2018-2019 K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti

Ski: 2018-2019 K2 Pinnacle 95, 184 cm

Available Lengths: 170, 177, 184, 191 cm

Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 185.6 cm

Stated Weight per Ski: 1850 grams

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 1956 & 1999 grams

Stated Dimensions: 132-95-115 mm

Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 133.3-94.3-117.5

Stated Sidecut Radius: 17 meters

Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 69 mm / 27 mm

Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 1-2 mm

Core: Fir/NanoLite + Titanal (1 full layer, 1 partial layer over the edges) + Triaxial Fiberglass Laminate

Base: Sintered

Factory Recommended Mount Point: -11.8 cm from center; 81.0 cm from tail

Intro

K2’s freeride lineup has gone through a lot of changes over the years. What started with skis like the Seth Pistol back in the early 2000’s, eventually transformed into the Annex 98 for the 14/15 season, and then the Annex 98 was replaced by the original Pinnacle 95 for the 15/16 season.

While each of those skis had their strengths and each new iteration seemed to be a bit more dialed than the previous iteration, we didn’t find that the old Pinnacle 95 lived up to K2’s claims about its ability to “attack the resort in any condition.” Instead, we thought it belonged on the “easy and forgiving” end of the all-mountain spectrum.

Then K2 updated the Pinnacle lineup for the 17/18 season, making some tweaks to the skis’ construction — most notably a switch from an Aspen to Fir wood core — to make it stronger and more stable. (The Pinnacle 95 Ti returns unchanged for 18/19, apart from graphics.)

So this past season we had a couple reviewers on the updated Pinnacle 95 Ti to see where it slotted in among the really diverse category of ~95mm all-mountain skis

Based on this ski’s specs alone, the Pinnacle 95 Ti doesn’t really look like anything else in its class. Blister members can check out our Flash Review of the Pinnacle 95 Ti for our initial on-snow impressions, but while we compile our full review, let’s take a look at the ways in which this ski differs from what we typically see from skis in this class.

What K2 says about the Pinnacle 95 Ti

“The updated Pinnacle 95 is the surfy, quiver-of-one freeride ski of the Pinnacle Series. A 95mm waist allows the skier to change edges quickly and efficiently on-piste and in variable terrain, but is still wide enough when the snow piles up on storm days. Truly a jack-of-all-trades, the Pinnacle 95 is the ripping, confidence-boosting ski you’ve been looking for.”

The main theme here seems to be the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s versatility — K2 definitely isn’t positioning it as some narrower all-mountain ski that you’re only supposed to break out on firm-snow days. It’s supposed to feel surfy yet also quick edge-to-edge, and efficient on-piste and in variable terrain … while still being capable on pow days. And based on our next section, some of those claims (particularly the last one) actually do seem to make sense.

Shape / Rocker Profile

As we alluded to earlier, the Pinnacle 95 Ti looks pretty different than the other skis it’s going up against. And the same was true of the old Pinnacle 95 (the two versions of the ski share the same stated dimensions, and have nearly identical rocker profiles).

The Pinnacle 95 Ti has a lot of tip taper, and a good deal of tail taper, too. The Pinnacle 95 Ti’s shape actually looks more similar to some wider skis (e.g., Salomon QST 106 and Rossignol Soul 7 HD), rather than other all-mountain skis in the ~95mm waist range like the Blizzard Bonafide, Volkl Mantra M5, etc.

The Pinnacle 95 Ti also has a lot more tip and tail rocker and splay than most other skis in its class. The Pinnacle 95 Ti’s tip rocker line starts very deep, and it rivals the tip rocker line of the 17/18 Liberty Origin 96 for the deepest tip rocker we’ve seen on a ski this narrow (the 18/19 Origin 96 has a significantly shallower tip rocker line).

The Pinnacle 95 Ti’s tail rocker line is also pretty deep, and it has more tail splay than most skis of similar widths.

Overall, the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s shape and rocker profile make it look like a ski that should definitely perform well in soft snow compared to other skis in its class.

Flex Pattern

Hand flexing the Pinnacle 95 Ti, here’s how we’d characterize its flex pattern:

Tips: 5.5
Shovels: 6-7.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 9-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind Heel Piece: 10-9
Tails: 9-8.5

We said that the old K2 Annex 98 felt like “two different skis under one topsheet.” That ski had very soft, forgiving tips that were easy to bend into turns, but its tails were quite stout and felt like they wanted to stay locked into hard, agressive carves. The result was a ski that didn’t feel instantly intuitive, and seemed to have a split personality.

While the latest Pinnacle 95 Ti (and also the previous version of the ski) feels more balanced overall, the new Pinnacle 95 Ti does still have a pretty distinct front- and back-half when it comes to its flex pattern.

The Pinnacle 95 Ti starts out quite soft (its tips are a bit softer than those on the Liberty Origin 96), and the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s shovels are far from burly.

But then you get to the middle ~half of the Pinnacle 95 Ti, and it actually feels pretty stiff. K2 says the Pinnacle 95 Ti has a “solid, powerful feel underfoot,” and the flex pattern here makes that pretty easy to believe.

Then you move to the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s tail, which is not nearly as soft as its tips. And while its tail isn’t as super-stiff as a ski like the Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s tail definitely doesn’t feel noodly.

Weight

The Pinnacle 95 Ti falls pretty nicely in between some of the very light all-mountain skis like the Elan Ripstick 96 and Renoun Endurance 98, and more traditional, metal-laminate skis like the Bonafide, Nordica Enforcer 93, and J Skis Masterblaster. Compared to the previous version of the Pinnacle 95, the redesigned Pinnacle 95 Ti comes in a bit heavier, which makes sense given that K2 is claiming the new ski is supposed to feel a bit stronger and more stable.

In other words, in the current world where many all-mountain skis are getting lighter, the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s weight feels pretty average. For reference, below are a few of our measured weights (per ski, in grams) for a few notable skis. As always, keep in mind the length differences to keep things apples-to-apples.

1629 & 1684 Elan Ripstick 96, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1734 & 1750 Renoun Endurance 98, 184 cm (18/19)
1856 & 1850 K2 Pinnacle 95, 184 cm (15/16, 16/17)
1896 & 1919 Dynastar Legend X96, 186 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1921 & 1968 Head Kore 99, 189 cm (18/19)
1925 & 1937 Liberty Helix 98, 186 cm (18/19)
1931 & 1932 DPS Foundation Cassiar 94, 185 cm (18/19)
1956 & 1999 K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti, 184 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1966 & 1973 Liberty Origin 96, 187 cm (18/19)
1998 & 2044 4FRNT MSP 99, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2007 & 2029 Armada Invictus 99 Ti, 187 cm (18/19)
2049 & 2065 Volkl Mantra M5, 177 cm (18/19)
2053 & 2057 Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, 188 cm (18/19)
2114 & 2133 Nordica Enforcer 93, 185 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2115 & 2149 J Skis Masterblaster, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2124 & 2137 Blizzard Bonafide, 180 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2131 & 2189 Nordica Enforcer 100, 185 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2373 & 2397 Head Monster 98, 184 cm (17/18)

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious about

(1) Versatility: With such a generous rocker profile and so much tip taper, the Pinnacle 95 Ti looks like a ski that should have no problem on moderate (or even pretty deep?) pow days. But this is a 95mm all-mountain ski, so does the Pinnacle 95 Ti’s rocker profile and shape negatively affect its performance on days when the conditions are firmer and more demanding?

(2) Forgiveness vs. Stability: The Pinnacle 95 Ti has one full layer of titanal, and another partial layer around the edges. But it also has a very easy-going rocker profile and shape, it’s fairly light, and it has pretty soft tips. So, like the old Pinnacle 95, is the newest version of the Pinnacle 95 Ti still a ski that’s best for intermediate skiers? Or will advanced, or even expert skiers get along better with the new ski?

Bottom Line (For Now)

We see a lot of skis around here, and the K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti’s design still stands out from the rest of the pack. It has a shape and rocker profile that look pretty similar to a lot of wider powder skis, its flex pattern is an interesting combination of a forgiving front and much more supportive midsection and tail, but it still has a fairly narrow 95 mm waist and metal-laminate construction.

Blister members can check out our Flash Review for our initial on-snow impressions, but while we put together our full review feel free to add in the comments section below any questions or things you’d like us to address in our full review.

Flash Review: K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti

Blister members can now read our initial on-snow impressions in our Flash Review of the Pinnacle 95 Ti.

(Learn more about Blister Member benefits, and Become a Blister member)

NEXT: The Full Review