2023 K2 MINDBENDER 89TI SKI REVIEW
When we got on the 90Ti, what seems like decades ago now, I was most impressed with the versatility. I felt this was my type of ski for what I like to do on snow, and could be a daily driver for a ton of skiers, regardless of terrain or snow conditions. While my general opinion on that hasn't changed with the emergence of the 89Ti, the ski does feel different for sure. It's less catchy in the tips, but more energetic in the tail, allowing the skier to rebound out of one turn and into the next with full confidence and balance. The addition of the full sidewall contributes to the "real ski" mentality that K2 is conjuring with this new 89. By re-aligning and re-shaping the titanal laminate, lightening the core to Aspen-only, and tightening up the turn radius by about a meter, this K2 scoots closer to Brahma/Kendo without losing the Rustler/QST appeal. Since the Mindbender 99 exists as well, I think these changes benefit the 89 in the sense that it does feel like an accomplished on-trail carver, thus allowing the 99 to slide more to the freeride side. Somehow, most of our testing was done in pretty adverse conditions, and these skis performed admirably throughout, showing the grit and determination necessary for a true all-mountain ski.
Three years ago, when K2 launched the new Mindbender collection, it felt like a really big step for the brand. The technology behind the and their overall performance marked a pretty major change in performance compared to the outgoing Pinnacle models. Stronger, more precise, better firm snow performance, but still looser and more playful than most competitors’ directional all-mountain skis, especially those with as much or more metal than the Mindbenders. Fast forward to today and we have a new set of Mindbender skis to talk about. The theme largely stays the same, and a lot of the concepts stay the same too. We what see is more refinement than replacement, similar to how Volkl just changed the Kendo 88. Speaking of the Kendo 88, we still think that’s a good ski to compare with the Mindbender 89Ti we’ll talk about today. Certainly some similarities in their shaping concepts and how they use metal, but the resulting performance is different, which is beneficial to all of us skiers as it allows us to hone in on what’s going to be best for the individual differences in how we all like to ski.
For the 2022/23 ski season, K2 has changed all the Mindbender skis that use the Titanal Y-Beam construction. That means on the men’s side, we get a new 89Ti, 99Ti, and 108Ti. For the ladies, a new 89Ti and 99Ti. All the other skis from Mindbender 90C all the way up to the 116C stay the same with the exception of new topsheet graphics. To start, the wood core is a little different. The two narrower models, the 89 and 99, drop maple from their construction and rely just on an Aspen Veneer wood core. The wider 108 gets a blend of fir and aspen, which is really the only difference among construction in these three skis. Next, the Titanal Y-Beam has been refined into a new shape. It’s still shaped like a Y, but it’s a more interesting Y. The metal is noticeable shorter in the shovel, but it’s wider. You get a few inches of this wider metal, then it tapers into a narrower shape until it reaches the full-width metal underfoot. In the tail of the ski, the metal is still located just through the center of the ski, not along the edges. K2 made a similar change in the tail as the metal is wider in the extremities and narrower closer to your bindings. Both in the tip and tail, the metal ends right where the rocker starts. We also get full vertical sidewalls now, rather than the Powerwall and step-down sidewalls seen on the previous ski. It gives it a more consistent look, which comes through in performance as well.
AT A GLANCE
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2023 K2 Mindbender 89 Ti Skis |
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AVAILABLE SIZES |
TURN RADIUS |
SIDECUT |
PROFILE |
PRICE |
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164, 170, 176, 182, 188 cm |
16.6 m @ 182 cm |
130 / 89 / 114 mm |
All-Terrain Rocker |
$699.95 |
In reference to the shape, the changes are similarly subtle to those in construction, but a lot of small changes can really add up. To start, the rocker is longer in the tip, with a tiny bit more splay too. There’s also more early taper, with the widest part of the ski brought back about 2-3 cm closer to your feet. Camber height is a little lower too on these new skis, which feels like it goes hand in hand with the longer tip rocker. The tail shape is more similar than different, in our opinion, although the rocker is slightly longer and lower compared to the previous ski. Perhaps the biggest difference in shape is the turn radius. On the previous version, the reference length of 177 cm had a 17.9 m turn radius. The new skis use the 182 cm model as the reference length, which comes in at a 16.6 m turn radius. That’s a pretty significant drop, especially considering we bumped up 5 cm in length. Another quick note since we’re on the topic of length, K2 added a fifth length option and brought them all closer together. We now have 164, 170, 176, 182, and 188 cm choices. I always appreciate when a manufacturer does that. It makes it significantly easier to confidently choose the right size for you.
And that brings us to performance! Bob said it very well in his intro. The changes to this ski bring it closer to some of the firm-snow standouts in this category, but you don’t lose the versatility or fun-factor that makes this thing a K2. Let’s start with groomers. Interestingly, despite having longer rocker in the tip and more early taper, I find turn entry is more precise on the new 89Ti. Tip the ski on edge and it eagerly brings you into a turn, more so than the previous model. Turn radius is definitely helping with that, as that shorter turn radius hooks up and takes you across the fall line with more pizazz, but there’s something about the way the tip interacts with the snow that I can’t ignore. It’s not quite Kendo-esque, but it’s not far off either. Once you’re in a carving turn, the ski feels quite strong underfoot. As Bob mentioned, we had it in some less-than-ideal conditions, including just boiler-plate ice, and I actually found I could trust it. In fact, it far surpassed my expectations for edge grip and overall stability. Given they dropped the maple out of its core, made it lighter, and increased the rocker, I didn’t necessarily expect increased strength. That leaves me giving a lot of credit to the new Y-Beam shape. By positioning more metal towards the extremities of the ski, K2 has clearly given it a more robust feel. Longer vertical sidewalls have to help too. So, overall, it’s more peppy on a groomer thanks to the turn initiation and radius, but it’s also stronger, which can be a hard combination to achieve.
When you don’t want to carve, whether you’re making shorter, skidded turns on the side of the trail or skiing bumps and trees, you benefit from that less-catchy feel that Bob mentioned. Longer turn radius in the tip and a lighter swing weight allows for easier pivoting. The ski has a nice blend of release and responsiveness. It doesn’t feel like one of those slow, slarvy, surfy skis, rather when you release the tail edge, you get a nice amount of energy from the tail of the ski, snapping you into your next turn. It’s not the easiest nor the most forgiving ski in technical terrain like bumps and trees, but an accomplished advanced/expert skier won’t have any issues. In fact, it has Swiss Army Knife vibes for a skier like that. Something you can take just about anywhere on the mountain and feel good about it. Sure, there’s not a tremendous amount of float for deep powder, but it slips and smears right through it without major issues. A lot of skis in this category feel more catchy and grabby in deeper snow and un-groomed terrain. K2 really did a nice job of combining precise, strong on-trail performance without making the ski too demanding or fatiguing when you want to do something different.
We started out this article by talking about the big step K2 took in developing the Mindbender skis. While this feels like a smaller step, we think it’s an important one, and representative of how the brand is growing, evolving, and adapting. We think it’s perfectly fair to say, even just a few years ago, no one would really expect a ski with this performance from K2. At moments in their history, and I’d say frequent moments, the brand feels more aligned with freeride, freeski, or freestyle. As a skier that comes from that background, I hope K2 never loses touch with its roots as a brand, but these new Mindbender skis impress me. If the first round of Mindbender skis were good, these are great. Between Disruption, Mindbender, and the new Dispatch freeride skis, K2 has a nice, consistent theme to their directional skis right now. The brand has been around for 60 years now, starting way back in 1962. Throughout their history, they’ve had a lot of great skis, but this feels like the most complete, well-rounded offering they’ve ever had, and we think the future is bright for K2 Skis.
