2021 K2 Mindbender 108Ti

Fortunately for fun-loving powder hounds, the K2 Mindbender 108 Ti returns unchanged for this year except for a graphics refresh. Still the same build, and we love seeing these partial metal laminates in the wider skis. It really allowed the designers to fine-tune the flex and the damping of the ski, giving the skier the best possible outcome in the appropriate conditions. Starting with a wood core, K2 adds their titanal Y-Beam which does most of the heavy lifting. The metal extends over the edges in the forebody of the ski and tapers to the central chord of the ski in the tail. This gives the ski a lot of strength and power in the initiation part of the ski while remaining playful and maneuverable in the tail. In the soft snow, this tail makes a nice difference. Width-appropriate taper and rocker also go a long way in making the ski surfy and smeary while the construction keeps the ski honest in pretty much any and all conditions. Our testers love the ski's combination of width and strength, making it unique in a fairly competitive field of 105-110 mm underfoot soft-snow skis.

Jeff Neagle got to ski the 108 on a pretty deep day here in Stowe, and he was more than happy to put it through its paces. On the 179, Jeff notes that "The Mindbender 108Ti is somewhat hard to describe. It definitely falls into the "powerful, burly freeride" category, but it's a little bit more playful than most skis in this width range with this much metal and this level of stability. For me, that was enhanced by the fact that I typically go a little longer than 179 in a ski like this. The 179 cm MB 108Ti felt stable and powerful, while also feeling relatively maneuverable and even somewhat playful. Super versatile for different terrain and different snow conditions. You can ski it fast and aggressively through firmer, choppy snow without it feeling unstable or unbalanced. As long as you don't go too long, it also feels impressively nimble for tighter terrain like moguls and trees. It also has a super damp feel, and it absorbs variations in the snow surface really nicely. I think this gives it a confidence-inspiring feel as the ski doesn't beat you up or send jarring vibrations through your body if you make a mistake. I guess my biggest piece of advice would be don't size up on it. The 179 cm was plenty of ski for me and I think the 186 would be overkill and take away some of the playfulness too." Good advice, there, Jeff!

On that 186, Connor Gorham didn't seem to have too much of a problem, scoring 5's out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and edge hold. It's certainly a nod to that metal that he found space for a high score in edge hold in addition to playfulness-we always like seeing two dissimilar categories getting high scores, especially in a ski of this shape. Connor notes that while the "snow was softening to spring perfection, these beasts cut ruts like ya read about. I thought the 186 was going to be too long but they ski shorter and control through the potato mash. I didn't want to bomb with this length but I feel it could handle speed too." So, a bit of a conflict in terms of length for these two testers, and that's one of the things that we like about this test-you never know who's going to like what.

Good news for burly wide ski lovers out there-the K2 Mindbender 108 Ti is back and ready to take you on the soft-snow adventure of your life. Whether you want the extra length for stability, or the shorter size for maneuverability, there's sure to be a MB 108 Ti out there for you.