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Ryan Halverson rips one of the many springtime wiggles on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Ryan Dunfee photo.
A couple weeks ago, I found my way onto a pair of next year’s (2015/2016) Pinnacle 95 ski from K2, a skinny, all-mountain model built off the Annex 118, Seth Morrison’s pro model ski. It’s tailored towards everyday use at the resort, but at 95 underfoot, after skiing nothing but fat skis the past six or seven years, is probably the skinniest ski I’ve been on since 2009. With a 17 meter turning radius, it’s a pretty nimble ski, and features what K2 is calling its Konic Technology. Mike Gutt explains what the deal is below:
Basically, the denser core material is pushed out to the edges and concentrated underfoot, with a metal laminate and denser Aspen core, while the middle of the ski and the tips and tails are made up more by a lightweight aerospace composite called Nanolite. The whole idea is to cut down swing weight, and if you really want to nerd out on it, you can watch the full pitch from the K2 guys at SIA here. The 95 also has more tip rocker than I’ve seen from almost any other ski this skinny, and a fat shovel, with dimensions of 137-95-115. It should be noted that, for next winter, the existing Annex line, with waist widths of 98, 108, and 118, will be replaced instead by the Pinnacle 95, 105, and Pinnacle 118.
Views of the topsheet and rocker profile of K2's new Pinnacle 95 ski. That's a lot of tip rocker for a 95-waisted ski.
After a week or two on snow with the Pinnacle 95, this ski has made me appreciate having something a little more quick and nimble under my feet again after years of fat skis. For me, it’s the perfect balance between something that is quick edge to edge, yet still has enough power up front with a rather fat tip to blast through the crud and bumps. The rocker up front is subtle, yet still goes a ways back, which helps dampen the ski in variable conditions. The tail has some slight rocker but otherwise is pretty much flat. It definitely holds you in on high speed turns, and I never had it wash out. Although its not a twin, the rocker back there still allowed me to ski switch with ease, and with that said, It was pretty fun in the park as well.
Ryan shreds some loose chalk on Rendezvous Bowl. Ryan Dunfee photo.
I didn’t get the chance to ski much fresh snow unfortunately, but I assume it would do well unless it was really deep. I mainly tested it on spring corn and slush, as well as some other north facing chalk and hardpack. On the hardpack, it held an edge very well, yet you could still get the tails to release with ease where need be.
When pointing it out through the bottom of some bumps, I was pretty impressed with how stable it felt for being such a narrow surface under my feet. It also skied great in the spring conditions. Again, the tip powered through the slushy bumps well, and allowed me to stay forward and in control when pushing the speed limits.
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The slimmer waist made the Pinnacle 95 a ripping bump ski, while the rockered tip kept it alive when things got heavy or deep. Ryan Dunfee photo.
In the bigger bumps, I was able to get the ski right where I needed for every turn. Part of this could be because I’m used to my fattys being rather sluggish, but regardless, they made me feel like a solid bump skier, which usually I’m not. When I got the skis on smoother groomers, they preformed just as I thought they would. Fast edge to edge, and a good strong feel when cranking high speed turns. The ski never really wimpered at any speed I got it up to; it held its own. It seems like a fairly stiff ski, but has enough softness in the tip to allow almost any skier to rip on it and make it forgivable.
Halvy going for the stomp in some rough conditions around Jackson Hole. Ryan Dunfee photo.
Overall I must say that my early impressions of the Pinnacle 95 are that it’s going to be a great all mountain ski. It probably exceeded a bit of my expectations in how well it performed at high speeds and blasting through crud. I would really be curious to see how this ski would be with a Dynafit setup. With the narrow 95mm underfoot, I feel it could be a great spring/corn touring setup that would probably kick ass in tight couloirs. If I were to have it for my year round touring setup, I’d probably go a little fatter under foot and maybe go for the Pinnacle 105.
The Pinnacle 95 promises to be a great all-mountain charger yet plenty approachable for more intermediate skiers. Ryan Dunfee photo.
I’d definitely recommend this ski to anyone looking for a good all mountain charger, yet I think any intermediate skier who may be taking it a notch down would still love ease of maneuverability, and the dampness of the tip, which really adds to the ease of skiing it. One last note, I skied the 184, which stood just as tall as my pair of 188’s. K2 still seems to measure a bit on the long side.
