Review: K2 Reckoner 102 and 102W

K2 Reckoner 102 and 102 W Specs

• Size skied: 177cm, 184cm
• Lengths available: 163cm, 170cm, 177cm, 184cm, 191cm
• Sidecut: 134mm - 102mm - 127mm
• Radius: 17.7m (177cm)
• Profile: twin rocker
• Weight: 2050g (184cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

At first glance, these fall right into the category of your run-of-the-mill all-mountain freestyle ski. The twin-tip construction, 102mm waist, and softish flex land it squarely in that family. However, some interesting construction and shape details make the ski stand out.

Uniquely, K2 wraps the Aspen wood core with both their patented triaxial fiberglass braid (they use a special one-of-a-kind machine to do this), and longitudinal strands of carbon fiber to add strength and immense amounts of pop. That’s all glued together with K2’s Bio Resin, which adds strength (particularly in the cold) and is designed to be more sustainable than traditional resins. Finally, there are full-length sidewalls and thick edges (meant for abuse in the park).

Given the skis' unabashed freestyle intentions, the shape is nearly symmetrical, with twin rocker lines front and back, and soft tips and tails married to a stiffer flex underfoot. 

On-Snow Performance

The ski’s current construction translates to a ride with a little more oomph underfoot than the previous Reckoner 102. It has a bit more energy edge to edge when carving on groomers and a little more bite too. Overall, though, the ski is more surfy feeling than edgy. It isn’t a powerful ski for charging on groomers but skied with a light touch it’s still quite rewarding on hardpack. It has enough edge bite to get the job done and the soft-ish flex can be bent into a variety of turn shapes. When the going gets icy, the ski does struggle a bit due to its softness.

In deep snow, the Reckoner 102/W is a surprisingly good powder ski for how narrow it is, but it isn’t a big enough ski if your resort regularly gets a lot of snow. The soft, rockered tip floats well and the taper helps the ski go sideways in soft snow. But it’s fundamentally a pretty soft ski in the tip and tail, meaning it lacks power for skiing chopped snow and crud, and testers found themselves getting tossed around at higher speeds.

Where the Reckoner 102 really shined was in the park. In fact, it was probably our testers' favorite park ski of the whole test. Everyone from the smallest women to the biggest of guys loved this ski, because it’s simply so easy to ski in the park. The soft flex and generous rocker profile make butters and surface swaps on rails and boxes a breeze, while the stiffer mid-section makes it stable on most jumps. Of course, if your daily park lap includes 40+ footers you might want something stiffer, but these are a decent enough ski to land on for mere mortals.

“A very intuitive ski. Easy to spin, easy to flex, felt like it wanted to do more tricks. Both forgiving & exciting to ski. Loves the rails, butters & jumps. It belongs in the park, but still skis happily out of it,” says one tester with a freestyle background.

Comparisons

K2’s Reckoner 102 is the brand’s playful all-mountain ski, well suited for park use and jibby all-mountain skiing. Compared to similar skis like the Faction Studio 2, Rossignol Sender Free 100, or Dynastar M-Free 100, the K2 is much softer and more playful. If you want to butter, smear, and slash your way through a run, this is a better option. However, if you prefer a ski with more power and better hard-snow performance, any of those choices would be better suited.

Next to some similarly-shaped women’s skis, the Reckoner stands out with its combination of freestyle chops and versatile shape. Compared to the RMU Valhalla 107, the Reckoner is much stiffer and easier to hold a turn. Compared to the more directional Nordica Santa Ana 102 and the Rossignol Rallybird 102, you will have more fun with them in the powder and off-piste, but both the Santa Ana 102 and Rallybird offer more power on-piste.

What type of skier are the K2 Reckoner 102 and 102 W best for? 

The Reckoner 102 and 102W were one of, if not the most popular skis of the year with freestyle testers. The new build seems more durable too and if that’s the case, K2 have something close to perfect on their hands here. We really liked the old ski, and the new one is a definite step up. From the east coast for good days, to the narrower ski in a west coast quiver, to a jibbers one ski to do it all, this one feels like it could find a home with most skiers with freestyle tendencies.