Product Description: The K2 Obsethed is a twin-tip, big-mountain, powder ski with camber underfoot and rocker in the tip and tail.

Category: Powder Skis

Brand: K2

Size: 179 Cm

MSRP: $699

Tester: Tony Gill/ ht: 5’10’’/ wt: 150 lbs/ location: Utah

Product Review: I’ll start by saying the current conditions in Utah — and pretty much everywhere else in the lower 48 — are not ideal for testing a powder ski. However, the recent warm temperatures and rain/snow mixture provided some spring-like variable conditions that would help showcase the Obsethed’s strengths and expose its flaws.

The K2 Obsethed is a mean-looking, powder-hungry ski. The aggressive totem pole graphics on the topsheet match the personality the ski has on the hill. The ski has a massive amount of tip rocker — the same amount as the legendary K2 Hellbent — and less, though still a good amount, or tail rocker. The ski has camber in the midsection, and at 117 mm underfoot, the ski is pretty wide but still versatile by today’s standards. The sandwich construction, tip and tail rivets and ABS sidewalls mean the ski is reliably tough. Though the pair I tested was new and hadn’t been put through the proper wringer, K2’s durability has always been on point. The rocks and sticks I subjected the Obsethed to caused little to no harm.

The Obsethed has a medium flex that is far softer in the tip than it is underfoot and in the tail. Despite ample tail rocker the ski didn’t have a tendency to wheelie out. Something that helps negate the wheelie effect is mounting skis with tail rocker a little bit closer to center. Mine were mounted with the boot center 3 cm back from true center of the ski. The Obsethed is not a great carving ski by any means, but it held an edge admirably well considering its intended use. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the skis were a bit much to handle in the bumps due to their size, and for those looking for a park ski, these wouldn’t be much fun due to their girth and weight. However, the ski did excel when going fast. At speed, the ski soaked up any obstacle in front of it thanks in large part to the huge floppy tip that sits so high off the snow. Despite the ski’s forgiving flex, it works well as a charger with a speed limit that will push the upper end of most skiers’ comfort zones. The wobbling of the tip, though unnerving, did nothing to affect the performance of the ski. The ample rocker also made the ski quite maneuverable, and when mounted near center, the ski has a good swing weight for jumping and doing spinnny, flippy tricks. I tested the ski with the Rottefella NTN binding and Scarpa TX Comp boots. Skiers would do well to choose a stiff boot and binding to match with this ski.

Bottom Line: An easy to ski, versatile, charging ski works well in deep powder and on BC jumps. For more information on the Obsethed, check out the K2 website HERE.

-Tony Gill