Powder Performer

By jen2630982 Ranked #475 - Alpine Skiing June 4, 2009

My dad bought me these (actually the 2007's, this review pertains more directly to them. I'm not sure what changes have been instituted between the 2007's and 2008's) as a birthday/ Christmas present because he liked his K2 Apache Recon men's skis and wanted me to have the women's version.

I give this ski 4/5 for its amazing performance through crud and powder, but its sketchiness on groomers. This is a stiff heavy ski for an advanced skier willing to push it. It is not very forgiving.

I'm a 5'10" 130lb. expert skier from Colorado. I'm 23 and have been skiing since I was 2. I prefer heavier skis and skiing more technical terrain like steep glades.

Highlights: With a wide underfoot, the Tough Luv's simply float through powder. I've never had so much control in powder as with these skis. They also absolutely bust through chopped up crud and slush. I have total control. As opposed to every other ski I have ever had, which bounced me around through crud. These are also very fast and have limited chatter.

The downside is their performance on hardpack and groomers. I've found these skis require me to take a wider stance and take bigger, more GS-style turns on harder snow. My weight otherwise is hard to keep in a consistent place and I feel like I'm getting bucked all over the place.

They're workable in bumps, but if you're going to ski a lot of them I would suggest going down a width to the Lotta Luvs.

One last note if you're considering this ski, as other posters mention, K2 measures its skis in skiable surface rather than tip to tail. This means that after having 173 Solomon Screams, I spent a lot of time getting used to my 170 Tough Luvs. So be prepared for your skis to be longer, or order a shorter size.

View Details: K2 Tough Luv Ski w/ Marker M1 11.0 Ti Binding - Women's

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