2021 K2 Mindbender 90C Alliance

Ladies who are looking for a versatile all-mountain ski with a feather-weight feel will love the 2021 K2 Mindbender 90 C Alliance. Thanks to the shape, profile, and construction, these skis are ideal for all-mountain cruising as well as off-piste adventures. We love the 88-90 mm underfoot skis for that application, as most skiers spend most of their time on groomed trails, but like the possibility and options for mixing it up in the trees or bumps. Built with K2's Aspen wood core and their carbon spectral braiding technology, the skis start light and stay light. The carbon braiding is an ingenious way to accurately play with the mix of torsional and longitudinal flex, with the carbon strips being closer together in the forebody of the ski and further apart in the tail. This gives the ski a strong start to the turn and a playful finish. For that all-mountain skier, this is just the flex you're looking for in a ski, and at a pittance of the weight of skis with metal. You do lose a bit of stability at speed with that format, but everything is about compromise. Unchanged except for graphics for 2021, the MB 90C Alliance returns to please another round of skiers who are looking for lightweight performance and versatility.

Carly Monahan skied the 163 and gave high marks, 5's out of 5, for quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. These scores are pretty predictable given the nature of the build, and it's nice to see Carly picking up on that. She calls it "super nimble and playful. Great for someone who doesn't want a heavy, aggressive ski but rather something they can relax on but still rely on to perform well in soft snow, trees, and groomers. Seems pretty versatile and easy to maneuver. Short turns and bigger turns both felt natural." That's a great way to describe the performance of these skis, that they have a natural feeling to them. Shelby Parenteau agrees with Carly for the most part. She, too, skied the 163 and gave high marks for the same categories. Shelby calls the MB 90C Alliance a "really fun ski for a lady who wants to make some turns. Very playful and light ski. Still stiff enough and held an edge well through the turn. I was able to hold an edge and lay down turns best on this ski out of all others." Shelby and Carly are both smaller skiers, so it's nice to hear that the ski has a home for those types of athletes.

Allison Ruschp and Kristi Brown also both skied the 163, and they're a bit bigger than the other two ladies, so it's interesting to see their comparative views. Like the others, Alli gave the ski 5's for quickness, maneuverability, and forgiveness. She notes that "this ski is meant for a true intermediate skier. It's light, soft, and forgiving. Likes to make short radius turns, meant for the lady looking to cruise around and carve some easy turns. Easy to complete turns. Not meant for a hard-charging skier." Kristi notes that it would be good for a "teen to twenty-year-old front side skier who is not aggressive, and that skier will really enjoy this." Like the others, her high scores can be found in the quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness categories.

There are a lot of skiers who are really going to enjoy the easy-going and versatile nature of these skis. They have a ton of ladies out there who are looking for that lightweight ski that still can stand up to some serious use and adventure, and the K2 Mindbender 90 C Alliance skis are just the right tools for the job.