2022 K2 Poacher

The 2022 K2 Poacher returns unchanged save for a graphics refresh, and this is great news for skiers who have loved, and who continue to appreciate the stability and energy of these great skis. We’ve got a lot of love for the mid to upper-90's underfooted twin tips here at SkiEssentials.com, and for good reason. Whether you’re spending all of your time in the park, competing at the highest levels of freestyle events or never ever stepping foot in the park, the Poacher, and other skis like it, excel in a truly wide variety of applications. Built with a fir and aspen wood core that gets the triaxial fiberglass treatment, these skis also feature carbon stringers that run the length of the ski, increasing the longitudinal flex of the Poacher. As a result, this ski is a bit heavier of a build, mostly because the fiberglass has a lot of epoxy in it, and that’s a weighty material. For heavier or more aggressive skiers, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it does add a bit more stability to the whole package. In an all-mountain format, these skis are incredibly versatile, equally as capable and willing to lay down a mean carve on a groomer as they are at home in the bumps and trees. If you never go in the park, you’ll be amazed and impressed at how well these skis handle versatile and variable conditions and terrain.

Phil McGrory skied the 177 and noted that it was too short for him. The 184 would likely be a very good size. Phil’s top score was a 5 out of 5 for playfulness, and that falls right in line with K2’s intent. 4’s were close behind for forgiveness, versatility, and overall impression. Like we see a lot of times with these mid to upper-90's twin tips, high scores across the board are pretty common, and that’s a very good thing. Phil calls the Poacher a “Slashy, surfy ripper that likes to turn. Playful for the park and off-piste but not too noodley for the hard pack conditions we all inevitably have to deal with. Great for the park skier who wants all mountain performance or the skier who likes an all-mountain twin for their everyday ski. Novice to high intermediate.” I’d venture to guess that X-Games athletes who use the Poacher would fall into the expert category, but Phil’s intention is proper—there's a wide range of skier types that benefit from these skis for sure.

Jeffrey Siegel falls more into the “all-mountain” skier type versus freestyle, so it’s great to get a more technical skier’s perspective on these skis. He felt the 177 was a good length for him, and he gave his highest scores of 4 out of 5 for stability, quickness, maneuverability, and versatility. All other scores were 3’s right down the line, much like a lot of other well-rounded all-mountain skis should be. “The Poacher is a fun ski. I think it works very well as a park/all-mountain ski. It’s pretty stiff, so it holds a carve pretty well if you work the ski through a turn though it definitely skis better flat. It was stable-ish in carves, but it felt more stable going straight. It has pop, but maybe a little less than you’d expect from a park ski. I think that you trade some rebound for stability and all-mountain performance. I know people like this ski as an all-mountain twin-tip, but I think there are better choices for skiers who don’t ski park. I think it’s a good choice for a park skier looking for an all-mountain ski.” That’s the fun part of skis like this, is that the range and versatility are so much broader than most other skis, and people keep trying to label them, when in reality, you should just go ski them.

With a bit of extra heft to them, the K2 Poacher is one of the burlier twin tips out there on the market today, and that’s great news for skiers who feel like they need just a bit more underfoot in terms of power and strength, while not losing the ski’s ability to function and perform in a true freestyle setting. The K2 Poacher is a prime example of just a ski.