K2

Wayback 96 Ski

If skiing was food, riding lifts would be frozen pizza and ski mountaineering would be a perfect souffle: both are delicious, but one can be done by anyone while the other takes time, effort, and dedication. In this scenario, the K2 Wayback 96 Ski is the fine tool of a top chef, designed to slice and dice whatever conditions the backcountry offers up, from firm windblown to spring corn to funky alpine hardpack to powder. K2's All-Terrain rocker boasts underfoot camber to make short work of hard and crusty snow, while the moderate tip rocker and slight tail rocker let the Wayback float over powder and cruise through variable conditions. The slight tail rocker also makes it easy to plunge the Wayback into the snow for use as an anchor or just to keep it from taking off down the hill.

The Wayback's lighter than a souffle, too, at under seven pounds per pair, so the skin track or bootpack won't be a huge chore. It's constructed with a lightweight paulownia core with strategically placed maple for stiffness, and has a Carbon Web laminate that gives it some backbone without tacking on extra ounces. The torsion box construction keeps it nice and stiff through the turn, while the Hybritech sidewalls combine a smooth-turning and lightweight cap construction with partial sidewalls for hardcore edge grip when things firm up on you. Even the topsheet is designed to be light, with a Snowphobic treatment that prevents snow from building up. Last but not least, the Wayback comes fully kitted out with K2's Z-Clip tip and tail skin grommets, so you can slap on a pair of K2 skins and be hitting the skinner before your buddies have their boots on.