Video Transcript

My name is Leo and I am a Curated Ski Expert. Today, I'm going to give you a side-by-side comparison of two skis, the Head Kore 93 and the K2 Mindbender 90. I'm not sponsored by any of these brands. All opinions are just based on my own experience.

Head Kore 93 Skis

So, let's go ahead and dive in with the Head Kore 93 here, which is a really unique ski. It is well suited for a range of skiers; I can put a low-level intermediate on it, high-level intermediate on it, an advanced skier, and expert skiers too. Everybody is going to be able to have a good, easy time on this ski. It is one of those things where, you know, if you're very relaxed and taking it easy and cautious and working on your technique, it's going to be perfectly amenable to that. But the more energy you put into it, the more power you put behind it, the more it's going to snap back and give you a really strong response. At 93 underfoot, it's very all-mountain in its personality, meaning it can do very well on the groomers, in the moguls, in the trees, and it can handle various snow conditions from light powder to skied-out powder, to crust.

What makes this ski so particularly unique is how light it is, and Head achieves this by using a material called graphene. It is a one-atom layer thin material that's incredibly stiff. It's the building blocks of graphite. And so what it all amounts to when putting it in a ski is something that's very light but still has good stiffness, good edge hold, good responsiveness, and good power underfoot without adding a lot of extra weight. Head did a great job with the shape of this ski. It is not the most playful ski; it's still very directional in personality. It likes to ski in a more traditional style as opposed to a swishy, smeary, new school style, but it's not punishing in that sense. It's not going to lock you in there. A good skier will be able to manipulate it to be both a little bit looser and a bit tighter as well. All in all, I'm a big fan of it and can't get enough of this ski. I've always enjoyed it ever since I first tried it, and it continues to get better and better.

K2 Mindbender 90C Skis

Now, let's talk about the K2 Mindbender 90C, which I believe is one of the best values on the market right now. This is the epitome of not needing to spend a lot of money to get a really nice pair of skis. This ski is maybe a little bit more limited in its ceiling of what it can accomplish at 90 underfoot with a simple carbon core. It's definitely geared more towards the intermediate to advanced skier, and the expert is going to be able to push it beyond what it's capable of, especially if they're a bit heavier and more powerful. However, it is really fantastic all-mountain. It's very fun, springy, and responsive, and holds a great edge on groomers. You can really lay in a good carve with it, but it's got enough surface area that it can handle some all-mountain variability very well. It shines in the moguls, it's easy to maneuver in the trees, but it's going to find its limits in deeper powder. But if you've never skied a ski this wide or you're upgrading something from like 10-15 years ago, or you've only been on more basic rentals, it's still going to be a much more significant improvement than that. So, there is a lot of value in there. It's really ideal for that person who's buying their first set of skis or buying their first set of skis in a while, who doesn't get on the mountain maybe more than like 10 days a year.

Similarities and Differences

There are tons more details we can dive into, and I'm happy to unpack it more with you if there are any questions about which one's right for you. Just talk right here with your curated.com expert, and we'll get you all set up for success.

Comparison Table