New for 2023-24 for a mix of resort freeride, some groomers, and short ascents, this is the best in terms of the actual skiing, but its weight holds it back on the climb
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- Technical specifications
Buyer’s Guide reviews
The charts show our impressions from testing
Product info
Category average
In words
Intro
Big news out of K2, as they bring us the new 96C and 106C for this winter to expand their Mindbender collection, which has been on the market for a few years now. There product catalog now includes their traditional Wayback line of skimo skis, as well as Dispatch for freetouring and new-school skiing and the Mindbender family, which sports a more traditional shape. The 96C is intended for a combination of resort freeride and the odd jaunt down a groomer, mixed in with short climbs in search of fun lines to ski. The ski features traditional camber and tip and tail rocker that's progressive but not exaggerated, along with a wood and carbon-fiber construction.
On the snow
We'll just say it: this is the ski we liked the most in terms of the actual skiing. Compared to the competition, though, it's held back a bit by its weight, which you can really feel on the climb. It's super fun in all snow conditions — from powder, where the tip floats even at slow speeds, and in hard snow or crust, aided by its vigorous waist. The work they've done with its (wood and carbon-fiber) construction and sidecut gives you just the right combination of stability at high speeds and easy turning in tight spaces. It may be the only ski of the bunch that can both give a fun ride to even the most sophisticated skiers and help out those who are still working on their ski technique. You can slash through powder or spring snow then carve wide turns on the edges when the snow gets harder. What a blast! Like we said, you can get slowly back up the mountain if you're in good shape, making this the perfect ski for resort freeriding.
Lab
Slightly concave at tip and tail, not fully corrected at the tail after a few runs through our machine. Only smoothed, waxed. Good edges, 2.1 x 2 mm at 90.2°, base edge 1.8°. Finish a bit rough but acceptable, needs tuning, especially along the base.
Technical specifications
Construction
sidewall
Materials
aspen, laminates
Base
sintered polyethylene
Available sizes
166, 172, 178, 184
Released in
2023
Made in
China
Price
600 €
Declared specsMeasured by us
We measured the length 184 to get all the details
184 cm
Length
XXXXX
131 cm
Tip width
XXXXX
119 cm
Tail width
XXXXX
96 cm
Waist width
XXXXX
N/A
Edge contact
XXXXX
N/A
Camber
XXXXX
N/A
Tip rocker
XXXXX
N/A
Tail rocker
XXXXX
1.930 g
Individual weight
XXXXX
N/A
Left weight
XXXXX
N/A
Right weight
XXXXX
17,8 m
Sidecut radius
XXXXX
N/A
Load-bearing surface
XXXXX
N/A
Tip torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Center torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Tail torsion
XXXXX
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