About thie Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in December of 2022.

My take

The K2 Bottle Rocket Snowboard is my true twin daily driver: from the park to the bumps and trees to teaching beginner lessons and the steeps. This board is built for people who like to ride switch a lot, and while it’s best used in the park, I’ve found that it performs pretty well all over the mountain.

About the gear

• Model: 2023 K2 Bottle Rocket
• Size: 148cm

About me

• Height: 5’9”
• Weight: 145lbs
• Experience: 27 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought these: December 2022
• Days tested: 50
• Mount position: Wide Duck Stance (18/-18)
• Boots: 2023 Maysis
• Boot Size: 7M
• Bindings: 2023 Ride A-9
• Where I’ve used it: Vermont
• Terrain: Groomers, powder, park, bumps, trees, steeps, green, blue, black, and double black

How it performs

What I was looking for

My board was falling apart, and I wanted something that could be my quiver of one. I wanted something I could ride anywhere on the mountain without switching to another board for different terrain. I ride switch a lot, and I like to ride fast sometimes, but I still want to be able to butter around and press if I feel so moved.

Why I chose this gear

I like true twin-shaped boards because I like to ride switch a lot, and I wanted something mid-flexing to handle anything. I also liked the idea of getting a volume-shifted board that I could size down. I was thinking about the Ride Twinpig because it has very similar build characteristics; however, I decided to go with the Bottle Rocket because it was medium flexing instead of soft flexing.

What I love about it

• Edge hold: It’s a little wider in the waist than a normal board its size, which gives me great leverage once I tip it up on the edge.
• Turns: I think it performs best on blue terrain going at medium speeds. It has a longer sidecut radius since it’s wider at the waist. It likes carving down the mountain more than across it unless one has a pretty wide trail by East Coast standards (>10 cat track widths).
• Groomers: It shreds groomers, carving greens and blues and owning black diamonds.
• Powder: The wider waist and absence of camber (flat in the middle and rocker tip and tail) give it great float in the powder. I like a full rocker board in the powder, but the rocker/flat/rocker profile still worked great.
• Trees: Being able to go shorter because it’s volume shifted makes a nice difference in the trees as I’m able to really swing it around quickly.
• Moguls: Same as the benefits in the trees, being able to ride it smaller makes the bumps a ton of fun.
• Park: This is what it’s really meant for, and it’s great. It can handle large jumps, has a surprising amount of pop for a board with no camber, and is a stable base on rails and boxes.
• Durability: I beat on my gear, and although rocks will always ding my edge, the base held up really well when I do find those rocks.
• Weight: It’s a pretty standard feeling. I never felt weighed down.
• Switch riding: I ride switch a lot, so I always have my stance set perfectly symmetrical on a true twin board. If one likes to ride switch often, I suggest dialing in the stance symmetry on a true twin like this.
• Other: It has a cool matte finish on the topsheet I like.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Backcountry: I like a board that can do anything, but I would bring a different setup if I went into the backcountry.
• Stability: It’s not built for super high speeds but still offers good pop in the park.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with this new piece of gear was the first time I rolled through the park with it at my home mountain in Vermont. It was cold and firm but not icy: I can really honk on that packed powder if I tip it up on edge. After hitting a 50-50 on the first feature, I tested the backside boardslide on the next. I immediately could feel the difference with its wider waist, providing a solid platform to balance across my board from heel to toe. I rolled up to the jump line with typical speed and held the nose grab for what seemed like forever. After sending the nose grab pretty deep into the landing, I went BS3 and FS3 off the next two jumps with what seemed like effortless pop and stomped them out clean. I was instantly sold on this board and its presence on the snow.

Value for the money vs. other options

Typically, one will pay less for a similar but softer flexing board (like the Rossignol District Infrablack) or a board with less durability. I don’t mind the price point being in the top half because I know I’m getting a good quality product.

Final verdict

I really love this board in the park doing what it was made to do: send jumps with pop and still have enough flex to nose press on boxes and rails. But as my daily driver, it can conquer the entire mountain if I feel like exploring and cruising with friends.