K2 Skis and Ski Boots Are Now at Outside Sports

Although K2 is new to Outside Sports, K2 is actually the one of the oldest brands in skiing and was responsible for revolutionising the sport in the early 1960’s when it introduced the first widely available fibreglass skis to the market.  

Like many other core mountain sports brands, the K2 story began in a garage. In this instance it was a garage on Vashon Island, a small community near Seattle, in Washington State, USA.  

K2 is named for the two Kirschner brothers, which by happy coincidence is also the name of the world’s second highest mountain. 

In 1962 Bill and Don Kirschner, who made fibreglass products for other uses, had a brainwave - they realised that fibreglass was the perfect material for making light, agile skis. At that time most skis were still heavy and inert, and prone to either warping or bending, because they were either made of wood, or more recently metal (thanks to our friend Howard Head of HEAD Skis fame).  

Through the 1960s and 1970s the brand expanded rapidly because people loved K2’s because they made skiing fun. Fibreglass also brought massive performance benefits to racers, and the US Ski Team because a big fan. In 1968 K2 was the first American made ski to win a World Cup event.

In the 1990s when all-mountain, big-mountain freeriding started to become popular, K2 was right there, and led the development of twin-tip skis. Today K2 athletes are at the leading edge of big mountain, freeride, and backcountry skiing and snowboarding. The ski range K2 produces today includes snowboards, ski boots and snowboard boots in the overall range. However for winter 2026 Outside Sports is specialising in K2 skis and ski boots. 

No one likes the feeling of a harsh, chattery ski on hard snow. Titanal (an aluminium alloy) helps to damp vibration, but K2 have gone a step further with their new Dark Matter vibration absorption technology, which can be found on their Mindbender skis at Outside Sports. K2 Dark Matter is a secret sauce made of rubber polymer mixed with stainless steel powder that’s placed in pockets on the edge of the ski in the forebody and tail. It effectively mutes chatter and sharp vibrations and makes the ride on hard snow a lot more plush. That’s good news for local skiers because we often have to put up with icy conditions in the morning followed by a release later on. With Dark Matter on board your K2 skis give you all-day versatility from just one pair of skis. 

The K2 Mindbender range will literally change the way you look at the mountain. With Mindbenders on your feet, the whole mountain becomes your playground! For that reason K2 Mindbender skis and ski boots are loved by serious skiers throughout New Zealand who want a versatile platform that’s capable of handling everything from groomed trails to off-piste in the variable snow conditions that we see so much.

We think the K2 Mindbender 96 ski will suit a lot of New Zealand skier looking for a one ski quiver, with a one ski to use in all conditions they're like to encounter skiing inbounds. If you like to ski inbounds, but also like to head into the backcountry on skins from time to time the K2 Mindbender 120 BOA ski boot looks like an inspired choice.

In general K2 ski boots tend to have a slightly roomer and more plush fit across the range compared to the European brands. That makes them a good option for Kiwi skiers who often have wide forefeet -possibly the result of the years we spend in bare feet and jandals as kids. 😁

The K2 Ski boot range at Outside Sports includes Mindbender, Recon, Anthem, BFC, Method, and Diverge models, with the latest BOA closure system available on certain boots throughout the range. 

The same is true today of K2 as it was when they first transformed skiing with fibreglass construction in 1962. If you want your skiing to take you all over the mountain, or into the backcountry, and have a heap of fun when you’re doing it, you should definitely consider K2 skis and K2 ski boots – available now at Outside Sports instore at.our Wanaka and Queenstown locations, as well as online.