2011-2012 K2 Happy Hour

I finally got my chance to give the board a good rip at Taos a day after an eight-inch storm.

My first thought as we took a couple of warm-up laps down Bambi to Lorelei was how snappy, yet stable, the board felt. I popped off every little bump I ran across and landed at speed, feeling as smooth as could be.

My sudden desire to ollie off everything in sight may have been related to a carbon insert preloaded with camber in the center of the board, which K2 calls the Ollie Bar. There is also a Carbon Web near each of the bindings. Together, these make the board feel like a spring, in the best possible way. Everything began to look like a launch ramp, and the Happy Hour obliged these new urges, projecting me into the air.

The board also felt good in the increasingly larger bumps that were forming in the soft snow in Lorelei. The shortness of the board along with its decreased swing weight felt quick and smooth through the moguls. The thin tail was forgiving yet still supportive against the occasional harder bumps, where more stiffness would have jarred me and thrown me off my line.

But this flexibility also concerned me: Would this board hold up at high speeds in Taos’s steeper and more aggressive terrain? Would it be too floppy in the deep? I hiked the West Basin Ridge to find out.

I continued to appreciate the Happy Hour’s responsiveness as I dodged fingers of rocks and roots on the traverse out to St. Bernard. I dropped in and made a few wide carves in the soft snow, then let fly. Coming out onto the apron, the Happy Hour cut through the powder and out onto the flat, groomed portion of West Basin below Stauffenberg. The board held fast as I leaned back and let out a hoot. I took a few more West Basin runs on Elevator and Heavy Timber, hauling out through the aprons to flat on each one.

In every case, the Happy Hour kept me in control in the tight stuff up top and stable as I let it rip out through the apron.

The base of the Happy Hour is completely flat, which I think keeps it steady despite its playfulness. The Flatline Technology, as K2 calls it, is a rarity in this day and age of rocker and camber—and I love it. It makes the board predictable in its performance. It feels extremely stable when maching down groomers or straight-lining the end of a bump run. K2 also used a 4000 sintered base, which they claim is the fastest natural base material available. I can’t corroborate that claim, but the Happy Hour certainly hauls.

For the sake of testing, I even took the Happy Hour into the park, despite my well-fitting, plainly colored ski clothes. Like I said before, I’m not a big air guy, but the Happy Hour’s balance of playfulness and stability was apparent as I rallied over Taos’s well-formed jumps. On a backcountry kicker near Crested Butte, the board tweaked, spun, and just performed as I launched into a couple feet of powder.

If you can’t tell, I’m really stoked on this board. The graphics have even started to grow on me, though I might just be brainwashed from the way the board rides. As I said mentioned earlier, though, it is a little small for me. The 251mm waist is slightly narrow for my size 10.5 feet, and I’d imagine the board’s float in powder would improve at the 161 size. But every time I strap into this thing, I get amped for a day of fun all over the mountain. And isn’t that what riding is all about?