K2 Recon Review

The K2 Recon is marketed as an all-mountain ski with the ability to lay trench on piste and blow through crud like whipped cream.  It is agressively designed with a fairly narrow wasted much like a GS race ski and has a significant torsional and flex stiffness to it.

We can tell you from my experience that this is a serious ski for serious skiers.  It gives back every inch of energy that you put into it and then some.  On groomed runs, it is lightening fast with razor precision edge control.  It seems to go faster with every turn made and even gets a little scarry on long runs.  We found it to be a little less of a off-piste ski than anticipated as the stiff ski is very unforgiving and makes you work to stay on top of them.  It deffinetely will blow through the crud, but be prepared for a heck of a ride.

All-in-all a great ski, but it makes you work pretty hard and is not for the lazy skier.

Shop for new and used K2 Recon skis at the Alpine Ski Gear Store.

Freeride & Park Skiing

Freeride and Park skiing have really blossomed over the last 10 years or so.  Some folks would argue that “freeride” skiing has been around forever in that the art of using natural features of the ski slope as launch pads, ramps, slides, and jib spots has been going on for awhile.  On the other hand, the new skis and aggressive riders that have lead the way in the branch of the sport are really pushing the limits of human athleticism.  Inverted aerials combined with multiple rotations are becoming the standard rather than the exception.  As a result ski manufacturers have stepped up and began offering specialized skis for this niche of the alpine ski world.

These same skis often cross-over well into the world of the park and pipe (yet another change in skiing in the last 10 years).  The huge table-top and double jumps combined with metal, plastic, and fiberglass obstacles found in the trials section demand specialized skis.  Thus was born the twin-tip ski.  this allowed skiers to ski backwards adding to the bag of tricks that a skier could use while in the park.  It also allows for backward landings off of the big hits in the park and the half-pipe.

All of us have benefited from the innovations in ski technology that came about because of the park and pipe riding.  The twin-tip ski has emerged in many all-mountain and powder ski designs.

This section of our website is dedicated to tricks, tips, and equipment used in the park and pipe.  We hope you find it useful.

Shop for new and used Freeride and Park skis at the Alpine Ski Gear Store.

Racing Skis

Ski racing is the pinnacle of the ski world.  This is where the strongest, fastest skiers in the world emerge to compete for the top stops and the glory that comes with it.  Ski manufacturers battle each other for the right to have their skis appear on the feet of the ski racers of the world.  As a result, this is also the arena where most of the ski technology research, testing, and development takes place.  The benefit for the rest of us is that this same technology trickles down to every level of the ski brand line.

Now there are some out there who require the absolute best equipment for there recreational endeavors, but we would argur that in most cases the tip-top of the line skis are really overkill for the average skier.

Consider the fact that race skis are built for exceptional athletes with very strong skills and even stronger leg muscles.  As a result they can demand more from their equipment.  The skis that they ride are generally very stiff with a ton of pent-up energy just waiting to be released.  But this also means that they have to be strong enough to bend them.  They are also tuned for extreme edge hold.  When you are doing 40-50 mph on a super-G or Downhill course, there is no room for an edge that lets go mid-turn.  Racing skis are also torsionally more stiff with very little give.  This results in a very unforgiving ski that will punish you for technical mistakes in your turn.

Racing skis do come in different styles.  For example a slalom ski is very different from a downhill ski.  Length, side-cut, overall width, and stiffness are just a few of the characteristics that change from race type to race type.

This category of our site it dedicated to race ski issues and information as well as equipment.  We hope you find it useful.

Shop for new and used race skis at the Alpine Ski Gear Store.

Powder Skiing

Powder, pow, fluff, angel dust, champagne, or whatever you want to call it, it is the stuff that skiers dream of.  Powder has the magical ability to take skiing that one step closer to that sought after sensation of floating.  That perfect balance between control and reckless abandon.  That sense of weightlessness mixed with the power of the turn.  Many skiers will tell you that their best day of skiing ever was a powder day (and so was their second and third best days).

Whatever powder skiing is to you it has always been associated with very specific gear.  Those perfectly sunny powder days where a big storm that dumped 24 inches the night before and then blew over to leave a nirvana of perfect snow sparkling in the sunlight are rare.  In fact, most powder days are storm days.  This means good goggles, good outerwear, and a super pair of powder skis.

The powder ski is designed with deep, light snow skiing specifically in mind.  They tend to be wider then other ski types often being over 90 cm or wider under the foot.  They are also softer flex allowing for more ski bend in the softer, less resistant snow.  They are generally lighter themselves with an easier swing weight so that skiers can move the skis with more agility in the deep snow.  Many are now being manufactured as twin tips too.  This adds some to the carvability and flotation of the ski in the really deep stuff.

Most manufacturers are making a variety of powder skis these days and as skis get fatter and fatter, more and more people at different ability levels are able to get out and enjoy it too.  So when your shopping for your next powder ski, keep some of these characteristics in mind.

All-Mountain Skiing

The term all-mountain has only been around for about 10 years or so.  Prior to that we typically referred to this as free skiing or off piste skiing.  The distinction was there primarily because of the limitations that traditional ‘skinny’ skis had.  There were very few skis that could perform well on all surfaces at the time.  However, with the advent of truly versatile skis that perform equally as well in both groomed and non-groomed surfaces, the all-mountain category had to be born.  There is still some ambiguity in what that might mean.  For example, some people feel that skiing groomed runs and firm-pack non-groomed snow equates to all-mountain skiing while others argue that all-mountain means all conditions.  Our opinion is that it is really somewhere in between and as much as it would nice….there really is no ski that can handle all conditions.  Most ski manufacturers are making skis that will charm most terrain and most conditions for the average user.  These are the all-mountain skis.

All-mountain skis must perform well on firm frozen snow, soft broken snow, shallow powder, crud, and a variety of spring conditions as well.  They should have the flexibilty to allow the skier to enjoy a cruiser run on groomed surfaces one run, then carve up an ungroomed steep face the next.  Ski width plays a big role in this now days.  The all-mountain ski will fall in the middle of this spectrum.  It should not be too wide like a true powder ski, nor too narrow like a striktly carving ski.  The same is going to be true of the stiffness and torsion of the ski.  These really are the middle of the road skis in most all ski charateristics.