K2 Darkside Skis 2012

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

This year's Darkside is unreal. I say that pointing out that last year's didn't strike the right balance between strength and finesse. With 128MM under foot, there's an extremely strong platform to stand on and a straight, flat tail to support you when you are skiing very fast and need the landing pad for airs of any size. The key to this ski the added rocker which was moved back closer to the toe of the binding. Last year's Darkside was just too much ski for 90%+ (myself included) but this year's rocker gives you the confidence to really push it no matter how big you are but also has the rocker enabling you to take the ski off edge and throw them sideways to dump speed, create your own faceshots or sideslide down a steep face. There's almost nothing more fun than laying into a hard carve and taking your ski off edge for the next turn throwing your skis literally sideways while heading down the fall line. If you want to push it harder and need a ski that won't buckle on you as some may, this is the ski. If you want the extremely easy to maneuver, user friendly soft snow focused ski and don't need the top level performance at higher speeds, the K2 Pontoon is the pick. When I want to push it anywhere from Alpental to Alaska, I'll pick the Darkside but will grab the Pontoons if I want something fun and forgiving.

I ski the 181CM, weigh 150lbs and am 5'8".

The K2 Darkside is also a lot of fun on groomers. I skiied them for the first time this winter in Colorado without any new snow and had as much fun on the cordoroy as I have in a long time because of how well they held an edge.

Last and not least, I like the graphic this year which has a transparent bit of topsheet bringing out the wood core and isn't too bright as a whole but is fairly clean/subdued.

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

If your not really into riding with two sticks of butter under foot, and you want a powder board that can smear turns and float through the deepest of the deep, the Darkside is the answer. The camber behind tip rocker propels you out of turns and the flat tail gives you much needed edge grip when slipping out to eye the landing on your next huck or negotiating an icy chute.

The carve on these skis is also surprisingly fun for such a wide ski

I am 155 lb 5'10 and im on the 181 which has been the perfect length for me.

My only complaint is that the camber, being all behind the toe can sometimes put you in the backseat on firm snow.

Bottom line: if the snow is soft im taking out the darksides

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

Simply the best skis ever made. My darksides are fabulous in all snow conditions, even horrible crud, crust, and ice. In alta last winter, one 9-day period began with dust-on-crust, then 5 powder days; then it hit 45degrees for 2days and froze solid. Perhaps out of curiosity, i went to snowbird and subjected myself to the cirque with top/bottom proper Vermont ice... and my skis were great. To my surprise, i also had no problem tracking (no-skid) giant-slalom turns on groomers with genuine hockey-rink ice. You need to really load the fronts to get the skis to engage like GS skis, but the stiff flat tails make them naturally finish all turns strongly.

My helmet-cam footage from that week also produced some surprises about the capabilities of my skis. I noticed that i drive the tips down in all snow conditions, yielding an extra degree of speed control and smoothness. Furthermore, i found that some sequences of turns on hard snow can transition into highly-angulated surfed turns in only about 6" of snow. There were also some carvey, racey, darting, and yet still surfy turns on my videos that i have literally never seen on film before. (but i'm sure will appear in ski movies soon) And they were great for other conditions that you don't typically see in skis movies, such as this series of turns: crust, crust, powder, powder, mogul, crust, mogul, powder, powder (which were common this year).

There are more awesome things about my skis that i cant properly articulate... but suffice to say, they're perfect.

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

K2 nailed it with this year's Darkside. The tip rocker which starts just in front of the boot toe makes this ski incredibly nimble for its width. These skis carve on the groomed and will charge in the powder. Having a traditional tail on the ski also makes them a great tool for the steeps.

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

After skiing Rockers for the last few years I decided to try the Darksides. They are much lighter and have a springy tail that is fun for Billy goating and spines / popping off features. They lack in the strightline eyes watering run outs where the Rockers excel with more forgiving damp design and heavier construction. I have skied them both at Squaw and Ak, both were very fun skis. If the Darksides are built stronger with a little more Rocker, they will rule the steeps.

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

This ski is extremely stable and rigid. It makes big long turns with ease. The rocker in the tip allows it to float through any powder. It also comes with pre-drilled holes for skins. K2 makes pre-cut skins that for the ski as well. The ski really held its edge on hardpack which means making your way back to the chair will be easy. This is definatly a charging ski.

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

If you haven't already joined the party on the Darkside, do yourself a favor and hop on board. These boats will give you maximum flotation on those epic deep days while still offering up solid groomer performance. They'll turn with ease and the tip rocker will let you charge through anything. For a ski this big they were quite a bit lighter than I thought they would be. Also the graphics are way classier than last year!

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

Awesome skies in powder conditions! Could not ask for a better set-up! These skies offer great flotation with great carving ability. Definitely a good investment!!!

Comments about K2 Darkside Skis 2012:

This is a very wide directional ski. It was smooth for a variety of turns. It is a little floppy for harder snow, but very flowy in the powder.