2009 K2 Obsethed

Our guest contributor Josh has been sliding down snow for only 3 or 4 seasons and has progressed at an alarming rate.  He’s been recruited to share his gear experiences from time to time and provide his point of view. -Ed

Length: 179cm
Dimensions: 138-105-125
Weight: Heavy
Boots used: Salomon xwave 9
Bindings used: Rossi Axial 120

I’m an EC skier still learning the ropes with only a few years under my belt – so bear that in mind. Was essentially held at gunpoint to buy this ski in the fall of 2008 (my friends exhibit a rare form of peer pressure).Im an enabler of the worst kind. -Ed

Initial Impressions

Conditions were typical early season New England. 15-25 degrees, mostly sunny, occasional wind gusts. Groomed packed powder: 100% man-made, typical NE hardpack, some slight patches of ice, sections of blown or pushed loose granular 1-2″ thick.

Noticeable short effective edge on the hardpack; yet stiffness directly underfoot held their own on the occasional ice patch. On said hardpack, initially not the most stable of skis at medium speeds on medium pitches, slight chatter as to be expected with the rocker. Skis became more and more confident as I began to get lower and more aggressive, pressuring my outside ski to engage more of the edge on larger, more aggressive turns. The bigger and more powerful the turn, the more at home and stable they felt. They felt the best in the inch or two of the pushed (or neglected) loose stuff nearer the edges of the trails, as there was more snow to hold the surface of the ski. Very impressed with the stability/smoothness of the transitions between the hardpack into the thicker loose stuff, which I attribute to the large, rockered shovel of the ski. Surprisingly easy to roll the 105mm edges. Not at home in large tight bumps.

All in, it was a fun ski and even though I was incredibly tired after a heavy leg work out the day prior and having spent the first half of the day on my Bros, It didn’t seem like too much ski, and I didn’t have to struggle too much to test its capabilities. It most likely won’t be my everyday ski, given how responsive my stiffer narrower skis are on the usual EC terrain. Very curious to rip some more GS turns in the coming weeks and try to push its east coast limits. Even more curious to take these out in their designed element, which I assume to be big mountain powder. And deep powder at that.

Overall

Now after a full season under my belt I can confidently say that they adequately performed in all conditions, excelled in the waist deep pow. When you’re out in UT for more than a few days, you’re bound to encounter some significant bumps, those fantastic freeze-thaw cycle surfaces and corn. Unless you own a Gulfstream IV, you’re paying to cargo your bags commercial. A traveling quiver is essentially out of the question. With the proper physical conditioning throughout the season, I found them easily turnable in the sun-baked bumps, most of the Deer Valley boilerplate and even some very rare nasty un-edgable, probably shouldn’t fall or screw up hardpack at Alta. But these are still 105mm underfoot and you’re sacrificing 30cm of edge with the rocker, so needless to say they did the trick but wouldn’t have been my first choice for inspiring confidence under the conditions. These things belong in the deep.

Once they are, they (and you) couldn’t be happier. So soft and floats on top of anything. Don’t try to sink the tips because you probably can’t do it. First tracks: Check. Huck: Check. GS turns through the tracks after lunch: Check. Kick them off and hike: Check. Well semi check – they are a bit heavy. Maybe it’s cheating a bit because it makes skiing feel so easy, but you’ll still be going when they ring the closing bell because you won’t be fighting with these sticks the entire time. If you can get over the absurd graphics, you soon could be Obsethed. One caviat: the topsheets delam very easily. Mine are shredded to bits. Pick up some epoxy for between trips to seal the gashes.

Bottom Line

Market Outperform. $300-350 price target. Most fun ski I own.