The Pinnacle 88 from K2 is a versatile, easy-to-ski all mountain ski that benefits from the weight-saving Konic construction that K2 is now using in the majority of their skis. This Konic construction uses a lightweight Nanolite center material with denser fir wood along the edges of the ski along with metal laminates. By locating the stronger, heavier, denser materials along the edges of the ski K2 has effectively reduced weight, while retaining a solid feel. The Pinnacle 88 is unchanged moving into 2018, unlike the 95 and 105 that are now “beefier.” By retaining the light, easy-to-ski feel we expect the Pinnacle 88 to remain a favorite among less aggressive advanced and intermediate skiers who want to ski a little bit of everything.
The ability to ski a little bit of everything may be the crown jewel of the Pinnacle 88. Dave Marryat tested the 177 cm length and described it as a “super versatile shape.” He also thought the ski had a “very nice flex pattern with the stiffness and torsional rigidity to hold an edge in any terrain.” Even though he felt they held an edge very well, he still scored them 5 out of 5 for forgiveness, which suggests you can release that edge on demand and won’t feel locked into a turn. Dave also thought it “handled crud snow and bumps well.” An all mountain ski with a waist width of 88 mm really should be able to handle some off-piste skiing and variable snow conditions, so it’s nice to know Dave had a good experience on it not just on firm snow. He thought the Pinnacle 88 could be a “great one ski quiver for the strong east coast intermediate.”
James Stewart tested the 184 cm and thought the Pinnacle 88 was a very easy-going ski. His first comment on the ski was that it is an “automatic turning ski that probably anyone could have fun on.” We think that’s really important, accurate feedback on the Pinnacle 88. It really is a ski that just about anyone could have fun on. While we wouldn’t recommend it for true first timers, and on the other end of the spectrum aggressive experts will likely want more ski, but just about any skier in between can appreciate and enjoy skiing a Pinnacle 88. No, it’s not the burliest ski on the market, but it’s light, fun, and rewarding without being exhausting. James described it as having “lively ride quality with a versatile shape.” He thinks it’s a “solid contender for the 88-waisted, do-it-all category. It’s not as stable as some in this class, but makes up for it in ease-of-use.”
David Wolfgang felt it had “smooth, fun transitions in and out of turns at all speeds,” which is another excellent way of describing the Pinnacle 88. Smooth is a word we’ve used in our Chairlift Chat reviews surrounding other skis in K2’s Pinnacle collection and it is certainly an accurate way to describe the 88 mm version. David also thought it “floated nicely” for a ski of its width and also added that it was a great “crud buster,” which corresponds nicely to Dave Marryat’s reactions. David tested the Pinnacle 88 in the 177 cm length.
Overall we think the Pinnacle 88 is a great choice for anyone who wants an even mix of performance characteristics in a package that’s relatively relaxed. It doesn’t require tremendous skier input, it isn’t overly stiff, and it doesn’t pack as much power as some similar width skis with more metal, but it is fantastically maneuverable, easy to ski, and rewards you with nice turn shapes and the ability to ski just about anything on the mountain. Less aggressive skiers rejoice! Here’s a high performance all mountain ski that’s not built like it’s a World Cup Race Ski.
