All new 2011 K2 skis - are they off their rocker?The 2011 K2 ski lineup ALL has rocker. And the all-conquering Apache series is kaput. And the Hellbent is now 132mm wide underfoot. The last of these statements was going to be true, but who would have put money on the rest?
For a start, think of all the new moulds. Every length of every ski needs its own mould to get pressed in. These days they're not as staggeringly expensive as yore, but it's still a fair job. And doing it for the whole range...
The AMP range replaces the Apache series; and yes, it all gets a little rocker. The replacement for the Fall-Line Ski of the Year-winning Apache Recon is the new Rictor, which also goes from 76 to 80mm underfoot and gets a wider tip. Hence the All-Terrain Rocker, which gives a little lift at the tip to avoid the wide tip catching on piste, and then runs into conventional camber later in the ski. (Camber is where the middle of the ski bends up off the snow when unloaded. Rocker is where the ends bend up, over and above the amount at the tip.) There's a half-sidewall, half-cap construction Price remains constant at £525.
Other AMP skis include the Charger, a fast piste type taking on the Crossfire, with similar dimensions but a touch of rocker to clear the tip profile when straightlining.
Other members of the band include the Aftershock, the Shockwave, the Photon and the Force. The former which sounds like our kind of ski and seems to be what a lot of brands are heading towards - a powerful, wide-ish platform with a tadge of rocker that'll nail pistes and also go freeriding. Well, we are just guessing at this but hey, a man can dream... 86mm underfoot, 17m turn radius, beefy construction, mmmm.
The others gently scale down from the Rictor, landing with the £300 Force. They all look classy; we rank them looks-wise as a step up from last year's range, at the right price points.
And the rocker? Whether it gives K2 an edge in the sales battle remains to be seen, but the way it's been integrated into the most trad part of the range makes sense to us.
Click here for womens, freestyle and big mountain skis.
Posted by Dickie Fincher - Wed, 20/01/2010 - 6:43am
The 2011 K2 ski lineup ALL has rocker. And the all-conquering Apache series is kaput. And the Hellbent is now 132mm wide underfoot. The last of these statements was going to be true, but who would have put money on the rest?
For a start, think of all the new moulds. Every length of every ski needs its own mould to get pressed in. These days they're not as staggeringly expensive as yore, but it's still a fair job. And doing it for the whole range...
The AMP range replaces the Apache series; and yes, it all gets a little rocker. The replacement for the Fall-Line Ski of the Year-winning Apache Recon is the new Rictor, which also goes from 76 to 80mm underfoot and gets a wider tip. Hence the All-Terrain Rocker, which gives a little lift at the tip to avoid the wide tip catching on piste, and then runs into conventional camber later in the ski. (Camber is where the middle of the ski bends up off the snow when unloaded. Rocker is where the ends bend up, over and above the amount at the tip.) There's a half-sidewall, half-cap construction Price remains constant at £525.
Other AMP skis include the Charger, a fast piste type taking on the Crossfire, with similar dimensions but a touch of rocker to clear the tip profile when straightlining.
Other members of the band include the Aftershock, the Shockwave, the Photon and the Force. The former which sounds like our kind of ski and seems to be what a lot of brands are heading towards - a powerful, wide-ish platform with a tadge of rocker that'll nail pistes and also go freeriding. Well, we are just guessing at this but hey, a man can dream... 86mm underfoot, 17m turn radius, beefy construction, mmmm.
The others gently scale down from the Rictor, landing with the £300 Force. They all look classy; we rank them looks-wise as a step up from last year's range, at the right price points.
And the rocker? Whether it gives K2 an edge in the sales battle remains to be seen, but the way it's been integrated into the most trad part of the range makes sense to us.
Click here for womens, freestyle and big mountain skis.