The Hardside

I've been trying to test some of the new skis coming out next year that might be appropriate for my chosen style of skiing. K2 has a pile of great skis next year (2010) for those of us that like to earn some or all of our turns. They have done away with their separate lines of telemark and AT skis and created one big category called Backside. I had the opportunity to test one of the backside skis, the Hardside, for a couple of days in pretty representative conditions and I was impressed. It's one of the more exciting K2 skis I've skied in a while. The Hardside is the narrowest model in it's category, but still features a very respectable 98 mm waist, perfect the kind of skiing we usually do around here. K2 has two basic constructions within the backside category. Models with the word side in the name, such as the Hardside, feature vertical sidewall, metal laminate construction to improve harder snow performance. Models withe the word back in the name, such as the Coomback, feature torsion box cap constructon for lighter weight. One interesting feature is that most of the skis feature some form of rocker, more or less rocker depending on the intended use. Because the Hardside is relatively narrow and of the more hardsnow persuasion, it features minimal rocker, what K2 calls 5/15. This means 5 mm of rise, starting 15 cm back from the traditional contact point. Check out my previous post on rocker for a more confusing discussion of the topic. Anyway, this amount of rocker felt pretty good to me on this ski. I skied it in some fairly deep, soft, spring snow, where it was very predictable, and also on some very firm, frozen snow, where it held well and felt solid. The ski seemed to initiate turns very easily, more easily than the Coomba from last year that I own. The 174 cm Hardside that I skied has a claimed turn radius of 21 or so meters, and that is in the range that I like for versatility. I could definitely see myself owning this ski, but I do want to try some other K2 models as well. The Side Stash, in particular, which has a similar construction but in a wider profile with a 108 mm waist. That might be just the ticket for this skier who bounces back and forth between the backcountry and the resort. K2 is also releasing a line of climbing skins for next year that will integrate with the tip and tail holes in the backside skis. I'm looking forward to testing those as well. Finally, kudos to K2 for making all of these skis with a flat tail. Twintips are everywhere on skis in this width range and I, for one, would prefer they not be on my skis.