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Gear Review | K2 Mindbender 99 TI

Solid all-mountain ski by K2

by Lorenzo Rieg • 01/10/2020
Lea Hartl
Zillertal
Lorenzo Rieg
Lea Hartl
Zillertal
Lorenzo Rieg
With the Mindbender series, K2 has skis in its programme that basically work in all conditions or at least in a wide range of snow conditions and types of use. Of course, it also depends on the width and construction whether the skis have their centre of gravity in powder or rather on the piste, but we tested whether the skis really work everywhere using the Mindbender 99 TI as an example.

First impression

At first glance, the ski is unusually heavy. At second glance, this is only logical, as it is a proper sandwich construction with a Titanal layer. All in all, it's a construction similar to that of a World Cup giant slalom ski, but with the dimensions and length of an all-mountain ski. This also adds a bit of weight, which sets the ski apart from the trend towards ever lighter skis designed for touring in the wide category.

As is typical for K2, the ski is relatively long in relation to the specified length and is impeccably finished.

I would also like to point out that the all-round Mindbender series also includes narrower skis with an identical construction, which are designed more for the piste and less for powder.

Testers and test conditions

I am 183cm tall and weigh about 75kg. I ski a lot, but I mostly go ski touring. In the ski resort, I'm mainly out and about in bad weather or in the early season. I like easy-to-ski skis, preferably with a taper and rocker at the tip and tail, and I'm not the most active skier. In recent years, I've mostly used the Downskis CountDown 104 on ski tours and a giant slalom racing ski on the piste.

I tested the Mindbender 99 TI in a length of 184cm with Rossignol FKS 12 bindings. I've been using the ski since the end of October, first on glacier pistes, then on artificial snow and finally off-piste in various types of natural snow.

gear reviews
presented by
Lea Hartl
Kitzbühel
Lorenzo Rieg
Lea Hartl
Kitzbühel
Lorenzo Rieg

Test report

One thing you realise pretty quickly when testing the Mindbender 99 TI: the ski wants to be skied. And it also likes a bit of speed. By simply standing on it and letting the ski do its thing, which works well with more rockered and waisted modern freeriders, you can hardly achieve the best performance in any situation.

On the piste, for example. Whether in hard or soft conditions, the ski can also be skied comfortably and drifting, but remains rather sluggish, of course also due to its width. However, the situation is completely different with a committed and fast skiing style. Here, the Mindbender 99 TI only differs from my giant slalom ski in that it edges a little slower. With the right amount of pressure, it is stable on the edge and can be carved wonderfully, and the radii can also be varied well. All in all, the ski is a lot of fun on the piste, although it should be mentioned that it is more strenuous in the long run than a piste ski. The width simply requires a little more strength when edging up and you have to stand firmly on the ski in hard conditions. On the other hand, the ski is very solid and stable at speed. In any case, I couldn't identify a speed limit, the Mindbender lies calmly, doesn't flutter and inspires confidence at all times. This applies not only on the piste, but also off-piste. Especially in difficult snow, such as rutted powder, moguls or hard snow, the ski scores with its stability and predictability. This is clearly the strength of the Mindbender series, which is explicitly marketed as a ski for all conditions, especially in the Titanal versions.

Lea Hartl
Zillertal
Lorenzo Rieg
Lea Hartl
Zillertal
Lorenzo Rieg

Of course, the Mindbender TI 99 also works wonderfully in powder snow, even if it seems quite narrow for deep conditions these days. However, I can still remember my first really wide ski in 2005, which was similarly wide at 102mm under the binding. In any case, the Mindbender 99 TI has quite a decent float and is also easy to control in powder, preferably in a classic skiing style. Compared to wider skis with more rocker and taper, however, it lacks a little manoeuvrability.

Conclusion

A great and robust ski for good skiers who like to go fast and either really want a ski for everything, or who are often out and about in packed snow or on the piste. With the right amount of power, it's also interesting for ski touring, but to be honest, it's too heavy for me personally...

I think the ski is very good, but for me it covers a range of use that I don't often need. In the ski resort, I'm either on fresh snow or on the piste, so either a much wider ski or a slightly narrower one, such as the Mindbender 90 TI, would be more interesting.

Advantages and disadvantages

+ Good in all conditions

+ High piste capability

+ No speed limit

- Not for beginners

- Relatively heavy

Details

RRP €649.95

Weight in 184cm: 2226g

All Terrain Rocker

Core: Maple / Aspen

Torsion Control Design

Titanal Y-Beam

Power Wall

Here is the link to the K2 website with further information.

This product was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer for testing. You can find out how we test it in our test statement.

K2
Mindbender 99 TI
K2
Mindbender 99 TI

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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