POWDER Gear Guide: 2025/26 K2 Freeride Skis and Boots

Originally posted on Powder | By Max Ritter | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 3:17 PM ET

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With summer winding down and stoke rising, another ski brand released their newest wares to the public. Today, K2 Skis dropped their 2025/2026 hardgoods collection, with several new skis and boots in the line, plus visual updates on some old favorites. Seattle-based K2 Skis has long been the flagbearer for American freeride skiing, helping athletes push the limits of the sport with innovative and often unorthodox ski designs. It's the brand that brought us legendary designs like the Pontoon and the Hell Bent, or the more modern Reckoner KF, to name a few. This year, the collection was largely focused on a new line of athlete-developed freeride boots–the Cortex series–which feature a new Zonal BOA closure system.

We've absolutely loved the Mindbender and Reckoner freeride and freestyle skis, so it's not really a bummer that those have only received cosmetic updates for the upcoming season. The new colors follow the trend of subtle topsheets mixed with extremely loud bases–Max Hitzig and Sam Kuch-approved.

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Additionally, K2 released a fresh series of on-piste carving skis, the all-new K2 Blur line, which deserve a closer look for any skier looking for an extremely high-performance ride on icy East Coast hardpack or for rallying groomers on a sunny morning out West.

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The new Zonal BOA Cortex Boots were designed expressly with freeride athletes in mind. Included in the line is a pro-level 140 flex unisex boot (that goes down to a 22.5!) featuring a low-volume 96mm last and toe tech fittings for use with a hybrid touring binding. This is the boot Max Hitzig notably took the 2024 Freeride World Tour Title wearing. The series also includes a 130, 120, and 110 flex men's boot, and a 125, 105, and 95 flex women's boot. The 110 and 95 feature buckles on the upper cuff, while the other boots all feature The Zonal BOA Fit System.

Zonal BOA is K2's name for the Dual-BOA closure system we've been seeing across a few boot brands this year. The lower part of the boot is closed using the same BOA Fit system we've all become familiar with, while the top is closed using a second BOA dial that pulls the cuff closed evenly across your shin. Personally, I haven't been convinced that the addition of a second BOA adds performance to the boot compared to standard buckles, but I did get out on the Cortex 140 for a few laps last winter and can confirm that the boot does indeed RIP. We also have a full review of the women's K2 Cortex 125 boot here.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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