Buying K2 Skis

[ajl50]

I'm thinking of buying a pair of k2 apache X's and my girlfriend is looking at a pair of the "one luv's"
We're both advanced skiiers who enjoy powder but are most at home on hardpacked black/blue groomers.
We just demoed K2 omni 5.5's and Volkl 5 stars. We liked the stability and foregiveness of the 5.5's but we felt they were a little sluggish. We also liked their edge hold on hard snow. With the 5 stars we loved their edge hold, hard snow grip and rebound energy but didn't like that on the run out to the lift we had to pay attention all the time. I turned off my brain and my ski caught an edge and dumped me on my face. The volkl's just seemed a little too porsche-like for our tastes. We need something in the Audi s4 range- fast and agile with great grip but something that can be taken on daily chores.
So after some research and talking with some ski shop guys we settled on the X's and One luv's as compromises that have the attributes we like without the attention needs of the volkls or the sluggishness of the 5.5's.
Anybody have either of those skis? Problems? Likes/dislikes?

 

[BeanoNYC]

I have the Apache Blackhawks which are the same exact ski as the X, but with "Crossfire Type" black colored graphics. It's a great intermediate/advanced ski and real fun to ski. Great GS turns on the groomers, but enough manuverability to handle uneven terrain. It's got a good pop to it for bumps as well. You might want to try the K2 apache Crossfires as well. It might be that S4 with the Tiptronic transmission your looking for. I only say this as I feel that I'm "growing" out of the Blackhawks and am currently in the market for something with a little more pep. (Ironic Sidenote: I say this as I sit icing a separated shoulder from a fall I took on the 7th. My fault, had nothing to do the ski )

 

[thetrailboss]

Moving to gear....

 

[RISkier]

If possible demo, but I somewhat agree with BeanoNYC to take a look at the Crossfires and Burnin Luvs -- especially the later for your girlfriend. My wife demoed several skis and bought the Burnin Luvs. She demoed the Volkl Attiva 5* and didn't like them very well. She's comfortable on pretty much all blues and is migrating to easier blacks. She thought the Burnin Luvs might be too much ski for her but she finds them very stable and forgiving. Every review I've read of the Burnins is a rave. Haven't skied either the Apache or the Crossfire. Both get good reviews but not the kind of raves that the Burnin Luvs generate.

 

[NorthCoast]

Go for it

My wife and I are skiing the same combo that you're looking at -- I have '05 Apache X 181s, and she has the '05 One Luv 167s. It sounds like we fit your profile but might spend a bit more time off piste. We just got back from a week at Whistler/Blackcomb (British Columbia). Conditions ranged from an 18" powder day to hard pack powder to even a few icy stretches at lower elevations. We skied everything from the bowls to trees to bumps to cruising runs (if you've been there -- Harmony, Jersey Cream, 7th Heaven...) Overall both of us were very happy with the performance of the skis, especially on the steep powder bumps and the tree runs. Also great fun carving on cruising runs. The skis seemed to respond better the more aggressively they were pushed. We tried demoing other skis one afternoon, including Head Monsters and Atomic Metrons, and concluded that the k2s were a lot easier to handle, esp. on the bumps. Only complaint we have with the k2s is a bit too much ski chatter when going fast on icier slopes. That might be reason to try demoing the Recon to see if it has better dampening. Good luck!

 

[Catul]

I just demoed several skis (will be writing up a more detailed review soon) amongst which were the 5 Stars (175cm) and Apache Recon (170cm) - conditions were pretty firm packed powder, with a little crud on some runs.

I'm 6'2", 210 lbs, and a strong intermediate who's preference is for carving groomers - no off-piste yet. I absolutely loved the 5 Stars, from their liveleness and rebound energy to the edge hold. The Recon was surprisingly agile considering the much wider waist, and did better in the crud, but was a little more work to initiate varying turns, and didn't seem to have quite the stability I found in the 5 Stars. FWIW.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

my wife demoed both the burning and one...couldnt tell a difference between the two, ended up buying the one (liked the colors better) and was a bit cheaper.....

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

fyi, she is an upper immed/adv skiier, likes steeped groomer the best, but comfortable in trees and bumps....

 

[ajl50]

Thanks for all the advice

Great advice everybody- thanks alot.
I went with the Apache 10's and she went with the just-cause ( one luv's just renamed and painted a sweet white and pink to honor breast cancer research). Of course though we bought them and then had three weeks of spring. Looking foward to getting out this weekend however.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Re: Thanks for all the advice

Great advice everybody- thanks alot.
I went with the Apache 10's and she went with the just-cause ( one luv's just renamed and painted a sweet white and pink to honor breast cancer research). Of course though we bought them and then had three weeks of spring. Looking foward to getting out this weekend however.

Congrats on the purchase. Don't forget to take lots of pictures and post a trip report for us.