Maybe it is just me but I find it hard to believe a K2 ski made in China would retail for $899.00. I have not considered a K2 product as a viable option since they moved production to China years ago. With a retail price greater than a Blossom White Out, I cannot believe they could be worth what K2 is asking.
Do they really have the materials, manufacturing process, and QA to justify that price, or is this becoming the new baseline retail price for skis?
If that's the case, Stöckli prices aren't that much greater for the proven quality you get.
Just asking.
I like your spunk. But.... The full retail price of skis has been going up steadily, and K2 fatter skis are highly rated, have been since Sean Pettit and Seth Morrison, etc., chose them, designed and prototyped them. Not all K2s are great to me, but the fatter ones tend to have a chance, at least. Right now, the 90, 99 and 108 Mindbenders are to me tops in their widths (not so much the 116). I'd rather have one of these Mindbenders than a Kastle of equal width - or a fatter Stockli (over, say, 80 width). I own a pair of the Blossom WhiteOut 76s, like them, ski them, better than any K2 of that width. So for narrower skis, it's still meh for me with them; I get on them, feel they are not as dialed in as the bigger brands or race ski brands, etc. - or Laser Stocklis, and move on.
That said, I'd never have to pay full price for a K2, or most other brands. A few small premium brands can control their prices more and keep them higher, but come mid-season (February), a K2 is going to be discounted, in a carefully choreographed set of steps. Heck, with the right retailers, larger brands will be discounted. And last year's versions are half price or less. So that K2 after a year becomes a bargain I'll go for. Especially if it's a carryover, unchanged except for graphics, why not get last year's pair - say, more yellow instead of white?
