Question: K2 Mindbender 88Ti Alliance 2020 / Armada Victa 87 Ti Skis 2019

[WaterGirl]

Curious if anyone has been able to get on the new K2 Mindbenders?
Looking for something to entertain myself with when there is not enough snow for the Black Crows Camox Birdie - on those days probably 60 piste/40 trees/bumps.
Have researched narrower all mountain skis - can demo the usual suspects in the 85 +/- range, but unable to get on these two top contenders:

• K2 Mindbender 88Ti Alliance Skis 2020 and Armada Victa 87 Ti Skis 2019

Shops have just received the K2s, will take a look at them this weekend. Armadas are sold out in town, getting low on line.
Paging @SnowHot @elemmac

Thanks!

 

[contesstant]

Get on a Volkl Secret if you can, too.
@SnowHot was on the Mindbender this week, as was @skidiva I believe. Word is GOOD!

 

[elemmac]

@WaterGirl - Re: Mindbender 88Ti. Not yet for me...but I feel like there is a lot of hype going around the ski industry about them. Not sure if that's because they had an early release to the public, or if they're really "all that".

East coast industry demo's are happening this week, so I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about them come this weekend.

For what it's worth I loved the Armada Victa 87Ti, the only reason I don't own a pair is because the 163 is a bit short for my preference, and the 171 a bit on the long side. I imagine the Mindbender will fill a very similar spot in someone's quiver. Hope to hear more about it, and maybe get out on it in the upcoming weeks.

 

[WaterGirl]

@elemmac hmmm... I had the same issue with the Trace 98.

 

[elemmac]

@elemmac hmmm... I had the same issue with the Trace 98.

The Victa is A LOT more stable than the Trace if you size down. I was able to push the Victa in a 163 and never felt unsafe or unstable...but at the same time, I wanted just a little more length. The 171 took some of the pop and quickness away, while it gave me the length I was looking for to be more confident. However, the 171 was longer than I'd want in east coast trees ( i.e bumps and tight spaces). I demoed the Trace in the 164, and while I could see the potential of the ski, I couldn't ski it the way I wanted because it skied too short to remain stable.

For reference, I have skis ranging from 162 (all-mountain ski with a hard snow bias) to 177 (fat powder sticks), with mid to high 160's being my "happy length".

 

[MissySki]

The Armadas are really fun. They were at the Ken Jobes Demo Day at Loon in December, I didn’t get on them this year but did a few years ago. They have another demo day in March sometime, I think at Waterville or Sunapee, so might be worth checking out if Armada will be there again if the dates worked for you. Unless you are looking to buy before then of course.

 

[WaterGirl]

@elemmac thank you for the clarification, the 163 may work then, seems the low/ mid 160's is more my happy length. I may be able to get on a Victa 97ti for comparison (only ski left in town), knowing not the "same" but similar I hate spending the $ to demo but I guess I would get a read on the length.

Not sure if the Mindbender is all hype either.

@MissySki not in a hurry I guess other than the only two skis I can't try are in limited quality.
No demo days here in CA unless I can get into the trade show in February.

 

[MissySki]

@elemmac thank you for the clarification, the 163 may work then, seems the low/ mid 160's is more my happy length. I may be able to get on a Victa 97ti for comparison (only ski left in town), knowing not the "same" but similar I hate spending the $ to demo but I guess I would get a read on the length.

Not sure if the Mindbender is all hype either.

@MissySki not in a hurry I guess other than the only two skis I can't try are in limited quality.
No demo days here in CA unless I can get into the trade show in February.

Oh darn, why did I think you were local to New England??? Sorry about that!

 

[elemmac]

I may be able to get on a Victa 97ti for comparison (only ski left in town), knowing not the "same" but similar I hate spending the $ to demo but I guess I would get a read on the length.

I've also been on the 97ti in a 171 length, it's a beefy ski...amazing, but burly. Similar, but definitely a lot more ski than the 87ti. It'll give you an idea of how the 87 skis, but keep in mind the 87 is a lot friendlier, with still being a solid ski that you can push.

 

[SnowHot]

Word is GOOD!

Like REALLY good!

 

[cskis88]

This is an old thread, but I just picked these up. The matching wine-coloured 2021 Look SPX 12 bindings are a total fluke, as is the fact that everything matches my boots. I honestly thought these skis would look less girly, but the black is sparkly. I’m okay with the look. It’s a pretty sweet set up. I am skiing them tomorrow regardless of conditions, although it may snow so am taking my fatter skis as well. I am in Alberta, ski Sunshine or Louise as a rule, and am hitting sunshine tomorrow. Will post a review afterwards of the 163 cm K2 Mindbender Alliance 88 Ti. First thing I noticed is the bindings are mounted quite a bit further back than my other skis. Hoping this will make them better at higher speeds? Not sure. I need to learn about binding placement. Here’s a pic.

 

[WaterGirl]

@cskis88 sweet set up!

So I did purchase the 163 Armada Victa 87Ti (un demoed) I find like @elemmac while they are stable, light weight and fun to ski they are a bit short for me as well, I guess I'm between the Armada sizes.

As its been low snow now for a while and I've used them at a local bump with less demanding terrain they have been fine, but I think I really want something a bit more off piste oriented..... so I will be selling at end of year I guess if anyone is interested....

 

[SnowHot]

This is an old thread, but I just picked these up. The matching wine-coloured 2021 Look SPX 12 bindings are a total fluke, as is the fact that everything matches my boots. I honestly thought these skis would look less girly, but the black is sparkly. I’m okay with the look. It’s a pretty sweet set up. I am skiing them tomorrow regardless of conditions, although it may snow so am taking my fatter skis as well. I am in Alberta, ski Sunshine or Louise as a rule, and am hitting sunshine tomorrow. Will post a review afterwards of the 163 cm K2 Mindbender Alliance 88 Ti. First thing I noticed is the bindings are mounted quite a bit further back than my other skis. Hoping this will make them better at higher speeds? Not sure. I need to learn about binding placement. Here’s a pic.View attachment 12193

Have you checked to see if the boot center is on the center mark of the ski?

 

[SnowHot]

@cskis88 sweet set up!

So I did purchase the 163 Armada Victa 87Ti (un demoed) I find like @elemmac while they are stable, light weight and fun to ski they are a bit short for me as well, I guess I'm between the Armada sizes.

As its been low snow now for a while and I've used them at a local bump with less demanding terrain they have been fine, but I think I really want something a bit more off piste oriented..... so I will be selling at end of year I guess if anyone is interested....

The Victa 87 Ti definitely has a sweet spot for carving.
I'm a little sad because we're selling off our 2020 skis that are going out of the lineup to make way for 2021 skis and I really don't want to let the Mindbender 88 Ti go, but I have to.
I kind of sound pathetic, eh?

 

[cskis88]

Have you checked to see if the boot center is on the center mark of the ski?

It is, yes.

 

[SnowHot]

It is, yes.

Then you should be great. Enjoy

 

[nopoleskier]

The Victa 87 Ti definitely has a sweet spot for carving.
I'm a little sad because we're selling off our 2020 skis that are going out of the lineup to make way for 2021 skis and I really don't want to let the Mindbender 88 Ti go, but I have to.
I kind of sound pathetic, eh?

Hide them in the garage :-) don't let them go.. LOL

 

[SnowHot]

Hide them in the garage :-) don't let them go.. LOL

You've seen my garage, right??
And it looks worse......errrrrrrr, better. Its busting at the seams.

 

[cskis88]

Alrighty... here's my review, the first. Please forgive me or correct me if I'm using terminology incorrectly.

I am an advanced (wannabe expert) skier, age 51, 5'4 1/2", 180 lbs, former bodybuilder so yes overweight but athletic and strong for my size and age. My nephew thinks I am an "aggressive" skier, whatever that means. I ski all the blacks all the time, all conditions, and will ski double-blacks but not by myself. I ski solo most days so don't get on the expert runs much.

I skied these all day long (20 runs in total at Sunshine Village), as many different blacks as I could get on (steeps, moguls, chutes, glades, drop-ins), a few blues and greens but no groomed runs. It was soft snow, some but not much untracked powder lines, lots of crud, a bit of ice where the resort gets the howling winds (like top of Goats Eye), and then in light falling snow all afternoon. Not the conditions I bought the skis for, but a good day to put them through their paces. I read another review by a Diva who said these skis inspired her to catch some air. Same here, more than usual for me, but that was partly due to the nice soft conditions. Note: We are not talking big air. lol.

My other skis are: Blizzard Sheeva 10 (164 cm) and Rossignol Temptation 80 (160 cm)

K2
Mindbender Alliance 88 Ti
163 cm
All Mountain

1=Poor 2= Fair 3=Average 4=Very Good 5=Excellent
Short Turns: 5
Medium Turns: 5
Long Turns: 3.5 (didn't really have the right terrain to test this ski's carving ability but they are very "turny")
Rebound: 5 (not entirely clear what this means, but they were great in the moguls and a little less flex-y than the Sheevas, which I appreciated, because I could Hulk Smash my way through them if I wanted or needed to. The harder I pushed them, the better they skied, if that makes sense).
Stability: 4
Forgiveness: 3.5 (are not overly stiff but need to be pushed, not just ridden--again, I'm not 100% sure what this means, but I would not recommend the skis to someone just learning or a lighter intermediate skier)
Grip: 5 (compared to the Sheeva 10)
Steeps: 5 (super confidence inspiring)
Crud: 5 (both smash through and float over, just awesome and no hookiness)
Powder: 4 (surprisingly floaty for a narrower waisted ski...)
Ice: 5
Overall Impression: 4.5

Tested Length Felt:
Just Right (Once I got use to the aft position of the bindings, around the second run, I REALLY liked the feeling. As a result, I am going to move the bindings back a couple of cm on my Sheeva 10s.)

Ski Sidecut Felt:
Just Right (a nice break from a "fat" ski. Not going to lie, folks, wider skis can be fatiguing if you're over 40. haha)

Ski Flex Felt:
Just Right (a bit "damper" than my other skis.)

Best Described As:
Balanced/Burly (might not be as enjoyable for lighter weight ladies but good for a burly girl like me)

Notes: I think this might be an excellent all-mountain ski for anyone used to skiing narrow waisted skis but who wants something with a bit more ability off groomers and in varying conditions. I also found this ski to be extremely easy to get on edge. It wants to be on edge, even in crud, and I felt confident keeping it there. The Sheeva 10s by contrast like to be skied "flatter" and while they can be put on edge, it doesn't feel like the ski's happy place.

Here's what I texted my nephew (who sold me the skis) at lunch:

So, having some lunch after 10 runs. There is more snow here than I expected and nothing is groomed so kinda laughing about that since I didn’t buy these skis for this kind of snow. That said, I REALLY like them a lot. They really want to be pushed and are super fun when you do, not easy to ski but not difficult, either. And boy do they smash through crud, and no, I mean no, tail hookiness. I even found some small lines of untracked powder and they are way more floaty than I thought they would be. Again, just super fun. And they have a more solid, damp feel than my other two pairs, even though they are not super heavy. It’s very cool and makes me super confident on narrow steeps. I can’t wait to see how they are when I open them up. I am thinking they will be super fun again. I noticed that the bindings are mounted quite a bit further back than my Sheevas, and now I think I want to remount the bindings on those as they ski a little “short” and the tails are definitely hooky in loose snow. What do you think? Is that a good or a bad idea? I don’t know how much they could or should go back, but figure you guys could advise me. Can you guys do a remount even though I didn’t buy them from you? Anyway, thanks again for getting on these skis so fast. Really really pleased with them!! I skied some bumps and glades this morning, too, but will be doing more of that this afternoon as the light is crap now. Later!--

 

[santacruz skier]

Alrighty... here's my review, the first. Please forgive me or correct me if I'm using terminology incorrectly.

I am an advanced (wannabe expert) skier, age 51, 5'4 1/2", 180 lbs, former bodybuilder so yes overweight but athletic and strong for my size and age. My nephew thinks I am an "aggressive" skier, whatever that means. I ski all the blacks all the time, all conditions, and will ski double-blacks but not by myself. I ski solo most days so don't get on the expert runs much.

I skied these all day long (20 runs in total at Sunshine Village), as many different blacks as I could get on (steeps, moguls, chutes, glades, drop-ins), a few blues and greens but no groomed runs. It was soft snow, some but not much untracked powder lines, lots of crud, a bit of ice where the resort gets the howling winds (like top of Goats Eye), and then in light falling snow all afternoon. Not the conditions I bought the skis for, but a good day to put them through their paces. I read another review by a Diva who said these skis inspired her to catch some air. Same here, more than usual for me, but that was partly due to the nice soft conditions. Note: We are not talking big air. lol.

My other skis are: Blizzard Sheeva 10 (164 cm) and Rossignol Temptation 80 (160 cm)

K2
Mindbender Alliance 88 Ti
163 cm
All Mountain

1=Poor 2= Fair 3=Average 4=Very Good 5=Excellent
Short Turns: 5
Medium Turns: 5
Long Turns: 3.5 (didn't really have the right terrain to test this ski's carving ability but they are very "turny")
Rebound: 5 (not entirely clear what this means, but they were great in the moguls and a little less flex-y than the Sheevas, which I appreciated, because I could Hulk Smash my way through them if I wanted or needed to. The harder I pushed them, the better they skied, if that makes sense).
Stability: 4
Forgiveness: 3.5 (are not overly stiff but need to be pushed, not just ridden--again, I'm not 100% sure what this means, but I would not recommend the skis to someone just learning or a lighter intermediate skier)
Grip: 5 (compared to the Sheeva 10)
Steeps: 5 (super confidence inspiring)
Crud: 5 (both smash through and float over, just awesome and no hookiness)
Powder: 4 (surprisingly floaty for a narrower waisted ski...)
Ice: 5
Overall Impression: 4.5

Tested Length Felt:
Just Right (Once I got use to the aft position of the bindings, around the second run, I REALLY liked the feeling. As a result, I am going to move the bindings back a couple of cm on my Sheeva 10s.)

Ski Sidecut Felt:
Just Right (a nice break from a "fat" ski. Not going to lie, folks, wider skis can be fatiguing if you're over 40. haha)

Ski Flex Felt:
Just Right (a bit "damper" than my other skis.)

Best Described As:
Balanced/Burly (might not be as enjoyable for lighter weight ladies but good for a burly girl like me)

Notes: I think this might be an excellent all-mountain ski for anyone used to skiing narrow waisted skis but who wants something with a bit more ability off groomers and in varying conditions. I also found this ski to be extremely easy to get on edge. It wants to be on edge, even in crud, and I felt confident keeping it there. The Sheeva 10s by contrast like to be skied "flatter" and while they can be put on edge, it doesn't feel like the ski's happy place.

Here's what I texted my nephew (who sold me the skis) at lunch:

So, having some lunch after 10 runs. There is more snow here than I expected and nothing is groomed so kinda laughing about that since I didn’t buy these skis for this kind of snow. That said, I REALLY like them a lot. They really want to be pushed and are super fun when you do, not easy to ski but not difficult, either. And boy do they smash through crud, and no, I mean no, tail hookiness. I even found some small lines of untracked powder and they are way more floaty than I thought they would be. Again, just super fun. And they have a more solid, damp feel than my other two pairs, even though they are not super heavy. It’s very cool and makes me super confident on narrow steeps. I can’t wait to see how they are when I open them up. I am thinking they will be super fun again. I noticed that the bindings are mounted quite a bit further back than my Sheevas, and now I think I want to remount the bindings on those as they ski a little “short” and the tails are definitely hooky in loose snow. What do you think? Is that a good or a bad idea? I don’t know how much they could or should go back, but figure you guys could advise me. Can you guys do a remount even though I didn’t buy them from you? Anyway, thanks again for getting on these skis so fast. Really really pleased with them!! I skied some bumps and glades this morning, too, but will be doing more of that this afternoon as the light is crap now. Later!--

Paging @SnowHot ...... she will be able to answer your questions!

So I demoed the k2 Mindbender 88 Ti in a 156 in Taos a couple of weeks ago and found it great on the groomers but too much work in the bumps and ungroomed. However, I am all of 5'1" and 102 pounds so could have been too burly of a ski for a lightweight like me. I also demoed Nordica Santa Ana 93 in a 161 and liked it much, much better. I know totally different ski..... I have demoed both the Sheeva 9 and Sheeva 10 and really like both of those skis in mixed conditions.