The Pinnacle 105 is the second widest ski in K2’s Pinnacle line and is a versatile all mountain ski that can carve turns and float through powder. While this isn’t the first season for the Pinnacle 105, K2 has given it some updates and tweaks moving into 2018. It has a new rocker profile and a denser, burlier Konic core. K2’s Konic construction places denser wood and metal along the edges of the ski with a lighter, Nanolite core in the center. The idea in updating the ski was to retain the maneuverability and forgiveness the ski was known for and give it a little extra power in response to feedback from aggressive skiers.
We had six total testers take out the Pinnacle 105 in the 184 cm length and it consistently received high marks across the board. Mike Anglin, for example, scored it 5 out of 5 for stability, playfulness, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. That says a lot about the ski right there. To be playful and stable at the same time is quite an accomplishment. He added, “Does everything awesome and eats up anything you throw at it.” Joe Cutts also gave the Pinnacle 105 top scores, including 5 out of 5 for overall impression. Joe had a lot of experience skiing the previous version of the Pinnacle 105 and thinks K2 did an excellent job with the new ski, “K2 gave the Pinnacle exactly what it needed: a little more oomph.” “It now has the density and dampness that was missing for high end ripping.” He went on to touch on the skis versatility, “Excellent versatility for all terrain and all but the firmest conditions.” We think this is a great quote to describe the Pinnacle 105. It can do just about everything, although loses a little bit of its carving performance on boilerplate snow.
Mike Thomas and Bob St. Pierre, both big guys, both aggressive skiers, had important feedback for the Pinnacle 105 as well. After all, in theory Mike and Bob are the type of skiers that K2 redesigned the ski for. Bob noted that it was one of the most versatile skis of the entire test, “Not quite a one ski quiver, but pretty close for a 105 (mm ski).” Bob’s highest score for the Pinnacle 105 was playfulness, a nod to the fact that although K2 made the ski stronger, they certainly retained its maneuverable nature. Mike Thomas had some interesting things to say about how the Pinnacle 105 likes to be skied and who might enjoy it most, “Fun ski, liked to be skied from the shovel… Probably best for an “old school” skier who likes to work from tip to tail.” We think that makes a lot of sense. While K2 has other skis that are more balanced throughout the entire length (like the Marksman, for example), the Pinnacle 105 is definitely a directional ski.
Marcus Shakun echoed Mike’s thoughts on driving the tip of the ski, “Does everything, especially when you start engaging the shovel.” He also adds that they’re “super snappy and playful” and that they “give back what you put in”, a thought that was shared by the majority of testers who got on the Pinnacle 105. The more you put in, the more you get out.
So who’s the Pinnacle 105 best for? Combine all the thoughts of our testers and we start to come to a conclusion: if you like to drive your tips when you ski and want something that’s arguably as versatile as any other ski on the market, the 2018 K2 Pinnacle 105 could be an excellent choice. Mike Anglin has some nice closing thoughts on the Pinnacle 105:
“Advanced intermediates to experts would love it. Potential quiver killer.”
