K2 Mindbender Skis

[waveshello]

I try to make sure I'm not pressed for time, that's when it feels stressful to me. Gotta strike when I'm caught up on chores and the baby is in bed. Clean work space, good lighting, having the right tools on hand all make it more fun. Put some tunes on and drink of choice in your hand and it's almost cathartic.

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[kc_7777]

Now THAT is sick!
KC and Bandit Man...my biggest qualm with ski whoring is the whole mounting bindings thing. I find it a pain and tiring, it only takes maybe 1.5 hours, but at 10 skis that's a lot... I also get pretty stressed about fucking it up so that adds to the tiring part. How do ya'll manage?

The retro MB's look super sick! I'll be mounting mounting mine with gold Pivot 15s now.

Re the mounting question.

Back when I had a big house and a big double garage and ski workshop I mounted my own skis. Also had a non-skiing wife. Left that life in 2013....gave up the house so lost my shop/garage. I spent that first few summers living in my truck surfing and winters living at a Baker cabin. Just surfed and skied. And taught at the university I was a gypsy. So it was harder to mount my own skis without a dedicated shop/tools.

I was lucky to work out a deal with a local ski shop near my university ....$25CDN per mount (plus the occasional case of cold beer). They even let me use their shop on occasion too if I need it.

PS Have since remarried to a skier this time. She is from the Kootenays and lives to ski hard 60+ days a year like me. She can outski most of my buddies. Priceless.

KC

[waveshello]

Found the perfect skis to mount with those blow out Warden 13’s from Evo…

Attachment 376678

Yeah, those look super sharp. The orange-yellow forzas would look good on there too.

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[rfconroy]

That makes sense. Yes it's the centering of the paper template, center punching the holes and checking it twice that takes the time. Always gives me nerves.

Man, I gotta 3D print you some drill jigs, and make that center mark tool that I found online...

[AEV]

Damn. These retro MB108s look so good. Especially with those cheap Wardens.

I'm a bit sad I didn't grab those 186s from Corbetts, such a good deal. I could have moved the mount closer to center and probably been very happy. I'm in between sizes on this ski, but seen some reviews with the mount moved forward, and think it could have worked. I've missed a bunch of good skis this summer. With inflation that comes from crisis, when you find good skis under/around $400, you gotta grab no matter what. I missed these, Katanas and Mfree 108s because of cash flow.

[gaijin]

Whatever— you didn’t miss anything. You prepared for the opportunity to buy the next version.

MB108s, Katanas, and MF108s are all lingering in Version 1 territory.

They will either evolve and become better skis, or the graphics will improve like the 2021 Pro Rider.

The Katanas and MF108s are simply more stable versions of the more playful MB108.

All three will, or won’t, change.

Who cares if you didn’t buy new skis last year for cheap?

I’d rather ride them all, learn what I want and pull the trigger when appropriate.

The appropriate time for all of you is the black 2021 Pro Rider. If that isn’t the most beautiful ski in the world right now, you have something else that is custom.


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[paschta]

Still 1 pair of 186’s available at The Ski Monster. $360 after their little 10% off text code

[kc_7777]

Does anyone have a weight for the 179cm Mindbender 116C? Can only find the 186cm weight online (~2,030 per 186cm)?

I think I read 1,860gm per ski for the 179cm somehwere?

Looking for a ~180cm ski, with decent surface area for touring with Tectons. Considered Moment WC Tours but at $799US, but last year's Mindbender 116Cs at $479CDN at Corbetts make way more sense.

Just want to confirm the weight per pair for the 179cm MB 116C is sub 4,000gms?

Thx, KC

[SirVicSmasher]

Does anyone have a weight for the 179cm Mindbender 116C? Can only find the 186cm weight online (~2,030 per 186cm)?

I think I read 1,860gm per ski for the 179cm somehwere?

Looking for a ~180cm ski, with decent surface area for touring with Tectons. Considered Moment WC Tours but at $799US, ;ast year's Mindbender 116Cs at $479CDN make way more sense.

Just want to confirm the weight per pair for the 179cm MB 116C is sub 4,000gms?

Thx, KC

Don't know about the 179 weight but 193 is 2234 roughly so 200 grams difference should put you at 1830 .should be OK

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[kc_7777]

Thanks Vic, what I figured.

Got some blue 2021 MB 116C’s on the way for my Tectons.

Actually I sold the retro MB08Ti (paid $449), but sold those at $100profit on ebay….and used the funds on the MB 116 for $479 so that makes my cost on the M116 around $379CDN. Sun <$400CDN for this ski is pretty good.

[waveshello]

Dope. Curious to hear how you like them. Mine (193s) are great in just about any depth of soft snow, from an inch to deep, but the one time I'm really wishing I was on something else is when we get that very heavy/wet new snow... Then I'm reaching for the renegades.

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[SirVicSmasher]

Dope. Curious to hear how you like them. Mine (193s) are great in just about any depth of soft snow, from an inch to deep, but the one time I'm really wishing I was on something else is when we get that very heavy/wet new snow... Then I'm reaching for the renegades.

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They should make the 116 with the titanal y beam construction of the 108 and 99 .
Would be amazing

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[kc_7777]

Dope. Curious to hear how you like them. Mine (193s) are great in just about any depth of soft snow, from an inch to deep, but the one time I'm really wishing I was on something else is when we get that very heavy/wet new snow... Then I'm reaching for the renegades.

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Ya I’m really interested to try these. Here they are. Feel light, yet still firmish enough. Perfect wider ski for my Tectons.

The 179cm measures 180.25cm with a tape along the base. So they measure a bit longer than other brands. Eg Icelantic 181cm measure 180.5cm on base.

Liking the long, deep amount of tip rocker. Not surprising that way more tail rocker than the MB 108Ti I sold.

Some quick pics:

[Jeb McHardman]

I have a pair of the 2020 model (186s) and got about 30-40 days on them last season. Like waveshello said, they're great in any amount of new snow--very surfy, easy to change direction, even in tight trees or chutes/rocks. They don't really become demanding until you encounter heavier, wetter snow. I slapped some dynafits on them and used them as a touring ski, but I could see putting some shifts on them and using them as a true 50/50 ski. Personally wouldn't mount them with alpine bindings (I prefer heavier, stiffer skis for inbounds powder days), but I saw a number of folks at the resort I worked at who had done that

[Benneke10]

Ya I’m really interested to try these. Here they are. Feel light, yet still firmish enough. Perfect wider ski for my Tectons.

Could you weigh em for us please? Looks like a great shape

[jacob_dbu]

Could you weigh em for us please? Looks like a great shape

Same looks like it could be a dope mid winter touring ski if they actually come in at 1800g

[kc_7777]

2021 K2 Mindbender 116C weight 179 cm:

1,891 gm for one ski
1,864 gm for the other.
———
3,755 gm per pair

Using a kitchen scale so take that into account….but weight is what I figured (~1,875 gm per ski average).

[Benneke10]

Thanks for putting them on the scale, makes me want a pair. Send me a message if/when you decide to sell these in a few months

[waveshello]

Thanks for putting them on the scale, makes me want a pair. Send me a message if/when you decide to sell these in a few months

There was a pair of 186 116s for sale a month or two back in GS... Seller was asking 200 but they had a pretty gnarly edge compression, I don't think they sold.

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[VON]

Anybody ski the mindbender 99ti and can compare it to skis like the Mantra, Bonafide, or Enforcer?
Blister talks about the 99ti like it's actually more powerful than the mantra and enforcer, better edge hold than the bonafide, yet easier to break free. Kinda magic sounding ski if true. Would love to verify that with other people who've skied it.

[Jeb McHardman]

Anybody ski the mindbender 99ti and can compare it to skis like the Mantra, Bonafide, or Enforcer?
Blister talks about the 99ti like it's actually more powerful than the mantra and enforcer, better edge hold than the bonafide, yet easier to break free. Kinda magic sounding ski if true. Would love to verify that with other people who've skied it.

I haven't personally been on them, but I worked with a guy last season who used them as his daily driver and raved about them. I let him borrow my Enforcer 93s a couple days and one of his other skis were M5s, and he claimed to prefer the MBs over both

[kc_7777]

Got my 2021 Mindbender 116s mounted up with Tectons. These are replacing Ripstick 106s + Shifts. First time having Tectons too. Clicked into them on the living room floor last night. Pretty happy with this 50/50 winter touring set-up…can’t wait to get them on snow.

[SnakeMagnet]

Anybody ski the mindbender 99ti and can compare it to skis like the Mantra, Bonafide, or Enforcer?
Blister talks about the 99ti like it's actually more powerful than the mantra and enforcer, better edge hold than the bonafide, yet easier to break free. Kinda magic sounding ski if true. Would love to verify that with other people who've skied it.

I don't pay for the deep dive but i'd imagine they've already apple^2'd all those skis.

My 2c on what I've tested out:

96 or 102 mantra? Because the two skis behave very differently in variable. M5 and (assuming) M6 are really like fat FSide skis. Great edge to edge and def more versatile than the aforementioned; not as damp as a MB for ex. because they are lighter. Just enough rocker to have a big sweet spot in variable but wants a dynamic style there. M102 is very damp, and is more like a big mountain ski masquerading as a all mountain and the fat tip makes it float more than you'd expect. Ridiculously versatile and actually not super demanding, only thing they aren't is loose or surfy. It's a 90%er DD for a lot of Rockies folk here for a reason I think.

Enforcers are most accessible, least high-end performance of all the ones mentioned. Felt like they didn't have enough edge hold or dampness when I really pushed them but I could definitely 'lazy ski' them and not wreck my legs unlike my M102's (caveat: they were 104 frees). Intermediates can use them and not feel instantly overwhelmed which lends to their absurd popularity in the GP.

The bonafide's one of the stiffest, least-rockered, and is def the most hard snow oriented. Naturally, takes more effort to pivot but really glues you to cord and just wants to missile. Fat Brahma 88. I'd doubt the MB could match with the lack of metal in the tail reducing its torsional rigidity.

Unfort the MB were the one pair perpetually on-loan for the demo days I got out to and I never got to them, so I can't give you a fair comparison. Informed hypothesis would be they are most similar to the M102 due to construction, profile and weight. Maybe bit more damp, and looser in the tail.

[Fofo]

Got my 2021 Mindbender 116s mounted up with Tectons.
...

I'm really curious to hear what you think about these once you ski them. Especially when comparing them to your Enforcers.

I have the Pinnacle 105 as my mid-fat skis. I skied the Mindbender 99 last year and I really liked them. I'm thinking about replacing the Pinnacle 105 with the Mindbender 108 as a strong main candidate, but I'm considering others like the Enforcer, Fischer Ranger and Volkl Mantra.

[Palisaderade]

How stable are the Reckoner 112?