What would you do to rejuvenate K2 skis?

[Bill Talbot]

"Ski companies need to understand that a ski purchase is an emotional purchase, not a commodity purchase."

I don't agree, but it does explain why I see so many folks on the wrong ski for what they are actually doing!
Skis are tools, and the right tool makes the job easier.

 

[Scruffy]

"Ski companies need to understand that a ski purchase is an emotional purchase, not a commodity purchase."

I don't agree, but it does explain why I see so many folks on the wrong ski for what they are actually doing!
Skis are tools, and the right tool makes the job easier.

The two do not have to be, and often are not mutually exclusive. Most ski manufactures make good skis in a full range that the right tool for that person, be them beginner or expert, can be virtually the same choice between 3-4 skis from different MFGRs. Biases ( emotion ) fueled by everything from brand loyalty to reviews from trusted sources, graphics, and origin of MFGR, to wanting to ski on the brand that x skis on, will often sway the final purchase of the most savvy ski buyer, same as an automobile buying decision-how many love VW, Audi, or Subaru no matter what; they may test drive a lot of cars and research the specs etc.. but in the end the go with their gut-cars are just tools too. Maybe you're jaded since you have a ski museum full of skis, but almost every skier I know, from beginner to professional expert, get's giddy when they have new skis being mounted up-they can't wait to get on them-that's an emotional investment in a tool, and hopefully, as you said, the right tool for the right job. Cotton swabs are a commodity, skis are a large purchase like an automobile, ok maybe not as large a purchase as an automobile, but large enough that there is a lot of investment in research time, demos, and emotion in the decision. And getting it wrong is not like buying the wrong brand of cotton swabs-oh we'll just go out and buy the other brand and throw those away, not so simple with skis.

 

[fatbob]

"Ski companies need to understand that a ski purchase is an emotional purchase, not a commodity purchase."

I don't agree, but it does explain why I see so many folks on the wrong ski for what they are actually doing!
Skis are tools, and the right tool makes the job easier.

Forgive me but this seems richly ironic from a vintage gear curator. Most people without an emotional attachment scrap their tools when they are done

 

[Bill Talbot]

Forgive me but this seems richly ironic from a vintage gear curator. Most people without an emotional attachment scrap their tools when they are done

Tools, good tools, are a lifetime investment. You should see my wood shop or 'mechanical' area!!!

And we won't even get into my 1880's through 1940's era, top of the evolutionary ladder wood working hand tool collection.

An 'emotional purchase' is a completely different thing than an emotional attachment. The former could be nothing more than a topsheet
infatuation. The later, for me anyway is an in depth understanding of that tools place in the world. I gather, appreciate, enjoy and use, share information about and yes, form an emotional attachment to things that have 'been left behind'.

It's what I do

 

[fatbob]

Tools, good tools, are a lifetime investment. You should see my wood shop or 'mechanical' area!!!

And we won't even get into my 1880's through 1940's era, top of the evolutionary ladder wood working hand tool collection.

An 'emotional purchase' is a completely different thing than an emotional attachment. The former could be nothing more than a topsheet
infatuation. The later, for me anyway is an in depth understanding of that tools place in the world. I gather, appreciate, enjoy and use, share information about and yes, form an emotional attachment to things that have 'been left behind'.

It's what I do

I'm not criticising BTW but clearly you have a different definition of "tool" to the layperson. And I think the point with skis is because they are associated with an enjoyable and often aspirational leisure activity they assume greater importance as a purchase than bigger ticket daily driver items such as domestic appliances. Let's be honest there are very few bad skis out there and most users aren't overpowering the performance envelope of even basic models. In such a market the "generic rental ski" is all that would be needed as a puchase for 70-80+% of the skiing public if it weren't for emotional decision making e.g. a belief that a better ski will make one a better skier etc etc

 

[Wilhelmson]

My skis call me a tool.

 

[SShore]

Well, Phil convinced me to jump in. Found a brand new pair of flat 2017 SuperChargers. Now all I need is to find a good deal on some Marker plate and bindings and I'll be ready for next season.

 

[jack97]

one word branding or re-branding. K2 needs to get their name out to the new generation while the old generation still think its a soft ski made overseas.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Well, Phil convinced me to jump in. Found a brand new pair of flat 2017 SuperChargers. Now all I need is to find a good deal on some Marker plate and bindings and I'll be ready for next season.

Good find. Are you going to put a piston plate on? that would be the way to go. I may have some good ones if you need one

 

[SShore]

Good find. Are you going to put a piston plate on? that would be the way to go. I may have some good ones if you need one

That is my plan. Finding them is not easy. If you have a couple I would be interested.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Yes, I have some good used ones. What binding are you planning on putting on? I have 3 versions. the earlier (higher) plate that takes only the comp binding and the later (lower) plates. One version takes only the Comp binding and the other one takes either the Comp binding or the Xcel binding

 

[cantunamunch]

They need to start emphasizing this more to persuade people that it makes more sense to buy a ski which works for 965% off their ski time. (and i am talking more about the GP here rather than the .1%)

YES!

I suggest that anyone who's been skiing long enough to actually value K2-as-USAian traditions is part of that .1%.

The problem with K2 is not that the old customers gave it the middle finger, the problem with K2 is that they didn't create new customer base except in a very limited Powder/ Big Mountain Freeride space. In which space they were promptly overtopped by 19 dozen other brands waving assorted flag colours.

The old customer base is not strong enough to bring K2 back. Old traditions are fine for nostalgia but not for sales. As @Mike Thomas said above, K2 needs new heroes. Where are the K2-riding bump masters? Where are the K2-riding race rats? Where are the K2-riding gaunt skimo freaks to replace the old K2 bearded tele freaks?

K2 has traditionally been great at bringing new ideas to market. We saw that in shaped skis, we saw that in midfats, we saw that in inline skates. That is one part of their tradition that they should absolutely retain and rebuild. And hopefully, maybe, they can bring some refinement to the table too. Unlike in the old days, where the product that survived past the raw stage into medium rare was being beat on technical merit. By the likes of, to pick a not-at-all-random-example, Salomon.

 

[Ron]

I did not read through the entire thread but I gotta tell ya' doubters that K2 is making some very good products! I absolutely love my K2 boots (read my review ) and the Pinnacle 88. The supercharger is another great one too!. I know there are a bunch of new skis coming out for 2020 that are very promising.

 

[Muleski]

It's not about the quality of the products: design, build quality, materials, performance.

It's about bringing it back to the market with more presence more energy, and a new plan. I had this conversation with a friend the other day who has about as much retail ski experience as anybody. His comment, which is not new to me, is that too many people on the inside think it's about product. It's about whether a retail operation, be it "old school" brick and mortar, online, or hybrid NEEDS to carry the skis.

His comment was that he could have a wall with skis from "X" number of companies, which would cover all of his potential customer needs. If bought wisely, they would fill the needs of the walk-ins who are after a specific ski to demo and/or buy. And, on top of that he could be thinking about relationships, deals, margins.....etc.

So what will the compelling reason be to sell K2? They need to get some real interest and buzz going with the world of people who influence the interest, and the buying. Agree 100% that they need their best skis out there under some real visible and skilled boots. And ALL over social media, etc. Consumers seeking out the skis.

"The Twins" are now pretty ancient history. Nostalgia, IMO, might be fun, but won't sell what they likely need to.

But, yep, talk to many in the business and they jump right to the product. Not how to sell it. They product, as in "If we build it, they will sell........"

 

[cantunamunch]

t K2 is making some very good products!.

In yet another example, K2 helmets are comfortable, handsome and budget friendly - and off most peoples' radars,

 

[jack97]

Some where along the way they fell off the map but back in the day, they were ahead of the curve.

White Heat

The skier that inspired the Cabrawlers.

 

[David Chaus]

FWIW here’s a review of the Pinnacle 95 from Blister:

http://blistergearreview.com/flash-reviews/1819-k2-pinnacle-95

 

[fatbob]

In yet another example, K2 helmets are comfortable, handsome and budget friendly - and off most peoples' radars,

I'd have thought K2 are doing pretty well in helmets with first time buyers. Look ok, lowish pricepoint, yeah I've heard of the brand must be legit. No idea if they are dustinguishable from Marker helmets though.

 

[Sibhusky]

FWIW here’s a review of the Pinnacle 95 from Blister:

http://blistergearreview.com/flash-reviews/1819-k2-pinnacle-95

You need a membership to read it.

 

[David Chaus]

Taken from Blister Gear Review
18/19 K2 Pinnacle 95
18/19 K2 Pinnacle 95
BySam Shaheen
May 4, 2018
Luke Koppa and I have now had the chance to spend some time on the 184 cm K2 Pinnacle 95, and here’s the punchline of this initial Flash Review: we both really like this ski.

Sam Shaheen (5’10”, 140 lbs): I got to ski a day on the Pinnacle 95 in firm, inconsistent spring snow ranging from icy, rough groomers to not-quite-soft-enough bumps. As you may be able to guess, these are not ideal conditions for a fairly heavily tapered, sub-2000 gram ski.

However, even given the less than ideal conditions, I had a great time on the Pinnacle 95. The ski feels quite forgiving and intuitive. It isn’t difficult to ski, at all. However, where many skis that are this easy to get along with aren’t very energetic or responsive (e.g., 4FRNT MSP 99, Liberty Origin 90, and Faction Prodigy 2.0), I felt like the Pinnacle 95 had a decent amount of energy and pop out of a turn.

That, combined with the heavily tapered shape (for a ski of this width), means that I could easily whip the Pinnacle 95 around, pivot, and slide when I wanted. At the same time, the Pinnacle can still be driven through the shovels a bit — not as hard as stiffer, heavier skis, but more than the aforementioned group of skis.

When skiing at high speeds in variable snow, the Pinnacle 95 gets deflected pretty easily — it just doesn’t seem to have a enough mass to track well at speed. But what it lacks in stability, it makes up for in quickness.

Luke Koppa (5’8”, 155 lbs): Luckily for me, my first turns on the Pinnacle 95 were later in the day, and the snow had softened up to the point that everything was nice and slushy.

On groomers where there were lots of piles of pushed-around slush, the Pinnacle 95 felt very maneuverable, but also felt significantly stronger and more stable than softer skis like the Blizzard Rustler 9 and 4FRNT MSP 99. It had enough heft to blast through softer piles, though it definitely got knocked around in firmer patches.

n slushy, off-piste chop, I could find the Pinnacle 95’s speed limit, but it was only when I was going pretty fast during runouts after jumps, straightlines, etc. Granted, this was very forgiving, very soft snow, but here I again noticed the Pinnacle 95’s increased stability over the Rustler 9 and MSP 99. The Pinnacle 95 didn’t feel quite as stable as the 18/19 Liberty Origin 96, but the difference wasn’t extreme.

Overall, the Pinnacle 95 felt like it offered a nice blend of decent stability in chopped-up, soft snow (for its weight), but also felt super easy to flick around and maintained a bit of energy and pop. That made it very fun to ski with an active style, seeking out little transitions to pop off of and then still being able to ski with speed through softer patches.

The Pinnacle 95 seemed like provided a bit of energy out of a turn, but also felt a bit more damp than other similarly easy skis (just like Sam noted).

Another thing that I really like about the Pinnacle 95 is that it’s a ski that can very easily be broken into slashes thanks to its generous rocker profile. It has very deep rocker lines for a ~95mm-underfoot ski, and that makes it a really fun option when things get slushy and soft (it also makes it feel shorter on snow than it looks on paper). Quick slashes felt easy and intuitive, and when combined with the Pinnacle 95’s somewhat damp but energetic feel, this made the ski a blast in soft, spring conditions.

At the same time, I found the Pinnacle 95 to be very intuitive on firmer groomers. It definitely didn’t pull me into a turn like skis with fat tips such as the Line Sakana (the Pinnacle 95’s tips feel somewhat vague due to the taper and rocker). But as soon as I wanted to lay it over and bend it into a turn, the Pinnacle 95 was happy to do so. I really like this feeling, since skis that are too eager to turn can be hooky and sometimes scary in variable snow, but those that don’t engage at all are boring on groomers.

So far, my experience with the Pinnacle 95 has been a bit like my experience with avocados (bear with me).

Before skiing it, I didn’t think I’d like the Pinnacle 95 — it looked like another boring, light, directional all-mountain ski (and avocados looked like another weird fruit that millenials put on way too many foods). However, so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Pinnacle 95, and think it’s a ski I could happily use in a variety of conditions (and avocados are now something I happily eat in a variety of conditions).