2021 K2 Mindbender 85 Alliance

Following the success of the previous year's Mindbender skis, the 85 Alliance allows intermediate skiers a nice entry point into the family. Built with a simpler construction, the 85 A has a consistent flex and a bit heavier build versus the Mindbender skis with the Carbon Spectral Braid. Starting with an Aspen wood core, the skis are snappy and poppy while keeping things light. K2 uses their triaxial fiberglass weave to generate a lot of energy with the skis, allowing the skier to really load it up and get some good energy out of the turn. Additionally, the skis use a few more little techniques that K2 has perfected over the years to really get this thing performing above its level.

Their Torsion Control Design is basically the same thing as the Carbon Spectral Braid, just using the materials already present in the ski versus the addition of carbon stringers. As a result, the ski is a bit heavier, and that does take a toll on the quickness and maneuverability, but there's a lot of skiers out there who like that feeling a bit more (myself included) than the lightness of the carbon. By bulking the ski up in the forebody and underfoot, the engineers are able to get stronger performance in the entry of the turn and tight edge grip underfoot while keeping the tails of the skis more flexible and easier to exit from the turn. Additionally, the Slantwall technology used by K2 adds more edge grip and torsional stiffness underfoot. By adding another layer under the mount zone in a more trapezoidal shape, the skis allow you to get better leverage over the edges, increasing grip and instilling confidence. All-terrain rocker profile increases the all-mountain versatility of the ski, as it kind of blurs the line between a front-side carver and an all-mountain performer.

We were able to get some feedback from K2 athlete McKenna Peterson for the Mindbender 85 Alliance, and it's always great to get a pro's view of the ski when we can't formulate our own data. She notes regarding the ski: "Yes, I actually skied the Mindbender Alliance 85 a bit back in December. It's a pretty fun ski. Very easy to initiate the turn, smooth and surprisingly stable for being small and light weight. It is the kind of ski that makes skiing feel easy and fluid." We love it when a high-end skier like McKenna gets on a more basic ski like this and still sees the merits to it. I was very impressed with the men's version, showing the ski's higher-end gear while still remaining affordable and accessible to a large number of skiers.

For some skiers, this will be a first ski purchase type of product, and for others, it will represent a ski to have fun and cruise around the whole mountain on. Either way, there's a lot of fun to be had on the Mindbender 85 Alliance, from bumps and trees to groomers and light snow, these have a strong all-mountain personality and a tremendous value.