K2 Hellbent Alpine Ski

Backcountry jib ski of choice. You can stomp booters all day, drop cliffs, whatever in these, no problems for me. The rocker makes a great floater for deep days, and slashes trees down like a bucker. The downfall of these, is trying to get back to the lifts after that banger run. The rocker slaps the ground like an abusive parent, and makes the ride a little sketch, although the traditional sidecut is a lot more versatile than the Pontoon.

This was a ski I absolutely wanted to like so badly, but just couldn't. I own and have skied quite a few rocker skis, and this one just doesn't perform as well as the rest of them. I never thought there could be too much rocker on a ski. But then I skied this ski, and I found out there can be such a thing as too much rocker. There is not enough platform under foot, and there is a ton of rocker in the tail. This combination makes for a very weak tail that doesn't off enough support during turns on steeper runs. As a bc jib ski, this thing awesome. It has a ton of pop and is unsinkable on landings in deep pow. Unfortunately that is about the only place this ski shines. It is too soft in the wrong places to rip more serious lines.
In the ski's defense, I was riding the 179s with an almost center mount (+6). The 189s mounted back a little further probably would have been a much better ski. When skiing pow, I am used to being able to drive the ski through the turn, but with this ski, the lack of tip length constantly left me off balance.
This is a really great ski, just not for me, my style of skiing, and the terrain I ski in. If i were looking for a backcountry jib ski, this would be my top choice. As a pow ski, there are better choices.

I love these skis. LOVE. I knew they would perfom well in powder, but was unsure on hardpack. That's the questions everyone has about wide/reverse camber skis, will they perform well enough on hardpack or groomers? The answer is unequivocally, yes. To understand, I used these at Mt Bachelor with my racing coach friends, and I spent more time waiting for them at the bottom of the hill on an icy day than anywhere else. They said they never thought someone could go that fast on skis like that. If you are a competent skier, you can use them anywhere. I hit rails in the park, spin drops, jib all over the mountain and kill the groomers. They are so big and stable that the rocker doesn't affect performance at all. And I don't even need to mention the powder. Floats on anything. Crud days become the best days, and two inches of snow becomes a whole new ball game because you are the only one who can float on top. If the graphics don't scare you, then you are set. I will never own another pair of skis again

this ski excels so much in powder i can not even believe it. i went on a cat skiing trip last season with them
and powder is so effortless it is quite unbelievable. i liked having this ski as an every day ski so you can butter around.
the only thing i did not like about this ski is its ability to charge and ski on crud, well charging is not too bad if your not doing anything super gnarly. BUT crud is just gross. thats about the only complaints i had. its a really versatile ski because of the regular side cut. and if you stay centered on the ski on groomers you could get going pretty fast.
i would recommend this ski to any avid pow skier or any BC jibbers out there killin it.

bought these for my boyfriend for his birthday. He is an expert skier, lifelong racer, and now loves to enjoy the backcountry deep powder in Alaska. He LOVES these skis. He has a wide variety of different skis, and swears these are the best!

I took the hellbents out for a day at copper and a day a vail, rode katanas last year and this season until i bought the hellbents.. the day at copper was cruddy and hard but i wanted to see how these skis handle conditions outside powder... loved em, they were fun, responsive and i barely changed my skiing style if i did at all.. i was nervous about how the ski would handle on crap but was shocked to find out that they are as fun on crud as they are in powder..on to vail, took em out on a day where 8 inches were reported overnight.. this ski is a pleasure in the powder..tight trees, cliffs, bumps and steeps are all a breeze... dont believe the hype that this ski is powder specific (although it is).. you can have a blast doing anything on it as long as you are used to fatter skis... SIZE UP im glad i did... i ride a 176 usually but went for the 189 hellbent and could not be happier...

My new favorite skis... I am 5'8" and have the 189cm mounted at +6 with Rossi SAS2 140 bindings.
A little history, I currently own 08 Dynastar Legend Pro's 186cm, 08 Rossignol Bandit Quad 184cm, and 01 Salomon Pocket Rocket 185cm. I also have owned a pair 04 Volkl Gotama's 176cm. These are by far the most fun skis I have ever skied. You have to ski these differently than regular cambered skis however they let you charge in everything from untracked to crud. I will definitely be pulling these out whenever there is any fresh snow on the ground.

These things absolutely rip in the pow. They refuse to sink, whether you're ripping through tress or hucking. Not so much fun on the groomers though...

im not sure if bitchenest is a word but they should make it just for these skis. They kick ass so much fun in blower pow or just playing around in the park overall hella fun ski and a great buy

the best ski ive ever bought of used. when dropping cliffs or skiing in powder. these ski's rock
they are capable of everything, even a few rails or dicking around in the park
there a little hard to get used to for the first day
but the rocker and softness are something that can be missed, its hard going back to regular park skis after using these bad boys

definately the best in my quiver

This is a great backcountry ski. I was really stoked on how well it skied on wind blown nastiness. The rocker keeps your tips up and you don't hook your tips like you do with a traditional ski. The only down fall I found was, when dropping bigger airs, you have to land very centered on the ski or you end up going over the handle bars or back slapping although once you get used to it, you are able to adjust how you land. Can't wait to put AT bindings on them this winter.

I skied these in the park at Park City, and they were a blast, a lot of flex, They are very playful, The Traditional sidecut makes it not too big of an adjustment to ride in comparison to the other Skis that are in this width range. They are a great ski for jumping and makes riding switch a lot of fun. The Craziest thing was they weren't even that bad in the pipe. But overall i was very pleasantly surprised by the ski. They are a little slow to spin on. But overall I really loved this ski, and looking to pick up a pair in the fall.

Skis rip in the powder, definitely would recommend to any experienced skier. Groomers you can hold an edge but this would not be my only pair of skis.

Had three days so far,2 pow days(one in a cat)and a groomer.These things are a ton of fun!They just stomp everything.The groomers took 1 1/2 runs to get used to.The biggest surprise was the bumps,the sidecut and reverse cam just eat moguls for breakfast.I purchased these thinking to use them only on the sacred pow days;however,unless its a solid ice day,I'll be shredding the Hellbents!

These skis are the ultimate skis you can ever really get. They have crazy float in pow, they are incredibly easy to maneuver on groomers, and the graphics are sick. So many people ask me about them and all I can say is good things about them. I will always have a pair of these in my ski quiver.

My friend got a pair and i kept telling him they were too fat, they wouldn't be able to ski anything but pow. I skied them on the groomers, and i took back everything a said. They take a little work to get them turning but they can carve some sweet turns. And of course they are beautiful in the pow

Um, I'm scared of this topsheet. No, really. Wally had nightmares after looking at this ski. Tone it down a bit K2, jeez! What freaked me out more is, this ski is actually a more versatile machine than looks may show. It is more than playful in all conditions, especially all types of fresh snow and softer crud where it can make things WAY too easy. It can even carve on the groomed, but be careful because it has a sweet spot further back on the ski and it can get squirrelly at higher speeds. The big deal is that I barely had to change up my skiing style on this ski on anything but the groomed. Also, it definitely does ski smaller than its length. Even though I was on a 179cm, it felt effort-wise more like a 172cm. This is nice because is makes the 189cm size actually make sense if anyone is intimidated by the big length.

Who is it for: Skiers who charge in the off-groomed and DEEP pow, yet actually want to get back to the lift.

Who is it not for: Groom-runners and skiers who gate-bash only.

Speed: 3
Long Turns: 3
Short Turns: 4
Float: 5
Crud: 4
Groomed: 2

Overall: 3.5

Just charge hard hit everything .........make sure you ski em or they will ski you........if your looking to step it up, man up and get these skis you can even do GS turns with these babies.....I wiegh 220LBS and could not make them beg for mercy....was at Sunshine today they had a 30cm (1 foot) and wow did I mention WOW

Got the chance to try these out today for the first time, and i was lucky enough to have 12 inches of fresh at snowbird for my first time out on them. I could not be happier, they slay the powder, making big GS turns or quick pivot turns in the trees. Carve, smear, slash, wheelie, all more than doable on the hellbents. As it got more and more skied out i had to get back on main runs to make it back to the lift, they had not been groomed so it was semi hardpack with lots of variation, and super chunky/bunpy. i have the 189 mounted at +6 im 5'10" 165 lbs. These still rallied through the crud, and manky hardpack, throw em over on edge and hold on! you'll be laying railroad tracks in no time. I'm super impressed with the versatility of this ski, especially at 122 underfoot, 189 length (they are much longer than that BTW) and the huge rocker, get these and you will not be disappointed.

In Powder The K2 Hellbent skis is like riding a trampoline down the mountain. These skis are super fun when all you have is a few inches to get the most out of. They are very playfull, jumpy and a sinch to ski. These skis make skiing powder easier than skiing groomers. Jumping off stuff takes some getting used to as you don't have to lean so far back to make the skis rise to the surface, you need to be more centered on the ski and they will do all the work. Once the mountain gets tracked out though they become a little much for me to handle being as they are really soft and don't like to ski the crud or bumps at all. I am 5''6' 140 and the 179s were great for my moderate skiing ability. The K2 Hellbents are a great ski to have in your quiver but not as your daily driver.

These skis are great in the deep snow conditions they are meant for. One complaint is that it is a bit harder to find the sweet spot when dropping cliffs, since the tail rocker wants to throw you way backseat. Other than that, they float really well in super deep pow, and they are way buttery. This is not the ski for someone who wants to be skiing super fast really hard in crud, but it is the ski for someone skiing more mellow slopes, pillows, etc in super deep pow. Oh yeah, and they carve really well on groomers too.

one word to describe the hellbent is "wow." I was very impressed on how well this ski worked. Granted I used it on a day with about 1-2" of pow, this thing stood up and worked great everywhere. The traditional sidecut really showed me that this "rocker" can be used on groomers, and feel somewhat safe. I've ridden the Armada ARG, the Moment Donner Party, and now this rocker. By far the Hellbent wins in the versatility category. I just wish I had more snow to see how well they skied in the deep stuff. I can only imagine...

These skis are everything you would hope for and more. The rocker design is truly amazing in fresh snow. Having the tip and tail naturally pop out of the powder really creates a unique skiing experience and allows you to ski like never before. They can also hold up to some serious abuse. Keep in mind these skis measure longer then advertised with a 189cm being closer to an actual 195cm. Really this is only a concern for ski weight because the actual effective edge is around 140cm. This ski is perfect for anyone who wants a playful powder ski.