Today K2 announced that they’re making several updates to their Mindbender Ti freeride skis, which first hit the market in the 19/20 season and had been unchanged since (apart from graphics).
The 22/23 Mindbender Ti skis all get several updates, from construction to rocker profiles. The Mindbender “C” (aka, carbon) skis return constructionally unchanged for 22/23. I chatted with K2’s head ski designer, Jed Yeiser, at the Blister Summit and on the phone this morning to get the rundown on all the changes.
The arguably biggest change is in the core, and particularly K2’s signature “Titanal Y-Beam” that debuted on the original Mindbenders. The shape and placement of the Y-Beam have been tweaked, with more mass being moved out away from the mount point of the ski to get better stability and composure at the ends of the ski. This was the result of some of the experimentation they’ve been doing with one of their other new 22/23 ski lines that we’ll be talking about soon (and that folks got to test at the Summit).
The overall goal of the Y-Beam layer is still similar to the previous generation, though. It’s a layer of titanal that runs edge to edge underfoot, but then splits into two “prongs” over the edges near the shovels and a single strip as it extends toward the tail. The idea is that you get a very torsionally rigid section underfoot for edge grip there, a fairly torsionally rigid area around the shovels for precise turn initiation, and a less torsionally rigid tail for easier release. This is in contrast to a more traditional layer of titanal, which often either extends edge to edge throughout the length of the ski or is a consistent strip, both of which offer fewer fine-tuning options when it comes to torsional rigidity.
The 22/23 Mindbender Ti skis also all now feature K2’s “Aspen Veneer” core, which consists of a lot of 2mm-thick aspen strips (thinner than many ski cores’ wood stringers) that K2 says let them get a more consistent overall core block. This will also likely lead to slightly lower weights for the skis that previously used maple or fir in their cores (our pair of the 184 cm Mindbender 99Ti is about 2100 grams per ski, which is about 100 grams lighter per ski than K2’s stated weight for the previous version).
Another change is that the 22/23 Mindbender Ti skis feature deeper rocker lines, most notably through the tail. The main goal here was to make the tails easier to release and drift when needed.
We’ve got a new Mindbender 99Ti in for a long-term review and will be reviewing several of the others in the future, so stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, you can find more info on K2’s website, and check out the graphics for all five of the 2023 Mindbender Ti models below:
Is the weight changing any?
Yeah it got lighter
Well shit. I was hoping for something along the lines of a more playful Cochise.
We’ll have a measured weight of at least the MB99Ti shortly, but Jed hadn’t mentioned anything about it.
Our 184 cm Mindbender 99Ti is about 2100 grams per ski, which is 200+ g lighter than our pair of the old one, though about 100 g lighter than their stated weight for the old one (they had said our pair of the old ski was heavier than average).
Does the same hold true for the 108?
Luke, did the mount points remain the same?
We only have the 99Ti, but that mount point is the same, and I assume the same is true of the others, given the very minimal changes to shape and flex pattern. I just skied it today so I’ll have a Flash Review up soon.
The Y-beam is a nifty idea. I’m all for K2 further refining it for 22/23. I’m surprised they increased the tail rocker because every review seems to say they were already easy enough to release. The topsheets continue to be adventurous. Some good ones in there, but the green 108ti topsheet is a bit of a miss for me. Totally subjective.
Copying the Line Blade–much?
K2 owns line my guy……
89 underfoot now on my list for next season.
As a big fan of the 108, I’m curious to see if these changes to a more “free ride” ski would change the mount point. I thought the tails were appropriately loose before and I hope the deeper rocker doesn’t mess with the 108s carving ability.
Agree on all counts. Never had a resort pow ski that hit the nail on the head more perfectly for me. Don’t want it any looser, as I’m an unapologetic old school directional skier. These things destroy cut up pow without being at all tank-like.
I’ve got a pair that had a “little issue”, but they are still totally skiable. Bless their hearts, K2 gifted me another pair, so I’m set for a LONG time!
Hi, Tom. I’m interested in knowing more about the “little issue” you had with your MBs, and whether it’s the same as the one I’ll now describe.
I bought the 90Ti’s in Jan. 2020, the first year they were being made. While overall I am deeply in love with the ski, I had a serious problem with the topsheet separating/delaminating from the core along both edges of both skis, in the area from about 6 inches above the bindings to about 6 inches below the bindings, which corresponds exactly to where the “power sidewall” is. I ski a real lot of Vermont bumps, many hours per day, usually keeping my knees and feet as close together as I can, which no doubt leads to frequent contact between the underfoot inner edges, and it’s my strong belief that’s what caused the problem, which to me is clearly a manufacturer’s defect rather than “impact” due to “pilot error”. After a bit of a battle with them, K2 did replace the skis for me, under warranty, in March 2021, providing me with last year’s (20-21) model. Within a relatively short time, this exact same separation problem started again, in the exact same area, though not as severely yet, and this time K2 is (thus far) not being accommodating.
In my opinion, this is strong evidence that in their first effort of designing and producing the MB line, they did not perfect attaching the power sidewall, which is inserted into a narrow rabbet in the core, with the topsheet. I find it very interesting that in their description of the revised MB line for 2022-23 on their website, there is NO MENTION of the “power sidewall” (quite in contrast to the way they emphasized it, including a short video, with the initial design), and pictures seem to indicate that they may have removed it entirely, though I can’t conclude this with certainty. If so, that would certainly suggest that there was indeed a problem with the execution of the concept.
So, Tom, I sure would appreciate hearing details of your “issue”, and anyone else who may also have experienced something similar, please also contribute. Thanks!
So funny to read this. I skied my 90ti Mindbenders for one day and had a small delaminating issue behind the heelpiece of the binding at the end of the double sidewall. I was surprised and it made little sense as to where it was. It’s not in an area where you would normally have a significant scratch, let alone a delamination.
Not a fan of the ski either, unfortunately.
Thanks for posting, Colin. I didn’t think I was alone in experiencing this and there are probably many others, and I continue to believe it reflects a flaw in K2’s original design execution. “It’s not in an area where you would normally have a significant scratch, let alone a delamination.” EXACTLY! ….. unless they hadn’t figured out, on their first try, how to adequately keep the “powerwall”, which is made from a narrow strip of some mysterious material, adequately glued to the topsheet. I’m wondering, Colin, do you also ski a lot of bumps or, alternatively, generally ski with a more “old school” narrow stance that would lead to frequent contact of the “inside” sides of the skis around the binding/powerwall area? Also, since you said the “small delaminating” happened after only one day, did it get worse with additional use? We do differ, Colin, in our overall opinion of the ski, as I still love it despite the problem I’ve reported, and view it as the perfect daily driver for Eastern skiing. I can see how going with the 99 width would be more appropriate for Western skiing, though.
BTW, it turns out that K2 HAS eliminated the “powerwall” concept in the new Mindbender design, and has gone with a full sidewall design, which leads me to speculate that there is truth to my theory. It will be interesting to see if this eliminates the delamination problem; I think it will. I have to believe it will also lead to better edge grip and stability, which are already very good IMO.
So, Luke Koppa, if you’re still following this thread, may I make a request of you? As it appears from your comments that you and Jonathan have a friendly and cooperative relationship with K2’s head ski designer, Jed Yeiser, that allows you to communicate with him with relative ease, might it be possible for you to contact him and ask him if 1) K2 has indeed learned of ongoing issues with delamination of the Mindbender skis (particularly the 90ti’s) at the powerwall/topsheet intersection and 2) what were the factors that led to the decision to eliminate the powerwall and go with a full sidewall, and report his comments here? (Or, if you’re not comfortable publishing what he says here, please feel free to e-mail me privately, if that works for you.) I’d think Jed (perhaps understandably) might not want to confirm my first question, though I certainly would have much respect for his honesty if he did, but his comments would provide interesting and useful info to me (and probably Colin), and hopefully other readers as well. Thanks for considering this, Luke!
I wonder if this may be due to the fact that K2 skis are manufactured in China…
I wonder if the “looser tail” mainly refers to the narrower widths? Those where reviewed as not very loose at at.
I very much like the MB 90Ti’s. I’m pretty light at 155 or so, and the softer flex of this ski compared to my Enforcer 88’s makes it less demanding in bumps, and easier to bend and get really deep carves. Not to take anything away from the Enforcer 88’s as that ski is a carving machine. Only complaint is the MB’s do have a fair bit of vibration in the tails when scrubbing speed on steep firm groomers, so it’ll be interesting if tweaking the tails fixes this.
Dang looks like im buying this years 99 to have a backup, love that ski and it sounds like its done being a charger now
Did they reduce turn radius on 89 ti? Not sure why they would do that.
How much higher is the rocker on the new 99 ti?
Is it more like salomon qst 98?
Can’t you release a picture from the side to se the change?
Bought the 2023 99ti’s last week. Have skied on them four 4 days. Moved from east coast to Vail. Wanted something wider under foot for powder and all round skiing than my east coast Volkl RTM 84’s. Love the K2’s. Great in deep powder, had 11 inches the other day. Navigates clumps and bumps real well. Lot faster than my old skis which is taking some time to get used to. Was skiing on 171’s, moved up to 178’s. Like the added stability, really float in powder.