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Speed Rocker
ROCKER: Easy initiation, versatility, agility
CAMBER: Control, edge hold, rebound
This slightly elevated tip and increased tip length provides effortless initiation and flawless transitions, while camber along the rest of the running surface delivers precision, power, and edge-hold.
Simply put, Speed Rocker offers high performance precision and edge hold on firm snow. -
Progressive Sidecut
Progressive sidecut is a combination of two different radii, or sidecuts, that enhance the versatility of wider-waist skis. Standard sidecut theory is based on using a single radius. This works well on narrower skis, but becomes overpowering on wider skis, especially in variable conditions. The use of progressive sidecut on wider-waist skis guarantees improved turn initiation and hard-snow performance. -
BIO Core Tech
For backcountry skiers conscious of their caloric and environmental output, our Adventure skis use a blended core of aspen, bamboo, and Paulownia, (a reforestation plantation tree similar to bamboo) that has consistent density, great strength-to-weight ratio, and fast-growth carbon-sequestration. The core is just one component of the ski, but the result is 15% weight savings over our traditional fir/aspen cores and a lessened footprint, reducing the impact of the ski on you and the winter world. -
Tip and Tail Holes
Holes in the tip and tail are not only the attachments points for K2 skins, but they also fit the functional needs of a backcountry skier including the ability to build a rescue sled or construct various ski anchors. The holes are equipped with removable plugs. -
Flat Tails
All Adventure skis come with flat tails, providing backcountry utility by allowing you to plunge the tails easily into firm snow.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
- Good carving ability (4)
- Durable (3)
- Good grip (3)
Cons
Best Uses
- Downhill (3)
- Moguls (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (3)
Reviewed by 5 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-5
Pros
- Good Carving Ability
Cons
Best Uses
- Moguls
- Telemarking
Comments about K2 Skis BackUp:
I bought these specifically for lift-serve tele skiing on hardpack, crud, bumps and variable conditions. They felt very stable, and I could let them run down the fall line. More than once tehy have pulled me out of off-balance situations. A real step up in terms of stablity, and very easy turning. Definitely took my skiing up a notch. Wow. I've been tele skiing for 20 years--these skis are a dream!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Beast Coast Variable
- Durable
- Good Carving Ability
- Good Grip
- Lightweight
- Scratch Resistant
- Smooth Ride
Cons
- Poor Flotation
Best Uses
- Beast Coast Tree-Skiing
- Downhill
- Groomed Terrain
- Moguls
- Telemarking
Comments about K2 Skis BackUp:
I was looking for a replacement for my venerable World Piste's, an outstanding tele ski in it's own right, and decided to roll with the Backups. I wasn't disappointed at all!
I skied mine over 80 days at Jay Peak, VT last winter. Fantastic ski for days when it's hard & fast, super fun in the moguls, handles crud well, and perfect for variable & firm Bc days. And if you learned to ski pow back in the day, it will hold its own in the deeper stuff (max. 12").
I have skis for deeper days and skis for racing, yet I find that I reach for my Backup's most days. If you need a ski for everyday Beast Coast use, or a "go-to" ski when you don't know what the Bc conditions will be, this is your stick.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
Cons
- Poor Construction
Best Uses
Comments about K2 Skis BackUp:
I purchased a pair of backups 2 months ago. Right on the next weekend I tried them on a great, sunny day of resort skiing. The ski seemed to work well. In the end of the day I noticed that the tip of the one ski was raised really early. It had changed shape!!! and looked like a rocker ski. I was a bit shocked since I had not even fall (except a minor one), jumped or hit anything that day. I assumed that this would be a defect of the material and that it would be covered by the warranty. But no! As the store in Germany - were I bought them online - claimed, they had checked the ski with a person of K2 and were driven to the conclusion that the ski was compressed and thus not covered by the warranty.
A material defect could happen to anyone. But when K2 says that this damage was my fault, it means that the ski can be damaged in just one day. I don't know if this was just bad luck, but since this ski is not supposed to be destroyed that easily even in the hard conditions of ski mountaineering, STAY AWAY!!
Not to mention that nobody from K2 ever explained to me how such a damage is possible to happen even if I asked.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Images shared by Panayotis
Images shared by Panayotis
the 2 skis after the first day skiing them
(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)
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Pros
- Durable
- Good Carving Ability
- Good Grip
- Great Flotation
Cons
Best Uses
- Downhill
- Icy Conditions
- Moguls
- Powder
Comments about K2 Skis BackUp:
The mountain is a canvas and you need one brush to paint it with- pull out the BackUps. When a splitter couloir promises to be one of the best runs of your life, slice it, dice it and serve it up in perfect proportions with a ski that knows its way around the big peaks.
Pros
- Durable
- Good Carving Ability
- Good Grip
- Great Flotation
- Smooth Ride
Cons
Best Uses
- Downhill
- Powder
Comments about K2 Skis BackUp:
As a ski mountaineering guide I have to exert myself many days in a row. This requires a ski that does it all in an efficient manner- climb well, skin well, carry well, ski well, anchor well- so that I can go BACKUP the next day!
Displaying reviews 1-5
BackUp
Built with Speed Rocker
This item is currently unavailable through our website
Size ChartThe 11/12 K2 BackUp is the ideal ski mountaineering tool. Built with Speed Rocker to take on all snow conditions, the K2 BackUp is equally happy making laps as a resort telemark ski. Two sheets of metal with an ultra-lightweight wood core provide exceptional edgehold, as well as a damp, supple feel typically not commonly found in skis this light. Its 82 mm waist is narrow enough to excel whether descending refrozen conditions or skinning in hard, bony conditions, but wide enough to handle variable snow with ease and predictability. Make this K2 ski your quiver of one.
Sizes: 160, 167, 174, 181
Radius: 19m @ 174
Construction: Metal TNC, Cap, Paulownia
Weight: 1475g
Features: Progressive Sidecut, SnoPhobic Topsheet, Tip and Tail Holes, Pre-Cut Skins Available
