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April, 2023

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ARW 96 v K2 Midnight

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warm_diet_coke
Posts: 179 - Karma: 1,829
I’m a 5’6 female, looking for a ski for all mountain and park in Australia (think east coast US conditions). I can either get last season K2s for $650AU or wait for the new season ARWs. I ski ARW 96s currently and have never had issues, but the 2023 version will be about $850AU brand new. My current ARWs have become my side country/touring ski.

Main thing I’m concerned about is the K2s being too stiff and too narrow (they’re 88 waist). What would you guys suggest of those two?
Feb 12 2022 6:11PM
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alude
Posts: 57 - Karma: 472
They are very similar skis. You can compare their specs here for the 169 ish lengths. You can also select other lengths to compare.

In these lengths, they are very similar skis beside the width. The K2 Midnight has a bit of a longer running length (i.e., it will feel longer when flat on the snow). It is also softer than the ARW96, so you shouldn't be worried about the stiffness. It also has a little bit more sidecut radius (17 vs 18m), but not by much.

If you keep your current ARW, then it might be a good thing to have different waists. The narrower waist being better on groomers and hard snow. Are you looking for more float?
Feb 13 2022 3:06PM
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warm_diet_coke
Posts: 179 - Karma: 1,829
Thanks for the reply! The ski tech told me the K2s were actually stiffer, that’s why I was concerned. Yeah good point about having the wider ski if I need. I’m not super concerned with float I just don’t want to sink too much if we do get fresh snow and I want to ride the park skis. I think I’ll probably just need to get a pow ski at some point down the track anyway.
Feb 13 2022 4:54PM
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alude
Posts: 57 - Karma: 472
Just be careful if you are interested in shorter lengths. Skis might get stiffer/softer for different lengths. Each length is unique and scaling is not uniform across manufacturers.

The K2 Midnight 159 is stiffer than both the 156 and 163 ARW 96 (specially in the tail).
https://compareskis.shinyapps.io/compare/?_values_&selected_rows=%5B2064%2C2065%2C4217%5D&tab=%22Compare%22
Feb 13 2022 5:10PM
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