Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

I live and ski mostly in Scotland with yearly trips to the alps and very occasionally the US/Canada. When I was looking for a new ski, I needed a ski that could be as good at everything it could be without focussing directly on any one discipline. Scottish conditions can vary wildly from powder one day to horrid slush the next (or same) day and mostly everything between. The hardside has excelled in everything I've thrown at it. Coming from the Xplorer I was immediately at home on these as they had very similar characteristics, perhaps having even better edge grip. They coped very well with hard compact conditions on and off piste in the 3 Valleys last season (2011) and were not too bad in a steeps lesson that took the moguls on the telepherique line in Courchevel 1850. For a ski that can rail on the groomers and also bust crud and handle deeper softer snow and a bit of slush, I don't think I'd want anything else. The Hardsides have the advantage of a flat tail which makes them a much more versatile back country ski. A little heavy for an extended tour anywhere, but the most skinning/booting i'll be doing is under 1 hour so these are perfect.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

I have used this ski in bounds crud and pow and heli skied around 300,000 vertical feet in many conditions in the past two years. These skis rock! You are in the snow vs. on the snow.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

I had the same problem as PFFlyer. Wide ski, rocker tip and for some reason I am sinking in the pow. Maybe my 181's are too short to float my 200#'s but
this is not what I expected from these skis. They do perform well in all other soft snow conditions.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

Tested a pair of these on a day when we'd just had 14 inches of fresh dry powder. Some things they do remarkably well. They were tremendous in the tracked up powder and crud, they blow right through it. Getting back to the lodge on the groomers they were well above average for an off piste ski. They also behaved very well in the moguls. The problem was with their performance in the beautiful, new, untracked powder. The tips sank like they had boat anchors attached to them. All the way to the bottom of the powder. Given the amount of rocker and their width this seemed inconceivable. Had to lean very uncomfortably on the tails when I came off steep powder since anytime the terrain flattened out I was almost thrown out of the front of the skis due to the deceleration from all the drag on the buried tips (along with my ski boots and shins). Even riding the tails I couldn't pry the tips back to the surface. Managed to get them to do what I needed throughout the day, but they made for the toughest day I've ever had with a foot of new powder. My old race skis handled powder better than these. Also don't recommend getting any air under them, the skis absorb noting on impact, instead they transfer it all directly into your legs and back.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

As a hard charging 64 year old, male, ski anything skier, that has been skiing Volkl Mantras for years, I jumped on these and immediately knew I was jumping up a big step.

I ski about 100 days a year at mostly Squaw Valley and with our varying conditions on difficult terrain it is great to have one ski to do it all.

The Mantra was a great ski, but the Hardside, is like skiing the Mantra on Steroids, quicker,lighter, more stable on all conditions.

Skiing bumps is very easy, no harshness, and great edge hold.

Think turn it turns, crud, cuts like a knife, ice is just noise.

Love these skis

The graphics were a little too much, almost turned me off to the ski.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

I've been on these skis since Dec '09. They flat out rip in mixed conditions like pow on bumps. They keep me up right if I mess up a landing 'cause only the deepest auger will stop 'em.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

This ski is amazing !!. I bought it for my everyday go to ski, and it delivers. The ski is light, smooth and quick , especially for a 98 under foot. Very pleased with the edge hold on firm, and feels powerful carving big GS turns. This ski also rips in the powder due to the all terrain rocker and the powder tip. If skiing is your passion, do yourself a favor and buy this ski. Thanks K2 for another great one.

Comments about K2 Skis HardSide:

I've only skied it one day so far, but I'm amazed at the versatility of this ski. It floats through crud unlike anything I've experienced; powder goes without saying. On-piste, the tip rocker makes it turn with the ease and quickness of a mogul ski. At our area, we're often transitioning from soft snow to ice and back, and the Hardside grips as advertised on the hard stuff. High speed carves are stable. So far, it's the most ideal all-mountain ski I've experienced. I can't speak about durability yet but I expect it will be very good.