a wider model earlier? Would you go back 10 years and not use a fat ski? Of course not. The Pontoon is the future. Shape as we know it isn’t changing, it has changed and for all mountain skis, things will never be the same. I received my Pontoons middle of last year. I skiied it every day in almost every condition. This ski allows you to carve with a bit of sidecut under the foot (not reverse like the Spatula) but it floats and is the smoothest turning ski that I’ve ever been on. You can smeer and butter a turn or carve one. You can ski it straight, sideways or switch. You don’t have to be a big mountain legend like McConkey to handle it either. When I first saw the 189, at only 150lbs I was leery and thought I’d wait until the 179’s landed. The first run on the skis I couldn’t believe how user friendly they were. McConkey took a revolutionary concept with the Spatula and worked out the kinks. This thing is incredible and we all owe it to him and the crew at K2 for changing the sport…again. If I could say there was one tough thing about the ski, it would be that it’s hard to completely stomp airs above 40 feet. The platform is pretty big and you don’t get the give that you’d get with a 100-110mm waisted ski like the AK Maiden or Chief. If you want a ski to make you better and the sport a lot more fun, get these, now. Don’t wait for your buddy to blow you away when he/she gets a pair first. […]

See All of K2’s 07 Lineup

This is by far the most innovative powder ski of the season, if not the decade. K2, with the help of Shane McConkey, has redefined the entire category with this ski. Traditional powder skis have differed from all mountain skis only in width. Aside from this, they have been constructed basically the same. The K2 Pontoon is much bigger than any of its predecessors, plus it has a tapered tail and a powder rocker design. This is a totally new ski…

Tapered Tail – the Pontoon’s dimensions are 160/130/120. Powder skis have become wider every season, but with a tip width of 160 the pontoon is the biggest. The Pontoon also has a narrower tail than waist. This allows the tail to sink in deep snow enabling the rider to maintain better body position and stay balanced regardless.

Powder Rocker Design – Deep snow is completely different than hardpack. Why should your powder ski have the same flex pattern, camber and construction as carving ski? With a rocker design the Pontoon has much more in common with surf boards and wakeboards than skis and snowboards. In order for a ski to work in powder it has to be bent into reverse camber (the tip and the tail are both bent up). The Pontoon is already in reverse camber, making it amazingly easy to ski despite its overwhelming size.

K2 is setting all the trends in freeride skiing. It is likely we’ll see similar constructions from two or three other manufactures in the coming seasons.

Rossignol has been making the Bandits for a number of years, and for a number of years they have been one of the most consistent performers in the big mountain and all mountain categories. Compared to earlier generations of this ski, the XXX, this ski definitely shows improvements. Changes from the XXX include a needed overall increase in dimensions, as well as change in the ski’s flex pattern. In particular the ski’s tail was softened while maintaining a fairly aggressive tip. The net result is a new B4 which is more confidence inspiring, but has less of a tendency to beat you up.