K2 skis' team is hurting

More focused on all mountain/powder/big mountain and walked away from the park scene?

They got blown up around this time last year. They cut Seth Morrison after 24 years. I think they were put up for sale in early October. Not sure if they found a buyer.

Didn't they just pick up Joona Kangas and Jake Carney? Colby Stevenson and Dylan Sondrup also round out the team. I actually think K2 has got a pretty solid crew going into the future

The Company was in flux. The new owner Rubbermaid was shopping the brand and was not in a mood to throw money at skiers when they didn't want to keep the brand. K2 has now been sold to the private equity firm Kohlberg & Company. Its too early to tell what they are going to do with the brand as far as Marketing dollars.

AndrewGravesSVDidn't they just pick up Joona Kangas and Jake Carney? Colby Stevenson and Dylan Sondrup also round out the team. I actually think K2 has got a pretty solid crew going into the future

On their website, Jake Carney is an Ambassador, while Joona Kangas, Colby Stevenson, and Dylan Sondrup are listed as a part of their International AMS.

codizzleKai Mahler is OK. Joss is OK.

do these guys not count as stars to you? One won olympic gold and created SLVSH, the other carved a triple 16 in x-games and consistently releases amazing edits

You forgot Sean Jordan... they have a pretty sick team

Pep Fujas, Sean Pettit, Clayton Vila, Sean Jordan, Joss Christensen, Kai Mahler, Colby Stevenson, Collin Collins, Joona Kangas, Dylan Sondrup, Birk Irving, Maks Gorham, Jake Carney, Cayden Wood, Hank Bilous.... just to name a few.

OP is wrong, K2 has a stacked team.

Have you been living under a rock? K2 has one of the most well rounded teams out there right now. I'd say they're rivaled by Armada.

If you want to talk about teams that are hurting, look at Nordica. They're a complete shell of what they use to be. It's a shame because they use to have one of the best teams in the industry (Although I must say that Christian Franchino and Jerm Vey are a WAY better fit with HG).

skitheleastThey got blown up around this time last year. They cut Seth Morrison after 24 years. I think they were put up for sale in early October. Not sure if they found a buyer.

they r working with line now im not sure if that has to do with it

Haha Olympic Gold medalist Joss is listed as "OK"

JakeDalBonthey r working with line now im not sure if that has to do with it

K2 Sports bought Line Skis in 2006. Line is a sub division of K2. Newell's (the parent company) entire winter sports division, including K2 Sports, Marker/Volkl, BCA, Line Skis and Full Tilt, was put up for sale last October.

skitheleastK2 Sports bought Line Skis in 2006. Line is a sub division of K2. Newell's (the parent company) entire winter sports division, including K2 Sports, Marker/Volkl, BCA, Line Skis and Full Tilt, was put up for sale last October.

ah thanks. I guess I just hadn't noticed it before

Obie.Haha Olympic Gold medalist Joss is listed as "OK"

He's obviously not new wave enough!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!

DIRTYBUBBLEHave you been living under a rock? K2 has one of the most well rounded teams out there right now. I'd say they're rivaled by Armada.

If you want to talk about teams that are hurting, look at Nordica. They're a complete shell of what they use to be. It's a shame because they use to have one of the best teams in the industry (Although I must say that Christian Franchino and Jerm Vey are a WAY better fit with HG).

This is 100%, K2 has an extremely solid team, and its more than just being comp skiers or strictly urban riders they have a great mix of everything.

Park_RangerPep Fujas, Sean Pettit, Clayton Vila, Sean Jordan, Joss Christensen, Kai Mahler, Colby Stevenson, Collin Collins, Joona Kangas, Dylan Sondrup, Birk Irving, Maks Gorham, Jake Carney, Cayden Wood, Hank Bilous.... just to name a few.

OP is wrong, K2 has a stacked team.

The original K2 freeride team from back in the day was super stacked. I don't care about park, so the only guys I really care about on K2 are Pep and Petit.

K2 cut Seth Morrison, who was absolutely iconic, one of the greatest skiers ever. Seth is up there with McConkey and Candide in terms of being a legend in skiing. K2 without Seth is a big deal.

As someone else said, this has to do with reorganization of the company. K2 is being sold, or the conglomerate is being sold, and they have not been profitable.

codizzleKai Mahler is OK.

One of the best out there at the moment, in my opinion...

Griffin Moller yo.. he has the chance of becoming a huge big mountain star.

Mahler is one of the tightest comp skiers right now

dan4060The original K2 freeride team from back in the day was super stacked. I don't care about park, so the only guys I really care about on K2 are Pep and Petit.

K2 cut Seth Morrison, who was absolutely iconic, one of the greatest skiers ever. Seth is up there with McConkey and Candide in terms of being a legend in skiing. K2 without Seth is a big deal.

As someone else said, this has to do with reorganization of the company. K2 is being sold, or the conglomerate is being sold, and they have not been profitable.

Sean Petit and Pep are still big names, Collin Collins crushes back country and on the come up is Sam Schwartz for a big mountain ripper. K2's team is fine and even on the come up like I said before

It doesn't really matter, a brand on the scale of K2 isn't defined by it's freeski team. In fact it's probably not even not even a needle mover on it's effect in sales.

if kai is just okay to you i think your opinion is fucking garbage anyways

SessionIt doesn't really matter, a brand on the scale of K2 isn't defined by it's freeski team. In fact it's probably not even not even a needle mover on it's effect in sales.

I think if they didn't have park riders on their team people would really question how seriously they take building park skis. A lot of their big mountain skis have gotten more directional, the only new technology they are really pushing is making their cores lighter so they are more touring friendly and weird sidecuts that are not park friendly. They only make like two models of park skis and one is that shitty cap ski with no camber. Idk just an observation.

Im offended that you said Kai was ok.

OJulierOne of the best out there at the moment, in my opinion...

KlausMahler is one of the tightest comp skiers right now

fghtoffyrdmnsif kai is just okay to you i think your opinion is fucking garbage anyways

LonelyIm offended that you said Kai was ok.

Mahler is honestly at the forefront of jumps. Kid has style and control that remind me of the top pros in the world (Wallisch, Henrick) and hes only getting better. When I read that you said he was ok I was personally offended like the last guy. Kai is my favorite jump skier in the game and has been for years. Don't make some ignorant claims if you dont know what the fuck you are talking about.

Joss is a bigger deal to say "OK" to, but the olympic gold is more than enough to make you look like a dumbass.

I realize this was unnecessarily aggressive btw

I've been on my 2011 obsetheds the last 5 days in a row at JHMR. destroying them on rocks and whatnot, and have around 300 days on them over 8 seasons, so I'm wondering if anyone has a less used models?

disagree with the title. team seems stacked. maybe a bit to legend'y for this sites crowd

codizzlejust looked at K2's team. Pep, Pettit, clayton villa. that's about it. Kai Mahler is OK. Joss is OK.

but as far as star power goes, they are just getting blown out of the water. 15 years ago, they were stacked so deep. what happened?

Kai Mahler is like one of the best park skiers in the world .. you must live under a rock if you don't think so ..

CaseyI think if they didn't have park riders on their team people would really question how seriously they take building park skis. A lot of their big mountain skis have gotten more directional, the only new technology they are really pushing is making their cores lighter so they are more touring friendly and weird sidecuts that are not park friendly. They only make like two models of park skis and one is that shitty cap ski with no camber. Idk just an observation.

K2 doesn't survive on park skis sales.

skitheleastHe's obviously not new wave enough!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!

Lmao but then OP hates on Kai Mahler too. I honestly wonder what he considers a "good" skier

cozzeyGriffin Moller yo.. he has the chance of becoming a huge big mountain star.

That kid fucking kills it and he just got on the FWT as well

Park.Mahler is honestly at the forefront of jumps. Kid has style and control that remind me of the top pros in the world (Wallisch, Henrick) and hes only getting better. When I read that you said he was ok I was personally offended like the last guy. Kai is my favorite jump skier in the game and has been for years. Don't make some ignorant claims if you dont know what the fuck you are talking about.

Joss is a bigger deal to say "OK" to, but the olympic gold is more than enough to make you look like a dumbass.

I realize this was unnecessarily aggressive btw

Yeah, man, I'm assessing their team based on star power. Pep and Pettit are legends. The others aren't legends. In addition, there's such little cohesion with K2. When I think of Armada or Faction, their identity makes a lot of sense.

Obviously, Armada is, far and away, the most stacked team and it's not even close.

I'd say Faction or Line is next.

After that? I dunno.

codizzleYeah, man, I'm assessing their team based on star power. Pep and Pettit are legends. The others aren't legends. In addition, there's such little cohesion with K2. When I think of Armada or Faction, their identity makes a lot of sense.

Obviously, Armada is, far and away, the most stacked team and it's not even close.

I'd say Faction or Line is next.

After that? I dunno.

Other than Armada, which other team is made up of legends? No one. Your talking out of your ass, K2 has a banging team, arguably top 3 in the world, also in terms of star power.

CaseyI think if they didn't have park riders on their team people would really question how seriously they take building park skis. A lot of their big mountain skis have gotten more directional, the only new technology they are really pushing is making their cores lighter so they are more touring friendly and weird sidecuts that are not park friendly. They only make like two models of park skis and one is that shitty cap ski with no camber. Idk just an observation.

Most of the hardcore locals in places like Jackson and Squaw are into directional big mountain skiing. Landing switch in powder, while absolutely sick, is not necessary for the vast majority of people out there. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but lots of the park kids (I'm talking about normal ones, not ones with xgames legit xgames aspirations) would not ever advance to the level of doing big 540's in powder. They might think they would, but landing backwards in pow is very high level. Most serious ski bums are directional big mountain skiers, so if you want to sell skis to those people it makes sense to make skis that they want to ski. Back when I lived in Tahoe I remember JT Holmes, who could outski any park pro currently out there in big mountain, told me he was not too into the fat twin tip thing. There are legit reasons to have a flat tail for a big mountain ski, anyone who has ever wheelied out of a big drop on a fat twin knows that. Don't get me wrong, I want there to be fat twins, but there is a place for a directional feeling big mountain ski. Also, K2 is doing some good things with asymetrical sidecuts, I have heard some good things about that and I may try the new Praxis ski (forget what it's called) that incorporates that technology. Supposedly it allows for both quick turns and stability, a combination which is very appealing to anyone that skis tight steeps but also wants to make big turns in crud. I think park skiing is a great, but I really think people on this website overrate it's importance to the industry as a whole. Most people who live in cities and have real jobs and ski 30-40 days a year are weekend warriors, myself included. My ski bum days are over, I work all week and ski on the weekends. In all the years I have done the ski lease thing in Mammoth I have had only one ski lease mate (and he was a boarder) who skied the park. And like I said before, the majority of ski bums in good mountains are spending more time on the mountain than the park. If you are 17 and live in Burlington it might seem like park skiing is everything in the ski industry, but it is really not. Most of the expert skiers who are above college age are spending their days on the mountain, not the park. I'm not putting down park skiing, it is super cool, just realize that it is not as big of a deal to the ski industry in general as it might seem on this website. A 108 waist ski which has a small twin, but more of a directional feel, will probably fit the needs of most expert skiers much better than something symmetrical, meaning something designed to land backwards in pow. I'm not saying companies should not want their athletes progressing switch landings in pow, on the contrary I think they should have offerings for that, but the fact remains that a company as large as K2 needs to look at it's bottom line, and for most big mountain skiers that means a combination of stability and quickness, float and versatility. Switch pow landings are not in the repertoire of the vast majority of skiers. I'm all for fat twins, but it does make sense to focus on directional big mountain skiing a bit more than symmetrical skis for skiing switch in pow.

It is possible they don't take park skiing seriously, I would not know. K2 is part of a large conglomerate, so unfortunately they will focus on making money first and foremost. I know that sucks, but they have a bottom line, and their owners really don't care about anything except money. Sorry to break it to you but that's corporate America.

I would actually be curious to know what percentage of skis sold are sold by Rossi, K2, Atomic, Volkl, Dynastar and Salomon. If I forgot any big guys let me know. Smaller companies, and Armada and 4frnt are small, probably have made a dent in the pockets of the big guys, and that is a good thing. On3p and Praxis are good for skiing.

AndrewGravesSVSean Petit and Pep are still big names, Collin Collins crushes back country and on the come up is Sam Schwartz for a big mountain ripper. K2's team is fine and even on the come up like I said before

They might be up and coming, but they don't have as many big names as they did back in 2000. Of course, that makes sense, K2 was one of the first companies to really make a big freeriding push. They were also one of the first ones to really market pro models. Back when they had Kreitler, Moseley, Seth, Holmes, Morgan, Darien Boyle, Doug Coombs, McGovern, JT Holmes......That's a big chunk of the roster for MSP, and some TGR guys too. In fact, Kreitler, Moseley and Seth might have been three of the top 5 guys in the game at that point. It worked well for K2, and other companies followed suit. No other team was even close to K2 around 1999, and it woke the industry up to the fact that they needed to get into freeskiing.

Tough to find a photo of these puppies on the internet. Hot shit

dan4060They might be up and coming, but they don't have as many big names as they did back in 2000. Of course, that makes sense, K2 was one of the first companies to really make a big freeriding push. They were also one of the first ones to really market pro models. Back when they had Kreitler, Moseley, Seth, Holmes, Morgan, Darien Boyle, Doug Coombs, McGovern, JT Holmes......That's a big chunk of the roster for MSP, and some TGR guys too. In fact, Kreitler, Moseley and Seth might have been three of the top 5 guys in the game at that point. It worked well for K2, and other companies followed suit. No other team was even close to K2 around 1999, and it woke the industry up to the fact that they needed to get into freeskiing.

CaseyI think if they didn't have park riders on their team people would really question how seriously they take building park skis. A lot of their big mountain skis have gotten more directional, the only new technology they are really pushing is making their cores lighter so they are more touring friendly and weird sidecuts that are not park friendly. They only make like two models of park skis and one is that shitty cap ski with no camber. Idk just an observation.

have you not heard of the K2 poacher? its an instant classic IMO

Casey

Tough to find a photo of these puppies on the internet. Hot shit

Now that's what I'm talking about. I don't think many of the younger guys on this site realize how dead pro skiing was in the mid-90's. The fact that guys like Seth got pro models was a huge deal, and it helped show the industry that they needed to create heroes, which is what snowboarding was doing. The K2 Morrison was a huge deal at the time, it quickly became obsolete, it was only about 70 underfoot and waist widths were exploding at that time, but one of my buddies had the blue version of that ski and we were all super pumped. All the current pros owe the guys on the 1999 K2 freeride team a huge thanks, along with McConkey, Dav and all those other guys. They revived an industry which was focused on racing, they made it possible for those of us who followed the industry to have heroes again.

BASEDJAHdo these guys not count as stars to you? One won olympic gold and created SLVSH, the other carved a triple 16 in x-games and consistently releases amazing edits

** and then bunch bounced the snowmobile at the end

dan4060Now that's what I'm talking about. I don't think many of the younger guys on this site realize how dead pro skiing was in the mid-90's. The fact that guys like Seth got pro models was a huge deal, and it helped show the industry that they needed to create heroes, which is what snowboarding was doing. The K2 Morrison was a huge deal at the time, it quickly became obsolete, it was only about 70 underfoot and waist widths were exploding at that time, but one of my buddies had the blue version of that ski and we were all super pumped. All the current pros owe the guys on the 1999 K2 freeride team a huge thanks, along with McConkey, Dav and all those other guys. They revived an industry which was focused on racing, they made it possible for those of us who followed the industry to have heroes again.

Yeah no joke. My buddy got the Kent Kreitler pro models with the birds on them when we were like 14. The next year I got the first enemy's. I remember telling all my snowboarding friends that would listen at school about doing grabs on skis and landing switch.

This is pretty spot on. A lot of our big mountain/freeride skiers can't stomp the same with a twin tip, and need a ski like the Pinnacle series. Not only that, but a flat/slightly rockered tail is like what Reggie Crist calls the "3rd edge"...it allows you much more control in steep, technical terrain. Different skis for different skiers...and of course we take all aspects of skiing seriously...really? Park skiing is a huge aspect of our brand. Remember the Enemy? Public Enemy, Fujative? Anyways, we will always support park skiers (Clayton, Sean, Kai, Joss, Johanne, Maggie, etc etc) and will always support guys pushing backcountry freestyle like Pep and Pettit. These skiers alongside legends like Shane, Scot and Doug Coombs are the core of our brand. Like Dan said...95% of people simply aren't going to even try and land switch in pow. The advantage of skis like the Catamaran and Marksman is that the rockered tail allows for much more maneuverability, easy to engage a turn, and easy to smear a turn. Add the asym and you've got an insanely fun, agile and powerful ride. Also, we're now owned by a private equity firm which of course is a for-profit organization. However the cool thing is they are pretty hands off and want us to lead the charge and do what we do best—innovate the next generation of kickass skis. Remember the Made'n AK? Hellbent? Maybe some of you are too young to remember but these skis and many others from K2 changed the game for everyone.

This has gotten pretty off topic, but we're stoked on where our team's at. And it's only getting better. Thanks for checking in with us OP :)

dan4060Most of the hardcore locals in places like Jackson and Squaw are into directional big mountain skiing. Landing switch in powder, while absolutely sick, is not necessary for the vast majority of people out there. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but lots of the park kids (I'm talking about normal ones, not ones with xgames legit xgames aspirations) would not ever advance to the level of doing big 540's in powder. They might think they would, but landing backwards in pow is very high level. Most serious ski bums are directional big mountain skiers, so if you want to sell skis to those people it makes sense to make skis that they want to ski. Back when I lived in Tahoe I remember JT Holmes, who could outski any park pro currently out there in big mountain, told me he was not too into the fat twin tip thing. There are legit reasons to have a flat tail for a big mountain ski, anyone who has ever wheelied out of a big drop on a fat twin knows that. Don't get me wrong, I want there to be fat twins, but there is a place for a directional feeling big mountain ski. Also, K2 is doing some good things with asymetrical sidecuts, I have heard some good things about that and I may try the new Praxis ski (forget what it's called) that incorporates that technology. Supposedly it allows for both quick turns and stability, a combination which is very appealing to anyone that skis tight steeps but also wants to make big turns in crud. I think park skiing is a great, but I really think people on this website overrate it's importance to the industry as a whole. Most people who live in cities and have real jobs and ski 30-40 days a year are weekend warriors, myself included. My ski bum days are over, I work all week and ski on the weekends. In all the years I have done the ski lease thing in Mammoth I have had only one ski lease mate (and he was a boarder) who skied the park. And like I said before, the majority of ski bums in good mountains are spending more time on the mountain than the park. If you are 17 and live in Burlington it might seem like park skiing is everything in the ski industry, but it is really not. Most of the expert skiers who are above college age are spending their days on the mountain, not the park. I'm not putting down park skiing, it is super cool, just realize that it is not as big of a deal to the ski industry in general as it might seem on this website. A 108 waist ski which has a small twin, but more of a directional feel, will probably fit the needs of most expert skiers much better than something symmetrical, meaning something designed to land backwards in pow. I'm not saying companies should not want their athletes progressing switch landings in pow, on the contrary I think they should have offerings for that, but the fact remains that a company as large as K2 needs to look at it's bottom line, and for most big mountain skiers that means a combination of stability and quickness, float and versatility. Switch pow landings are not in the repertoire of the vast majority of skiers. I'm all for fat twins, but it does make sense to focus on directional big mountain skiing a bit more than symmetrical skis for skiing switch in pow.

It is possible they don't take park skiing seriously, I would not know. K2 is part of a large conglomerate, so unfortunately they will focus on making money first and foremost. I know that sucks, but they have a bottom line, and their owners really don't care about anything except money. Sorry to break it to you but that's corporate America.

I would actually be curious to know what percentage of skis sold are sold by Rossi, K2, Atomic, Volkl, Dynastar and Salomon. If I forgot any big guys let me know. Smaller companies, and Armada and 4frnt are small, probably have made a dent in the pockets of the big guys, and that is a good thing. On3p and Praxis are good for skiing.

**This post was edited on Oct 4th 2017 at 12:52:57pm

are you insane?

Do you even watch skiing? "Kai Mahler is Ok"

You named people that are dead as the core of your brand and then gave no credit to Seth and what his skis and persona did for the brand (Plake too) As I have no idea on who runs this account on NS I can only hope it is the private equity talking heads from CT. If not then you have just killed all your cred.

K2This is pretty spot on. A lot of our big mountain/freeride skiers can't stomp the same with a twin tip, and need a ski like the Pinnacle series. Not only that, but a flat/slightly rockered tail is like what Reggie Crist calls the "3rd edge"...it allows you much more control in steep, technical terrain. Different skis for different skiers...and of course we take all aspects of skiing seriously...really? Park skiing is a huge aspect of our brand. Remember the Enemy? Public Enemy, Fujative? Anyways, we will always support park skiers (Clayton, Sean, Kai, Joss, Johanne, Maggie, etc etc) and will always support guys pushing backcountry freestyle like Pep and Pettit. These skiers alongside legends like Shane, Scot and Doug Coombs are the core of our brand. Like Dan said...95% of people simply aren't going to even try and land switch in pow. The advantage of skis like the Catamaran and Marksman is that the rockered tail allows for much more maneuverability, easy to engage a turn, and easy to smear a turn. Add the asym and you've got an insanely fun, agile and powerful ride. Also, we're now owned by a private equity firm which of course is a for-profit organization. However the cool thing is they are pretty hands off and want us to lead the charge and do what we do best—innovate the next generation of kickass skis. Remember the Made'n AK? Hellbent? Maybe some of you are too young to remember but these skis and many others from K2 changed the game for everyone.

This has gotten pretty off topic, but we're stoked on where our team's at. And it's only getting better. Thanks for checking in with us OP :)




**This post was edited on Oct 4th 2017 at 12:52:57pm

Have some respect dude. I'm not going to quote every single pioneer who skiied for K2, obviously Seth and Plake had a huge part, as did Wayne Wong, Phil, Steve, Andy Mahre, and countless others. My point is to say that K2 "doesn't care" for any aspect of skiing, something which has been thrown around in this thread, is asinine. We stand by our team and respect all the ones who came before us. -Nick Meilleur (social media, filmer, editor for K2...)

TRIKDYou named people that are dead as the core of your brand and then gave no credit to Seth and what his skis and persona did for the brand (Plake too) As I have no idea on who runs this account on NS I can only hope it is the private equity talking heads from CT. If not then you have just killed all your cred.

TRIKDYou named people that are dead as the core of your brand and then gave no credit to Seth and what his skis and persona did for the brand (Plake too) As I have no idea on who runs this account on NS I can only hope it is the private equity talking heads from CT. If not then you have just killed all your cred.

KOOK

Chubz.KOOK

I was thrying to figure out what to say, but you summed it up perfectly.

K2 makes some of the worst skis on the market. If they didn't throw $ around like they do at top end athletes they would be in even worse financial shape

KravtZK2 makes some of the worst skis on the market. If they didn't throw $ around like they do at top end athletes they would be in even worse financial shape

Care to explain why you think that? Never owned a pair, so I can't speak from experience, but I have never heard something so bad that would confirm your statement... just curious

OJulierCare to explain why you think that? Never owned a pair, so I can't speak from experience, but I have never heard something so bad that would confirm your statement... just curious

I've ridden most of their freeskis over hte past few years. They just aren't that fun. Damp, never liked the flex patterns, way over priced given performance. Them and rossi two brands i've never found a pair I liked

KravtZI've ridden most of their freeskis over hte past few years. They just aren't that fun. Damp, never liked the flex patterns, way over priced given performance. Them and rossi two brands i've never found a pair I liked

I don't know the current situation, but Public Enemy, Seths, Fujatives and Hellbents were some of the most popular and liked skis around back then.

KravtZI've ridden most of their freeskis over hte past few years. They just aren't that fun. Damp, never liked the flex patterns, way over priced given performance. Them and rossi two brands i've never found a pair I liked

Everyone’s entitied to their own opinion but you’re bad mouthing two companies for the exact problems I’ve found in the Surface & Nordicas you claim to ride in your profile - and that’s not to mention the fact that the Surface’s lasted a mere couple weeks. My Rossi’s & K2’s lasted a couple seasons