K2 2021 Snowboards Overview

K2 have a bunch of new boards this year – the Alchemist, Manifest Team, Instrument, Dreamsicle, Spellcaster and the Niseko Pleasures.

K2 Camber Profiles

A lot of the “feel” of a board is determined by the profile of a board, and how much and where the camber, rocker and flat sections are.

Camber gives you a springy feel, helps the board to pop or snap back to its original position, and helps to give the board a stable feel, as it is driving the weight of the rider into the snow.

Rocker does the opposite, it naturally wants to life the board away from the snow, which helps to make boards easy to turn, and float with less effort in powder.

Flat sections sit right in the middle, and have a very neutral feel.

Across all brands, camber dominant boards are definitely making a comeback, which I think is a great thing.

The downsides of rocker is that while it makes a board easy to turn, floaty and catch-free, the don’t have good edge hold which is why you rarely see full rocker boards any more.

The downsides of camber is that it can have a catchy feeling, so if you aren’t paying attention to what edge you are on, it can be easy to “catch an edge” and throw you into the snow.

The downsides of flat are also its upsides – it isn’t as loose as rocker, but it doesn’t have as much grip or edge hold as camber.

Almost all of K2’s profiles are a mix between two or more different profiles, to get a good balance between performance with minimal downsides.

 

Directional Combination Camber

Overall, the larger rocker on the nose (and smaller amount on the tail) help turns start smoothly and easily, and float in deeper snow with less effort. The big camber section gives the board lots of pop, a stable feel and good edge hold on hard or icy conditions.

Twin Combination Camber

Overall this has a traditional camber profile, and rides like a camber board, though the small rocker sections help to take a little bit of pressure off the contact points, so you get a slightly more forgiving, or less catchy feel.

Directional Rocker

This profile is a very surfy design, that is made to give the best performance in powder. The large rocker on the nose help it naturally float in deeper snow, and the smaller rocker section in the tail help to make quick surfy turns easier.

Directional Camber

Quite similar to the Directional Combination Camber profile, the difference on this one is that the camber section goes all the way to the contact points at the tail of the board, so this one will has a little bit more of an aggressive, classic camber feel.

Twin Rocker

This is the easiest to ride profile they offer – the large flat section gives the board a stable feel, without having the learning curve that camber has. Rocker on the nose and tail help to make turns easier, which give it a more forgiving feel.

Twin Camber

A classic and traditional camber profile, that gives the best edge hold, pop and stability at high speed.

Warranty

K2 boards have a 3 year warranty against manufactures defects, and the board with the Bambooyah Core have a longer 5 year warranty.

Bases

K2 have three levels of bases:

Extruded 2000

The simplest and cheapest option, it is found on lower end boards.

Sintered 4000

Sintered base that is good at soaking in wax, and moving quickly in all conditions.

Carbon Infused 5500 Sintered

With added carbon, this base holds on to wax longer, and has a better glide. The best option that K2 offer.

K2 Alchemist

The new top of the line model, the Alchemist is a stiff flexing, mostly camber (with rocker on the nose) aggressive freeride board. It has the fast carbon infused base, as well as one of all the top end parts K2 put into boards. It starts at a 157, and goes all the way up to 164cm wide model. For the regular models, the waist width is on the narrower end, so you could expect this to be very quick and responsive edge to edge. No surprises that a board with these features isn’t cheap at all.

• Directional Camber
• 9/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Pro Core
• Triax Glass
• Spectral Braid
• SpaceGlass
• Carbon Power Form
• Carbon Infised 5500 Sintered Base

Read more about the Alchemist.

K2 Manifest Team

This board is based on the regular Manifest, but beefed up a bit to handle the riding of the K2 team. Overall it has similar specs, but the Team has a faster base, and the Pro version of the Bambooyah core.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Pro Core
• ICG 20 Triax Glass
• Carbon DarkWeb
• Carbon Infused 5500 Sintered Base

Read more about the Manifest Team.

K2 Manifest

The Manifest is a directional twin board, with the Directional Combination Camber that gives a good mix between edge hold and grip on groomers, as well as float in deep snow. The width of the Manifest is on the smaller side, so it will be quick and easy to turn.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Core
• ICG 20 Triax Glass
• Carbon DarkWeb
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Manifest.

K2 Instrument

Another new one for this season, the Instrument is a mid flexing directional board, that is a little wider than normal that will help you carve deeper, and float with less effort in deeper snow.

• Directional Camber Profile
• 7/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Carbon Torque Forks
• Sintered 4000 Base

More info on the K2 Instrument.

K2 Broadcast

The Broadcaster is one of their do everything boards, with the Directional Combination Camber that gives a good mix between float in powder, as well as edge hold on groomers.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Boardcast.

K2 Raygun Pop

This version of the Raygun has plenty of camber (still with some rocker in the nose and tail), so it will give a more stable ride, with better edge hold and more pop than the regular Raygun. It is a touch stiffer, because of the camber profile.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 6/10 Flex
• Aspen Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass
• Extruded 2000 Base

Read more about the Raygun Pop.

K2 Raygun

The Raygun is a pretty affordable all-mountain board, with a mid flex and an easy to ride profile that is mostly flat. Being on the lower end of boards, it has the cheaper extruded base.

• Directional Rocker
• 5/10 Flex
• Aspen Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Extruded 2000 Base

More info on the Raygun.

K2 Standard

The Standard is the main choice if you are looking for your first board, and need something that will ride everywhere fine, but won’t cost you too much. It has the easy and forgiving Directional Rocker profile, and a soft flex to make it friendly to beginner riders.

• Directional Rocker
• 4/10 Flex
• Aspen Core
• Biax Glass
• Extruded 2000 Base
• Catch-Free Tune

Read more about the Standard.

K2 Medium

The Medium is a classic freestyle board, with a medium flex, twin shape and regular camber profile. It has a bunch of stuff added for extra pop, though the waist width is pretty narrow so if you have bigger boots you might have to look at some of the wider options.

• Twin Camber
• 6/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• Triax Glass
• Carbon DarkWeb
• Ollie Bar
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Medium.

K2 Bottle Rocket

The Bottle Rocket is a mid wide board, that has the Twin Rocker profile (mostly flat) and the Ollie Bar to add some pop to it.

• Twin Rocker Profile
• 5/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• ICG 20 Triax Glass with Carbon
• Ollie Bar
• Carbon Torque Forks
• Sintered 4000 Base

More info on the Bottle Rocket.

K2 Afterblack

That Afterblack is a mid flexing, camber (with a tiny bit of rocker on the contact points) board with a sintered base. A solid choice if you are looking for a twin park board, that you can take anywhere.

• Twin Combination Camber
• 6/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• Triax Glass
• Carbon DarkWeb
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Afterblack.

K2 WWW

One of the more famous boards in the K2 line, the WWW (World Wide Weapon) is similar to the Afterblack, but with a softer flex and an extruded base to keep the cost down.

• Twin Combination Camber
• 4/10 Flex
• Aspen Core
• Biax Glass
• Extruded 2000 Base

More info on the WWW.

K2 Outline

Somewhere in the middle of a freestyle and freeride board, the Outline has a directional camber profile, a little bit of a setback stance and a quick sintered base. The Rocker on the nose and the .75″ setback help to keep the nose up in deep snow, as well as make turns on groomers smooth and easy.

• Directional Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Honeykomb
• Carbon Torque Forks
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Outline.

K2 Wildheart

Although the shape might make it look like it is just aimed at powder, the design of the Wildheart makes it a good option for all kinds of riding. Rocker on the nose, with the .75″ setback stance and the 10mm of taper help the nose to naturally float and the tail to sink for a surfy feel. The taper and camber for the majority of the board give it good grip and stability on groomers, that is made to make it turn smoothly and easily.

• Directional Camber
• 6/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Carbon Torque Forks
• Sintered 4000 Base

More information on the Wildheart.

K2 Cold Shoulder

The Cold Shoulder is made to ride a bit of everything, with a a medium flex, enough rocker for float and enough camber for good stability.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 5/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Cold Shoulder.

K2 Dreamsicle

The Dreamsicle is made to be a board that you can ride everywhere, that has all the features you need as an all-mountain board, that isn’t going to cost too much.

• Directional Rocker
• 4/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Extruded 2000 Base

More info on the Dreamsicle.

K2 First Lite

If it is your first time riding, or you are getting your own board after rentin, the First Lite is a soft flexing, easy to ride option.

• Twin Rocker
• 3/10 Flex
• Aspen Core
• Biax Glas
• Extruded 2000 Base
• Catch-Free Tune

Read more about the First Lite.

K2 Spellcaster

Another new one this season, this is the womens option for a twin shaped, camber and mid flexing park board.

• Twin Combination Camber
• 5/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• Triax Glass
• Carbon DarkWeb
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Spellcaster.

K2 Lime Lite

Still a softer flexing option, the main difference of the Lime Lite is that is has more camber, so it will give a more poppy ride, more stability at high speed and better edge hold.

• Twin Combination Camber
• 4/10 Flex
• Rhythm Core
• Biax Glass
• Extruded 2000 Base

More info on the Lime Lite.

K2 Niseko Pleasures

This new board is designed to have everything you need for riding in deep snow. Overall it has a volume shift design which means that the extra width lets you ride a smaller size than normal. To help with float in powder it has a wide rocker nose, tapered shape and a setback stance.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 6/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Core
• Biax Glass
• Colume Shift
• Carbon Infused 5500 Sintered Base

Read more about the Niseko Pleasures.

K2 Simple Pleasures

Very similar to the Niseko Pleasures in sizes/width, but with a couple of differences that will make it perform a bit better on groomed runs, as well as in powder. The profile has rocker on the nose, and camber through the rest of the board. It has a sintered base, and a slightly stiffer flex at 7/10.

• Directional Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• Bambooyah Core
• Biax Glass
• Volume Shift
• Sintered 4000 base

More info on the Simple Pleasures.

K2 Overboard

The Overboard just comes in one size – 165cm, and has a monster 44mm of taper, which help to make it easy to turn, which is normally a lot of effort on a board this big.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 8/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• ICG 20 Triax Glass with Carbon
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Overboard.

K2 Cool Bean

One of the original Volume Shift boards, the Cool Bean has a short length, wide width and swallowtail for a very surfy, and easy to turn board in powder. When you ride on groomers, the very wide waist (up to 287mm) lets you carve all the way over without getting toe or heel drag.

• Directional Rocker Profile
• 7/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• Biax Glass
• Volume Shift
• Sintered 4000 base

More info on the Cool Bean.

K2 Party Platter

The Party Platter has been getting more popular each year, as a board with a Volume Shift design, that you can ride everywhere. The Directional Combination Camber means that there is a bigger rocker section on the nose, and a small section on the tail while the rest of the board is camber. Combined with the wider width, it will get a floaty and surfy feel in powder, and solid grip on groomers.

• Directional Combination Camber
• 7/10 Flex
• BAP Core
• Biax Glass
• Ollie Bar
• Volume Shift
• Sintered 4000 Base

Read more about the Party Platter.

K2 Marauder

Rocker in the nose and tail for float, and plenty of camber for a solid and poppy feel when you are riding down. With a medium stiff flex, the Marauder comes in sizes from 147cm up to a 166cm wide model.

• Directional Combination Camber
• BAP Core
• ICG 10 Biax Glass with Carbon
• Sintered 4000 Base
• Splittrack Inserts
• Package complete with board, skins, risers, hardware and mounting pucks.

More info on the Marauder.

K2 Split Bean

A split version of the Cool Bean.

• Directional Rocker Profile
• BAP Core
• Biax Glass
• Volume Shift
• Sintered 4000 Base
• Splittrack Inserts
• Package complete with board, skins, risers, hardware and mounting pucks.

Read more about the Split Bean.