K2 2013 Snowboard Reviews

K2 knows how to build a reverse camber with pop, their technique? Cram loads of carbon into the construction and when you think you have enough add a little bit more. All said and done this method seems to work wonders, the K2 Parkstar might not be as buttery soft as it used to be but for all-terrain and park freestyle riding it ticks all the correct boxes. From beginner to expert if you want to ride a twin shaped stick in park, pow, piste and pipe you can’t really go wrong with the Parkstar. More aggressive riders might find the K2 Parkstar’s softer torsional flex lacks the grip and response that they are after, our test Rob certainly found that to be its Achilles heel.

Read full review of the K2 Parkstar 2013 Snowboard.

The Turbo Dream has mutated into a backcountry specialist in K2’s latest release the Ultra Dream. Although the Ultra Dream works well for all-mountain shredding and the occasional park and pipe session, the extra surface area in the nose and tail isn’t ideal for technical jib tricks and kicker spins. Snowboard-Review would recommend the K2 Ultra Dream to accomplished riders who ride out-of-bounds features like they’re park transitions, catching air and popping into switch.

Read full review of the K2 Ultra Dream 2013 Snowboard.

Tuck you’re your fear away, grab K2’s Peace Keeper from the board rack and assault some big mountain lines like a freeride hero. Everything about the Peace Keeper is about equipping the rider with the tools you’ll need for blasting scary lines in deep snow. Jackson Hole, AK, Verbier, Chamonix and Happo One, this is the board you want in your board bag for these trips. An exaggerated rocker line, a directional shape with the extra surface area and uncatchable reverse sidecut from BC shaping at the contact points create unlimited float, there’s also plenty of carbon in the construction for stability, response and to provide you with the control you need should you need to throw down the an anchor turn on a critical line. This is a specialist ride for serious freeriders.

Read full review of the K2 Peace Keeper 2013 Snowboard.

Classifying the K2 Lifelike is a tricky business because it does so many jobs well. The Flatline zero camber profile, new Tweekends shaping in the nose and tail and ¾ inch setback stance provide a lot of float for backcountry blitzing and kicker session with soft landings. For the park and pipe the Flatline profile make’s the board naturally more forgiving whilst providing all the edge hold you’ll need for tracking up monster transitions that have been in the shade all morning thanks to the Triax glass and carbon laminates. To boost your ollies K2 have added Carbon Web I to the construction. In the simplest possible terms, the Lifelike id the Slayblade for snowboarders who don’t need the additional stiffness that the Slayblade offers… that’s 95% of riders.

Read full review of the K2 Lifelike 2013 Snowboard.

The K2 Turbo Dream’s all-mountain versatility is almost legendary. Constantly praised in the Snowboard-Review forums and applauded by those SB-RV testers that have ridden it the Turbo Dream truly meets the needs of intermediate to expert snowboarders who want to ride powder, groomers, park and pipe on one snowboard. It might have materials and features with crazy names that make absolutely no sense unless you spend your summers with your face buried in snowboard magazines and catalogues but regardless of all that marketing noise the Turbo Dream is a great snowboard that will not disappoint.

Read full review of the K2 Turbo Dream 2013 Snowboard.

The K2 Fastplant is three seasons deep and still growing its fan base. In 2010 Snowboard-Review took the first incarnation of this legendary freestyle twin for a shred and was impressed by the pop, how forgiving it was to rider mistakes and under rotated spins and despite all this how well it gripped turning on hard pack. With the addition of the Carbon Ollie-Bar and Carbon Web to its lively Bambooyah core you can guarantee that the Fastplant is one of the liveliest reverse camber you will ever ride. The board for reverse camber converts who don’t want to lose out on ollie pop and responsive turning.

Read full review of the K2 Fastplant 2013 Snowboard.

K2’s research and development team has been ramping its efforts up over the last few years and 2012/13 is the season that the hard work is starting to pay off. The High Lite is K2’s progressive backcountry freeride/ freestyle snowboard. The BS Shaping and All Terrain Rocker with Tweekends nose and tail kicks will provide all the float you will ever need for skimming above super deep snow while the almost twin shape might reduce the chance of cartwheeling after a switch powder landing (the emphasis is on the “might”). The tight sidecut radius will make picking lines through tight trees that little bit easier. The High Lite is an all-mountain board designed to fill the needs of advanced female snowboarders who want a board for blasting the whole mountain but that really comes alive hitting jumps in chin deep fresh.

Read full review of the K2 High Lite 2013 Snowboard.

For the out-of-bounds backcountry enthusiast that wants to buy a splitboard and all of the necessary components in one fell swoop, without the hassle of shopping around and the risk of ending up a with a touring setup that doesn’t tour, ride or look good the K2 Panoramic is a failsafe purchase. There’s plenty for rocker for float in deep pow and easy tip clearance when cutting the tracks after a fresh dump and K2’s Bambooyah bamboo core for the life and snap you’ll want for throwing up pow clouds and sticking back seat landings.

Read full review of the K2 Panoramic Splitboard 2013 Snowboard.

Formerly known as the Eco Pop the K2 Eco Lite is pro snowboard Gretchen Bleiler’s board of choice for smoking pipe and generally thrashing and slashing the mountain. The construction might not be ecofriendly like the name would suggest, but it’s extremely lightweight and lively with Carbon Web reinforcement from the bindings to the nose and tail to improve response and ollie pop. A new All Terrain rocker profile, Tweekends and a setback stance should take care of the Eco Lite’s powder credentials and Harshmellow dampening will add stability for breakneck speeds.

Read full review of the K2 Eco Lite 2013 Snowboard.

Take the infamous K2 World Wide Weapon, thin the waste and change the flex a little for female riders and you have the K2 Lime Lite. For girls addicted to the terrain park that want boost their rail and jib repertoire the Lime Lite is like a year’s prescription of performance enhancing snowboarding steroids. If the urge to make some fresh turns on a powder day becomes too great to resist the Tweekends nose and tail shaping and Jib Rocker should provide suitable floatation. We made the part up about snowboarding steroids in case you were wondering.

Read full review of the K2 Lime Lite 2013 Snowboard.

There’s a whole lot of choice on the market at the moment which makes pulling the trigger on a snowboard to ride everything on a tricky business. Apart from naming all of their women’s boards with Lite at the end, K2 are particularly good at creating a range with something for everyone. If you’re the type of rider who wants a board to ride the entire mountain; from deep powder, to cruising between sunbathing spots on pristine groomers or taking the intermediate kicker line in the park and you want all this at a price that won’t break the bank, then the Bright Lite is K2’s board for you.

Read full review of the K2 Bright Lite 2013 Snowboard.

With Tie-dye graphics, a true twin shape, jib and park focused construction the K2 Sky Lite is aimed squarely at budget and fashion conscious beginner to intermediate park riders who want to hold back a bit of dollar to complete the set-up with a dream catcher necklace and howling wolf T-shirt… not really, you don’t have to be hipster to ride this board.

Read full review of the K2 Sky Lite 2013 Snowboard.

Last year’s Happy Hour received a rave review from our tester Mikee Cee. Unsatisfied with the praise heaped on it by SB-RV, K2 have changed the Happy Hour a little for its second season, adding Carbon Web and their Carbon Fibre Ollie-Bar for a more aggressive flex through the board, improved stability and greater ollie pop. The Happy Hour is a uniquely shaped freestyle twin for inexperience intermediates through to pros who want versatile freestyle deck happy in the pipe, off jumps and in fresh snow, with a pointy tip for skier jousting.

Read full review of the K2 Happy Hour 2013 Snowboard.

The K2 World Wide Weapon or WWW for short is the original park rat’s jib noodle. The World Wide Weapons famous blunted tips give it a short board length and comparatively long effective edge a great combination for improving board nimbleness and reducing swing weight whilst maintaining a reasonable amount of edge hold. The soft flex and reverse camber of the WWW makes pressing and buttering so easy it’s got to be cheating and make it surprisingly fun for messing about in the pow. Not a board you want to aim up an icy pipe wall or point down a gnarly couloir and we definitely wouldn’t recommend it to an all-mountain rider but a good choice for those addicted to rail and jib riding.

Read full review of the K2 World Wide Weapon 2013 Snowboard.

The morning is all about playing about in the powder, airing cliffs, weaving between the trees and hucking your meat off windlips with no real idea what trick you’re attempting, or how to do it. Then a quick bite to eat for lunch and hit the park in the afternoon. If that sounds like your typical riding day and your riding level is firmly in the intermediate level then the K2 Raygun is going to meet your all-mountain snowboarding needs. The Raygun is for progressing intermediate snowboarder who can only afford space for one board in his/her board bag because the remaining space is designated for duty free.

Read full review of the K2 Raygun 2013 Snowboard.

K2 has done a good job of creating a snowboard for every level of rider. The Playback is K2’s entry level freestyle deck for a beginner on a budget. The zero camber profile is perfect for lending riders confidence whilst offering edge hold, pop and float in powder. The playback is all about encouraging progression for beginners in the park and providing them with a versatile ride should the owner want to venture out onto the rest of the hill.

Read full review of the K2 Playback 2013 Snowboard.