2019/2020 K2 Skis Preview – Mindbenders!

K2 Skis are back! No, they never went missing, but the all-new Mindbender series is something to get really excited about for Australian skiers. These skis feature powerful construction and their new Torsional Control Design Philosophy. If you are in the market for some new All Mountain Skis, these need to be on your radar.

The Mindbender series replaces the popular Pinnacle range, but don’t read into that too much because these skis are a whole new beast. The changes are focused around improving hard and variable snow performance at speed. K2 haven’t had skis like these since the AMP Rictor range from years back.

There are two different constructions that feature throughout the range, as denoted by the ‘Ti’ or the ‘C’ after the model name. The ‘Ti’ (90Ti, 99Ti, 108Ti) stands for Titanal, a metal alloy that has been used for uses in the ski industry. What K2 are doing different, however, is employing the use of this ‘Titanal Y-Beam’ to create a torsionally rigid or stiff front section of the ski, and a more maneuverable tail that is easy to release from a turn. We’ll be testing these skis soon but we expect to be able to really drive the tips of the ski and carve strongly, but release the tail when conditions or terrain demands.

The ‘C’ (90C, 116C) references ‘Carbon Spectral Braid’ which aims to keep skis lighter and more playful for the conditions or skiers that don’t demand the same strength that the Titanal Y-Beam offers. However the idea of have a stronger tip and a tail that is easy to release still remains true.

The Women’s Mindbender Alliance

The Women’s Alliance Range deserves its own release and story as the technology involved is even more exciting than the men’s range. The whole range has been developed with a ton of feedback from their women’s pro team, and have entirely different profiles to the Mens range.

Gone are the days where women’s skis in the shorter lengths feel much stiffer than the longer lengths because of the boot interface taking up a larger proportion of the ski. K2’s Correct Flex is being spread across their whole range to ensure our shorter friends get the best possible performance as well. How’s that for a ski design problem you didn’t know existed?

We are most excited about the two skis in the range that are going to be Australian all mountain killers. The Mens Mindbender 90 Ti and Womens Mindbender 88 Ti Alliance. We are going to get on these and more over the coming weeks while we are away testing skis in both Italy and the USA.

Every other K2 ski gets a graphical update, which is understandable with K2 releasing such a huge update in the Mindbender range. We will have images and details of the other 2020 K2 Skis shortly. Keep on the lookout, 2020 K2 Skis arrive at aussieskier.com May 1st and are bound to fly.