Curated Ski Experts Brandon Westburg and Hayden Wright tested the 2023 K2 Mindbender 108Ti this spring at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. If you have any questions about the Mindbender 108Ti or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

One final point before we dive in: It's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does K2 claim about this ski? [Brandon] K2 claims that the K2 Mindbender 108Ti is a hard-charging, stiff, directional freeride ski. I was able to ski it today in a lot of different conditions and had a ton of fun on this ski. I got a really good feel for it as well.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? [Brandon] My first impression of the K2 Mindbender 108Ti was that it was insanely fun to ride. There is a lot of metal in the core of this ski, so it is extremely damp. I was surprised at, even with the 108 width, how quickly it moved edge-to-edge on the groomers. I got to ride a groomer first thing this morning with a little firmer snow, and I was really impressed by the edge hold. I know there's a lot of metal in the core, so I thought it would be slow edge-to-edge. But it actually was quite lively and quick. So it was a really awesome first run and first impression of this ski.

My favorite part about this ski is how stable and versatile it is. It's very damp and does a great job on any sort of snowpack as well. We got to ski it this morning when it was a bit firmer out. Also in the afternoon, the sun was out all day and softened up conditions nicely. So I really enjoyed skiing the ski in a variety of different terrain.

[Hayden] I was super excited to ride this ski; it was a little out of my typical ski that I ride. The big takeaways from the K2 Mindbender 108Ti is that it’s 108 millimeters wide at the waist, and the titanal has a very unique Y-Beam shape throughout the ski. Last year, they actually were a little bit skinnier than this year's. This year's is now wider. We also did notice a difference in the stiffness and the dampness of the ski. We think that has a lot to do with them widening the Y-Beam in the base. It was a fun ski for Powder Mountain.

Carving

How does it turn? [Brandon] I thought it felt really great when turning. It's an extremely damp ski, as mentioned before, because of the metal and the core.

[Hayden] The carving and turning aspect of the Mindbender 108Ti is very unique. My first impression before I got to jump on the ski was like, “108 millimeters wide? That's a wide ski. How is it going to carve?” But it wasn't too hard getting the ski edge-to-edge. I think it's because the Y-Beam titanal layer isn't a full sheet. It's a Y shape, so this kind of cuts a little bit of weight. K2 only wants the stiffness on the sides of the ski and then in the back throughout the center of the tail, hence, the Y shape. But again, for a 108 millimeter wide ski, it's a great resort ski if you're anticipating there to be a little bit of pow. If I had a zone at a resort where I had to take a groomed run or traverse something, and there was a lot of carving to get to that pow, like those glade or those steep shoots, I’d definitely consider the Mindbender 108 because it's got a little bit of everything. There are other skis out there that are 108 millimeters wide that do not carve or perform quite like the K2 Mindbender did today.

How does it perform at speed? [Brandon] At speed, this K2 is almost indestructible. With the titanal layers in the build of this ski, there is an extremely damp feel and stable feel at speed. I did get to take it up to top speed today and perform some pretty high performance carves, as well as ski at a lower speed. We got to smear it around and have a little fun with this ski. So I felt comfortable both at slower speeds and top speeds, and the ski did not chatter on me at all. Overall, it was a great ski to ski at any speed.

[Hayden] We were able to get up to speed because the snow hadn't quite softened yet. And there was zero chatter, which boosted your confidence at speed. You know when you're going to lean on that edge and initiate those turns that ski is coming with you. Nothing's holding back, and you can definitely open up the Mindbender 108Ti.

How is the energy of acceleration? [Brandon] If you're looking for a ski that you don't have to work that hard to control or use, the K2 Mindbender 108Ti definitely wouldn't be for you. You do have to drive this pretty hard and be in the front of your boot to really make this ski work. If you're in the back of your boot and taking some slower turns and not putting a lot of energy into this ski, you won't get a lot of energy back. So the more energy you give this thing, the more you'll get back out of it. And it was really fun to rip at those higher speeds as well.

Freestyle

How playful is the ski? [Brandon] The K2 Mindbender 108Ti isn't exactly the most playful ski on the market for its waist width, but it did have a lot of pop. The titanal layers in the core did create a lot of pop when I left the ground. We did some spins, hit some side hits on this thing today, and it was a ton of fun. Again, it was not exactly the most playful, but yes, it was certainly fun and full of energy when catching any sort of air on the mountain today.

[Hayden] So regarding the playfulness and pop of the Mindbender 108Ti, while it's not the most playful ski on the market, that's not what it's designed for. It's more of a hard-charging playful ski rather than a slow playful ski. If you're a little bit heavier than me, you may be able to load it up and initiate some pop. But for me, it was a pretty stiff ski, and I enjoyed it more in the open areas, off the trails, and not so much in the trees, and I definitely had a blast ripping turns from the groomers today.

How is it for skiing switch? [Brandon] The K2 Mindbender 108Ti is not a full twin tip, so I wouldn't exactly recommend skiing this thing switch on anything besides groomers. If you have a nice flat groomer in front of you, there is a little lift in the tail, so certainly feel free to ride it switch. However, anything chopped up or outside of groomers, I would not feel confident landing switch or riding this thing switch as this is it not a full twin tip.

How about landing on jumps? How was the stability? [Brandon] The K2 Mindbender 108Ti is a super fun ski to get in the air. I feel confident that it would be an awesome ski on both the East and the West Coast because it was super solid on landings. Again, touching on this dampness in this ski, it provides a really stable landing when going small or going a little bit bigger like we got into today.

So overall, it didn't chatter on me at all when landing. There's no weird inconsistencies or edge catches. I had a great stable feel for this ski when catching air, and it was super fun to put back on the ground as well.

[Hayden] We came down from a few little jumps, nothing too big. I personally enjoy a wider ski because you just have more under you when you're landing. And then again, with the stiffness of these skis, if you were to land front or back seat, you're not going to flex this ski out by any means because of its shape and design. It's definitely for rolling over a groomer or something, if you've got somebody spotting obviously. It's definitely a fun ski to jump, and if you're getting into that, you might tend to land back seat or forward seat. The ski's going to be there for you. You're not just going to bend it and flex it out. So it is pretty fun for jumping and jibs like that.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? [Brandon] I think that the K2 Mindbender 108Ti would be an excellent powder ski. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take it through any powder today.

However, through a couple past experiences of skiing last year's model of this ski, I did get to ski some powder on the East Coast. I skied it in about eight to twelve inches of powder, it was fun. It definitely floats. Don't let the stiffness and the weight of the ski deter you and make you think it may sink in the powder. I think it's an excellent powder option for both the East Coast and the West Coast. It was plenty of ski to have fun on the groomers, but again, enough waist width and 108 underfoot to go off and enjoy some fresh snow.

How is its maneuverability in the trees? [Brandon] I thought it was fun in the tree, but I would not call it the most maneuverable ski in the trees with it being 108 underfoot and a bit heavier from all the metal that's incorporated into this ski. It certainly does move edge-to-edge at a moderate pace. It doesn't roll the quickest over edge-to-edge in the trees at a bit faster speed. If you're skiing in the trees a bit slower and wanting to enjoy your turns, this is an excellent ski for it. But as soon as you start to dial-up the speed, definitely expect to lose a little bit of control and quickness edge-to-edge in any trees or tighter terrain.

[Hayden] So the maneuverability for the Mindbender 108Ti was all right in the trees, and we skied a few bumps with it but not much. It's not the best ski for that, but that being said, it's definitely not the worst ski.

How is it on uneven terrain? [Brandon] I thought it was extremely fun in any chopped-up snow. It did plow through that snow, in the spring corn snow like nothing. It is very stiff and really wants to drive through any chopped-up snow. So I was really impressed by how stable of a ride this K2 Mindbender 108 provided.

What kind of terrain is the ski ideal for? [Brandon] The K2 Mindbender 108Ti is ideal for most all terrain on the resort. You can take this thing anywhere and ski it confidently from groomers to a little bit lower speed in the trees. It can tackle big mountain, powder, and even riding in the park a little bit.

What kind of terrain is it not ideal for? [Brandon] I wouldn't recommend the ski for the deepest of powder days or the firmest of groomers. There are certainly a little bit more narrow skis you can take on the icy and firm groomers. And of course, in the deeper powder, you're going to want something with a little more underfoot and rocker at the tip.

Is there a location you would pack these skis for? [Hayden] I never miss a chance to go home to Alaska. This would be a ski I'd consider, looking at the storms and stuff. So I would take this ski on any trip where the mountains have the goods and you know where to go get them, but it's a little bit of a challenge maybe to get to those really fun zones. The K2 Mindbender 108Ti will not only excel on the way to the fun areas of your resort, it'll also excel once you get to those zones. So definitely consider that if you're ever on the fence about the K2 Mindbender 108. It would be a great ski if you're storm chasing and you're not a hundred percent sure.

[Brandon] The K2 Mindbender 108Ti definitely gives me great confidence. It would be a great performer on the East Coast and the West Coast when we get snow or when it is firmer on the East Coast as well. I wouldn't exactly recommend it as a Midwest ski as you'll probably be skiing a little bit more groomers there than freeride or receiving a bunch of snow all the time. But I think it would be just fine on the East Coast. I have a couple of friends who ride this ski as their daily driver on the East Coast, anywhere from hardpack snow to that fresh snow, like we're talking about, and it's very versatile and a ton of fun.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to? Who should avoid this ski? [Brandon] I would recommend these skis to basically anyone looking for a stiff all-mountain or big mountain ski. If you're an advanced skier, looking for a ski to really drive and put a lot of energy into and expect some energy back out of the ski, it's going to be great for you. Mostly, those in the advanced-to-expert realm will do well with the K2 Mindbender 108Ti.

[Hayden] So again, if you're looking for a resort ski, the rider who’s going to really excel on the K2 Mindbender 108Ti is going to be somebody who, every once in a while, loves just charging hard down the groomers but doesn’t want only a groomer ski. The right person for this ski will want something that can handle some steep shoots, some drops, and some big open glades where you can let that ski get wide.

If you're a bigger skier, the ski is going to be there for you. But other than that, definitely intermediate-to-advanced skiers will excel on this ski. I say that because it can be a little bit much to get around.

Who would you not recommend this ski to, there are other better options out there? [Brandon] If you're a beginner or intermediate looking to get into this all-mountain or a category where you need a new ski for some powder skiing, I wouldn't recommend this for you as there are other skis that are a bit easier to flex and are not quite as stiff underfoot. So mostly all advanced or expert skiers will love the ski because of the energy it gives back to you when you put it in. If you're a beginner or intermediate, there are certainly better options out there for you.

[Hayden] If you're a little bit newer, maybe go down a few sizes in the Mindbender series and consider one of their skinnier models.

Skis work differently for different types of people. If you want help finding the best skis for your needs, reach out to Brandon, Hayden, or any other Ski Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations. They’ll help you find the right skis for you. Note that the 2024 version of the K2 Mindbender 108Ti is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: