Help me decide between Kore 105 and K2 Mindbender 108

[kauffee]

Hi all,

Trying to decide between the above skis. 40yo, 5'5" about 170lbs, ski almost all of the mountain except crazy stuff, lots of bumps and trees but also like to open up and fly if that's what conditions allow. I live in Portland and ski Mt. Hood Meadows but also take one or two trips a year.

Current 2 ski quiver is a Kastle MX88 168cm and Soul7 172cm. I love the Kastle, it's perfect. But since gaining about 10lbs in the last couple of years, the Soul7 just doesn't have enough stiffness for me.

At the end of last season I demo'd the Kore 105 171cm and Blizzard Rustler 10 in 172cm at Big Sky. I really loved the Kore. It was light but stiff with good edge hold. Seemed to ski fairly long for a 171. The Rustler was a little less stiff and felt shorter, so I didn't like it quite as much.

I was about to just pull the trigger on the Kore 105's, but have been reading a lot about the Mindbender 108Ti recently. My only concern with the Kore is that the heavier snow at home on Mt. Hood might not be a good match for it like the snow at Big Sky was. Will the Mindbender be a better ski for me?

(In a perfect world I'd get the Kastle FX 106HP but I'm not skiing enough these days to justify it. Too many days on the bunny slopes with my 5yo.)

 

[Philpug]

If you find the Soul to uhmmm be soul-less because if it's light weight. The K2 will actually be a lot more solid like your Kastle in the heavier snow you get at Hood..where the Kore could get pushed around a bit.

 

[GregK]

Lots of great options in that width range. A ski similar to the Kore 105 but heavier and more stable while still being forgiving is the 2020 Salomon QST 106. Stiffer still with excellent groomer performance and solid weight would be the Fisher Ranger FR 104. Less forgiving in bumps though with it’s stiffer tail.
Enforcer 104 Free is more forgiving, better in bumps, trees and crud than the Fisher yet still very good groomer performance(Fisher a bit better still). The Mindbender 108Ti has a bit better float than the Enforcer 104 but E104 has the slight edge on groomers. Both similar in forgiveness and weight with Mindbender 108Ti being softer up front but both similar underfoot and tail so both fun in bumps and both great in crud.
Moment Wildcat more freestyle biased with deep tip/tail rocker so it’s super easy to pivot in trees but still a great carver unless the snow is harder with it’s reduced effective edge. Lighter than the most of the above yet very good in crud and stable at speed for it’s weight. So more soft snow biased than the MB 108 or Enforcer 104 but very playful and easy to ski for how hard it can charge.

 

[kauffee]

Thanks guys. I went to the shop this morning and looked at the K2 and Head. The Head had significantly less tip rocker than the MB108, which explains why it skied longer for me. I'm thinking if I went to the Mindbender I'd have to go up to 180 and I'm not sure I want to do that. The Solomon QST106 was also on my radar so I'll check that out too.

The other thing to consider is that I've skied the Head and liked it a lot. Why question myself?

 

[DocGKR]

Philpug and GregK have offered some good advice. The K2 Mindbender would be a good choice. The Enforcer 104 is also a great option with a lot of versatility.

As mentioned, there ares some good options in that range these days, including the Fischer, Salomon, and Moment Wildcat 108 that were mentioned, as well as the Stockli Stormrider 105, ON3P Woodsman 108, Liberty Origin 106, J Skis The Metal 106, and don't forget the Renoun's.

 

[Other Aaron]

I say go for the Salomon QST 106. Its a fun ski, slightly softer than the Mindbender, but plenty damp and and responsive. Alternatively, the Nordica Enforcer 104 FR rips

 

[Philpug]

I say go for the Salomon QST 106. Its a fun ski, slightly softer than the Mindbender, but plenty damp and and responsive. Alternatively, the Nordica Enforcer 104 FR rips

I really like the new QST106.

 

[GregK]

Know you liked the Kore 105 and think the QST 106 would be the most similar in feel to it but with some added heft to help it in variable conditions like you’ll face back home. Pretty good chance you’d like it too.

 

[Ken_R]

Hi all,

Trying to decide between the above skis. 40yo, 5'5" about 170lbs, ski almost all of the mountain except crazy stuff, lots of bumps and trees but also like to open up and fly if that's what conditions allow. I live in Portland and ski Mt. Hood Meadows but also take one or two trips a year.

Current 2 ski quiver is a Kastle MX88 168cm and Soul7 172cm. I love the Kastle, it's perfect. But since gaining about 10lbs in the last couple of years, the Soul7 just doesn't have enough stiffness for me.

At the end of last season I demo'd the Kore 105 171cm and Blizzard Rustler 10 in 172cm at Big Sky. I really loved the Kore. It was light but stiff with good edge hold. Seemed to ski fairly long for a 171. The Rustler was a little less stiff and felt shorter, so I didn't like it quite as much.

I was about to just pull the trigger on the Kore 105's, but have been reading a lot about the Mindbender 108Ti recently. My only concern with the Kore is that the heavier snow at home on Mt. Hood might not be a good match for it like the snow at Big Sky was. Will the Mindbender be a better ski for me?

(In a perfect world I'd get the Kastle FX 106HP but I'm not skiing enough these days to justify it. Too many days on the bunny slopes with my 5yo.)

I always go a touch longer with my wider / powder skis. Those skis are generally designed way different than the more hard snow oriented all mountain skis and you want the extra length for float.. The Kore 105's are certainly stiffer than the Mindbender 108's and a bit lighter. So the Kore 105's will feel like more ski at any given length. Well, except compared to the Mindbender 99ti's those are pretty burly

I demoed the Kore 105's in powder last season and they are not a surfy powder ski at all. They want to be driven pretty darn hard. If you want a more surfy powder ski then look into skis like the Enforcer 104 Free. The Mindbender 108's splits the difference between those 2 skis.

 

[Vinnie]

Hi all,


Current 2 ski quiver is a Kastle MX88 168cm and Soul7 172cm. I love the Kastle, it's perfect. But since gaining about 10lbs in the last couple of years, the Soul7 just doesn't have enough stiffness for me.

If you are looking for a stiffer ski, but not burly, check out the ON3P Woodsman 108. Next Adventure has them in stock. It has a bit of a more forward mount point than the Soul 7. This makes it more playful while still able to drive it through the tips. Also, I was able to demo the QST 106 @ 174cm at the MHM spring demo day. They were a lot of fun and I was impressed by how stable the tips were driving through spring slush.

 

[kauffee]

Surprising how much love the QST106 is getting. Must be a good ski.

I ended up making an impulsive decision and grabbing a set of brand new 2019 Kastle BMX 105HPs from the bay for a really good price. Given how much I’ve loved every Kastle I’ve been on, I think it’ll do a good job giving me the stiffness i wanted from the Kore but with a little more weight for the PNW snow. Hoping they work out.

Thanks for all the replies. Appreciate it.

 

[Daves not here]

I am looking at both the ON3P Woodsman 108 and the QST 106. Coming from my fave ski - the Bonafide - I feel I may like the Woodsman better for feel but not sure. It sounds like I will like the new QST 106 better than the old one - which to me seemed a little light got deflected a bit too much. Need to search out some Demo's.

 

[blackke17]

sold my brand new QST106s after 2 days on them,

Not saying they are bad skis, i'm just used to my full rocker Hoji's

The difference was so night and day crazy . couldn't even ski a groomer without tail hooking on the Sollies - they skied really long ( was on 181's)

still love my QST118's tho

 

[DanoT]

I'm not sure how widespread the availability of Black Crows, but I have got 2 demo days on the Atris (108mm wide under foot) in untracked light pow, cut up snow and goomed. These skis are light weight, smooth, and easy to throw around. I think they are forcing me to buy a pair.

 

[Daves not here]

sold my brand new QST106s after 2 days on them,

Not saying they are bad skis, i'm just used to my full rocker Hoji's

The difference was so night and day crazy . couldn't even ski a groomer without tail hooking on the Sollies - they skied really long ( was on 181's)

still love my QST118's tho

I would be the opposite. I am use to a tail on my skis --- ski the Bonafide everywhere. I do not think I would have any issue with the QST 106 - I have demo'd a previous version. But I am really interested in the Woodsman and its profile based upon all of the reviews I have read.

 

[GregK]

I am looking at both the ON3P Woodsman 108 and the QST 106. Coming from my fave ski - the Bonafide - I feel I may like the Woodsman better for feel but not sure. It sounds like I will like the new QST 106 better than the old one - which to me seemed a little light got deflected a bit too much. Need to search out some Demo's.

The QST 106 is definitely better in crud and at speed compared to the previous version but it’s still a lighter ski compared to the Woodsman or Enforcer 104.
The Woodsman is quite different feel in that it’s quite surfy feeling with it substantial rocker so not as precise or as strong a carver as something like the Cochise/aka the wider Bonafide. Woodsman is heavy with a longer turning radius so very stable through soft snow/crud and great float but not as great on groomers.
The new 106mm Cochise would be a good demo for you along with the Enforcer 104 Free, Mindbender 108Ti and the Woodsman. The Cochise the most hard snow biased and the Woodsman the most soft snow biased with the MB 108Ti and E104 being a versatile mix of both.

Both the QST 106 and the Atris are a good mix of versatility and are very easy to ski but both are lighter and less stable than the MB 108Ti and E104.

 

[Coolhand]

FWIW. I think that the concerns that the Kore 105 (or any of the Head Kores) get deflected and knocked around by heavier crud and/or won't hold up to larger skiers is overblown. The Kore series is by far our best selling skis over the last couple of years and we have never heard any negative feedback in this regard. I have personally skied the Kore 105 in all kinds of crud snow (some setup and manky) and had zero issues with deflection or instability and I am over 250# (ski pretty aggressively) and was skiing the 180cm. Yes, the Kores are light in weight, but punch in the Heavyweight category. Don't be worried about their stability in crud snow.

 

[ski otter 2]

I think the OP's 105 HP Kastle choice should work really well, to me just as good as, if not better than, the Head Kore 105s, which I found great in crud and powder, but not as good in crud that got really rough and uneven, just relatively (though it was still good there, at least to me).

The Mindbender 108 is the ski my buddy is on, and he likes it, but is still trying to get it as dialed in for him as the last K2 version at that width and length, the Pinnacle 105 (which I ski also and still like a lot). The MB 108 is stiff, but has just a soft enough tip that, for my friend, it would unpredictably, occasionally, hook on him at speed in crud/pow (on the 184 or so, him 5'9", 175). He asked the K2 rep about it, and found those guys are skiing it at +2 for that length, and he should try that.

He's having so much fun on the MB 99s in powder, however, that he has yet to test the +2 108s, but is hopeful.

 

[snowskier]

Any news on what Head is doing with the Kore Line for 2021?

 

[jmills115]

Reading this thread I decided to throw the 18’ QST106 in with the new model and will ski both today.
I have 100 days or so on the 18’ and love that ski.
I had skied the 2020 model 25 days or so on the factory tune and have been out on it one day after a grind and the edges set at 1°/3° I think I’ll love it as much as the 18’ now