Snowboarding
Check out K2's latest all-mountain board that will be gracing next season's slopes and backcountry.
Spring Break in Kaunertal may be coming to an end today for some of the campers, but for others there’s still three days of shredding to be had on the mountains abundant freestyle terrain. Add to this Analog Aprés and a BBQ sausage fest with Westbeach and you have all the ingredients for a head splitting wakeup tomorrow.
Today, we set our test Meister loose on the K2 Turbo Dream, which according to K2 is the preferred weapon of choice of team riders Wille Yli-Luoma and the late, great Aaron Robinson. Aaron won two North Face Masters titles in his time but tragically died in Chile back in 2011. If you saw some of the stuff he rode on this stick, then you’ll get an idea of the board’s capabilities.
K2 Turbo Dream
This is one of those classic ‘all mountain’ boards that feels familiar from the moment you drop in, a solid, if unspectacular ride. There’s no skidding out as you try to adjust to some crazy new camber, and it doesn’t fold on landings as so many of the much-hyped jib boards do; it just… goes.
If you spend most of your time blasting down pistes with the odd foray into powder then this is ideal (the ‘Tweak End’ nose planes easily through the deep stuff) but for those looking to get regular airtime the Turbo Dream fails to get the blood rising.
It is very stable in a straight line and holds an edge well, but it’s definitely on the stiff side and heavier than some of today’s boards, which can make it feel a little cumbersome when chasing your buddies over small slushy hits (as I was).
That said, if you find yourself going bigger than expected (or you fancy tackling some real jumps) then the Turbo Dream can be relied on to soak up the heaviest of landings with minimal fuss. A no-nonsense, predictable steed for the old school seasonaire.
Although the test Meister wasn’t found fondling himself with joy after riding the Turbo Dream he did come away with the feeling that he had ridden a solid, reliable vehicle with some nice trimmings – perhaps what Volvos are to dads.
The nuts and bolts of the Turbo Dream are as follows: Built for all-mountain antics the board has a twin geometry, with a set back stance and features K2 All Terrain Rocker (rocker / flat / rocker) with Tweekend medium rise through the tip and tail for extra surface area for float and landing.
Chuck in a super fast base, a blended sidecut that delivers a predictable ride, dampening in the binding area so you can ride longer and you have an all-mountain hammer for riders who already know what they are doing.