About this review This review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I bought with my own money in October 2020.

My take

The K2 Wildheart is a volume-shifted, all-mountain board geared towards experienced riders. It’s best for gals who like to ride fast on groomed runs and play in powder.

About the gear

• Model: 2020 K2 Wildheart
• Size: 146

About me

• Height: 5’5”
• Weight: 145 lbs
• Experience: 18 years

Test conditions

• When I bought these: October 2020
• Days tested: 27
• Mount position: I ride goofy so my right is at 15 and my left is at -6
• Boots: Ride Sage
• Boot Size: 9
• Bindings: Flow Mayons
• Where I’ve used it: Crystal Mountain (WA), Snoqualmie (WA), Schweitzer (ID)
• Terrain: Groomers, trees, powder, park

How it performs

What I was looking for

This past season, I was looking for an all-mountain powder board. My goal was to find a board that would be more nimble cruising through the trees and plow through pow stashes.

I also knew I wanted a volume-shifted board. I have a larger boot size so having that volume-shifted shape would prevent any toe/heel drag and give me the ultimate response edge-to-edge.

Why I chose this gear

I decided on the K2 Wildheart because I demoed the infamous Lib Tech Orca the previous season and I knew I wanted a volume-shifted snowboard. I read reviews saying how fun this board was to carve and take through the trees so it fit exactly what I was looking for! It has tip-to-tail carbon fiber stringers into fiberglass lay-ups, so it’s super lightweight while remaining lively.

I considered buying the Ride Psychocandy, but I went with the K2 Wildheart because of its rocker/camber profile. The Ride board is rocker/flat and I wanted that additional camber for superior edge hold.

What I love about it

• Speed: The sintered base gives this board an ultra-fast on-snow feel. If anything this board doesn’t have a speed limit.
• Edge hold: It has solid edge hold with the camber profile. It’s incredibly smooth edge-to-edge and carves like a dream all over the resort.
• Turns: The slight rocker in the nose allows for really smooth turns. However, the Wildheart is definitely more suited for aggressive riding styles and wouldn’t be a great choice to learn on.
• Groomers: Love cruising fast on groomers with this board. It’s incredibly responsive edge to edge. The camber profile provides snappy turns at speed.
• Powder: This board plows through most pow stashes. I’ve had some super deep days where this board nose-dived in the deep stuff, but re-adjusting my bindings further back fixed this problem.
• Trees: The volume-shifted shape of the Wildheart makes this board incredibly nimble in the trees.
• Durability: K2’s sintered performance base has proven to be super durable. I took this board through ice and chunder, and it’s basically indestructible.
• Weight: I love how lightweight this board is! Having a lightweight quality board allows me to ride faster and longer.
• Switch riding: Although the board is directional, I had no issues riding switch.
• Stability: Stability isn’t an issue with this board, but I do notice some chatter on super icy days.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Park: The Wildheart board isn’t super playful flex-wise, but the camber underfoot adds good pop for hitting jumps.
• Jibbing and Buttering: Due to the stiffness of this board it’s not a great choice for jibbing and buttering.

Favorite moment with this gear

There was a wild winter storm back in February, so of course, I couldn’t wait to get out and enjoy the fresh powder at Crystal Mountain. That weekend I finally got to enjoy some deep powder and the Wildheart did not disappoint! Cruising through the trees in untracked snow was incredibly smooth and the board handled the conditions like a true champ.

Value for the money vs. other options

K2 gear is definitely great value for the quality they create. Some of K2’s lower-priced boards wouldn’t have been able to excel in the trees and technical terrain that I like to ride. I purchased this board the season after it came out, so I did purchase it on sale (the Wildheart board retails for $479). Truly, I would buy this board all over again, because I’m impressed with the way the board handles.

Final verdict

The Wildheart board is an all-resort ripper with a volume-shifted shape for ultimate maneuverability. This board is best suited for intermediate to advanced ladies who like to charge through everything with confidence. It’s best suited for groomers, trees, side hits, and deep powder days.