2023 K2 Excavator

The K2 Excavator strikes a wonderful blend between groomers, powder, and resort riding. They place a heavy emphasis on deeply carved turns on the trails, and that name says it all when it comes to digging deep trenches through the corduroy. The build lends to more of an energetic feel to it while the set back stance and the progressive shaping make it float really well when the snows come and the mountains get deep. Built with K2’s S1 core, the Excavator gets Bamboo, Aspen, and Paulownia woods to create the character of the board. Underfoot, the Aspen and Bamboo are angled against each other in order to make a smooth and sturdy platform while the paulownia in the mid body makes for a lighter and more energetic feel. K2 then adds 10 carbon stringers that are mixed into the fiberglass laminates, running tip to tail and providing excellent fore/aft stiffness and energy for riders who enjoy feeling that full-edge power and snap. The nice thing about this is that the carbon is light, and doesn’t add a whole lot of weight to the mix. Finally, the carbon fork in the tail makes the Excavator dig deep at the end of the turn, popping riders into the next arc seamlessly and efficiently. By setting back the stance .75 inches and providing a bit of a fish tail shape, the back foot power and energy is drastically emphasized.

Andy Hull rode the 154, and noted that “the rep said you should downsize about 3-4 cm on this board. I would probably ride the 158 or 162.” Andy apparently thought that the Excavator checked a lot of boxes, as he gave it 4’s out of 5 for all categories showing a high average and baseline of scores. Andy notes: “I really wanted to try this in my size, it feels like it would be a great all mountain/powder board. It was just a bit too small for me, I wanted more length at times. I would also probably set my stance back a little to let the floatation of this board shine. Felt stable and going switch was not a problem with the directional shape. Ability would be intermediate to advanced.” Eric Gagnon also was on the 154, noting it felt true to size for him. He scored it 4’s out of 5 for stability and flotation, with 3’s for overall impression, versatility, torsional stiffness, edge grip, playfulness, and forgiveness. Eric states that the “Board felt wide and stiff for me. As a size 9 boot I think it would be a great option for someone with a larger boot size.” The waist is 26.4 cm in the 154, for what it’s worth.

Eric McDonough found that his 154 rode true to size, scoring it 4’s out of 5 for overall impression, versatility, torsional stiffness, edge hold, flotation, and stability. We see those 4’s bookended with a 2 for playfulness, so it sounds like Eric found this board to be on the stiffer side. He calls the Excavator “Very stable at speed and through the chopped up slush. Held an edge well on harder packed snow. Had to work a little harder to make shorter tighter turns. Good for more advanced riders, not the most forgiving board for beginner riders.” The carbon certainly adds a good amount of stiffness to the mix, so it’s not crazy to hear Eric’s feedback in this regard. Sam Whitney notes that the Excavator is “Just a standout all-mountain board. Anyone can jump on it and have fun, from beginners to the hardest riders it can hold up to it all. Surprisingly both light and supportive, and with the stance set back an inch from recommended I did not notice any extra weight in the tip while spinning. A nice curve to the tail allows it to hold its own while riding switch and the extra length in the nose gave it great float. The tail also has a really nice pop to it that makes this board really fun to both jump and carve. Would highly recommend as a board that can do it all to an all-mountain freestyle rider for every condition the mountains can throw at you.” And that’s just about as good as it gets.

For riders looking to mix up their riding between powder stashes and on-trail carving will love the fun-loving yet business-like Excavator. This board checks a ton of boxes, and uses an interesting construction technique to get the job done. It’s got that hard-working mentality to it that makes it unique in its field, allowing its pilot to effectively navigate whatever may come its way.