Gear Review | K2 Mindbender 116c

First impression

The orange signal colour of the K2 Mindbender immediately catches the eye. This is not only appealing, but could also prove to be very practical when searching for the ski in deep powder. When you pick up the ski for the first time, you are pleasantly surprised by its low weight. 2062g per ski (for the test model with a length of 186 cm - specified by K2 for the projection, not the running surface length) with a centre width of 116 mm result in a very good weight to surface area ratio. In addition to the weight, the surface of the ski also makes a good first impression. In addition to a rough topsheet, which is intended to reduce snow accumulation, a diamond-shaped mesh is recognisable.

K2 calls this carbon mesh "Carbon Spectral Braid". By varying the size of the mesh of the net, the ski can be given different properties with a carbon layer. A close-meshed net at the front is intended to prevent the ski from twisting and thus increase torsional strength. Towards the tail of the ski, the meshes become wider and should therefore provide better flex. In general, a lot of attention was paid to torsional strength when designing the Mindbender. K2's Torsion Control Design is intended to provide more strength at the tip and in the centre of the ski and less strength at the tail to ensure that the turn initiation is as precise as possible and that the turn can be released as smoothly as possible.

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K2 Mindbender 116c

Lukas Zögernitz

North chain

The construction of the ski is complemented by Hybritech technology, which combines a classic sidewall construction in the centre of the ski with a cap construction at the ends of the ski. The wood core with a mixture of paulownia and maple wood contributes to the low weight. The advantages of the construction chosen for the Mindbender, such as the low weight, are often accompanied by compromises in terms of robustness. You should bear this in mind when, for example, you're beating the Mindbender over hill and dale in the Powderrush...

K2 refers to the camber as "powder rocker". This has some preload under the binding as well as tip and tail rocker, whereby the tip rocker is significantly more pronounced. The sidecut with dimensions of 143/116/133 provides a radius of 22.9 metres for the 186 model.

Test report

The Mindbender 116c was tested in lengths of 193 cm (with a Marker Jester pro on a cast system) and 186 cm (with a Fischer Aaatack 16). The testers can be roughly categorised as 180cm+/80kg+ and 190cm+/90kg+. Tests were carried out in the 19/20 season on around 15 days of skiing in fresh powder as well as in old and rutted snow.

Riding behaviour

On the descent, the Mindbender 116c's manoeuvrability is immediately noticeable. Turn initiation is very easy. Whether in steep gullies or in the narrow forest, the turns are easy and fluid. In addition to the construction, the mounting point of the binding on the ski also has a significant influence on the ski's handling behaviour. Generally speaking, you can say: A mounting point far forward increases the ease of turning. A mounting point further back provides more stability. As K2 does not provide any detailed information on the mounting point, we measured it ourselves in the test at -9.5 cm from the centre of the ski. For the centre of the contact surfaces it would be approx. -5 cm.

Mounted on the recommended mounting point, the Mindbender rides best with a very central position over the ski and good depth relief. If you have a skiing style that suits a mounting point a little further back and, for example, fall back a little with the position above the ski, it can happen that you feel the tail more often than you would like in turns on flat terrain. Both testers had the feeling in different situations that you were "slowed down" by the shovel, i.e. you run the risk of tipping over forwards.

At the same time, the Mindbender is extremely strong on steep powder descents, where not only turns are easy to make, but the ski is also very easy to steer cross-country. And in fresh powder, face shots are easy thanks to the simple queshing of the ski even with small amounts of fresh snow. The Mindbender is also well dampened, which means that the ski rides quite smoothly but also somewhat imprecisely in tracked snow. With a centre width of 116 mm, the piste is not the intended area of use for the Mindbender, but it has an amazing pull on the edge even on hard slopes.

Conclusion

The K2 Mindbender is a powder ski with a modern construction and light weight. In practice, both testers were particularly impressed by the ease of turning in a wide variety of situations. The ski is well damped and therefore very comfortable to ride in many situations.

If you're looking for a playful powder ski that's easy to turn on the deepest days of the year, even with tired legs in the afternoon, the Mindbender 116c is the perfect choice.