K2

Pinnacle 105 Ski

The biggest Pinnacle, the 118, is the pro model of some dude named Seth Morrison, and its little bro the K2 Pinnacle 105 Ski rips just as hard but with a slightly different quiver-of-one design that will slay everything from champagne pow to tight trees to steeps that'll have you puckered. The whole Pinnacle lineup is based on K2's Baseline 2.0 technology, which matches the camber and sidecut profiles to provide turning characteristics, float, and flex that perfectly match each other. In the case of the Pinnacle, the gradual tip rise of the All-Terrain Rocker works with the slightly tapered tip shape to give you smooth, hook-free float in soft snow, while the tapered and blunted tails work with the low tail rocker to give you powerful finish through turns and the ability to throw your skis sideways when a pow slash is in order. There's a moderate amount of sidecut underfoot, which works with the medium amount of camber to balance edging performance and float without being overly aggressive in soft conditions or sloppy when things tighten up a little.

The Pinnacle's shape is cutting edge, and the materials its made from are right there with it. It's not often that you come across a high-performance and powerful ski that has composite insides, but K2's Konic Nanolite core combines a stiff and powerful aspen perimeter with a lightweight and forgiving Nanolite composite in the center, giving the Pinnacle a hard-charging feel that's quicker and easier to ski than boards with full metal laminates. Don't worry, though, the Pinnacle does feature a springy and damp metal laminate, too, along with a triaxial braided fiberglass layer that gives it the strength to stay straight under serious edging forces. K2 covered up the core with its HybriTech half-cap construction, which uses edgy and powerful sidewalls under the cambered section and sandwich construction in the tips and tails to encourage smooth engagement into turns and keep swing weight to a minimum, so you can get jibby and snake your way through tight spots like you didn't even notice.