This very lively ski seems built for the groomers but carves fine in all but the deep stuff

This is a much improved ski over the 2011-12 Charger. (And I was a big fan of that one)

The addition of the rocker was a huge improvement last year. (I've yet to catch even an outside edge since they introduced the rocker on their all-mountain skis... these are easy to carve on one foot either edge) The 2012-13 maintains effortless turn initiation, however these are much more stable at moderate to high speeds.

You just roll these on edge and the skis go without hesitation like they're on rails. On a recent outing, everyone was complaining about how icy the conditions were after some rain followed by cold, while I had been thinking to myself how surprisingly good it was. I credit the skis. They also plow through slop much better than the previous generation ski.

I find the ski is livelier and has more rebound compared to last year's as well, however this may be due to a longer size since they changed sizing. (Why do you do that, K2?)

I loaned mine to a friend and he was amazed as well and bought a pair the next day.

About me: I've been skiing for 25+ years with time as an instructor, ski patroller, full-time ski bum all over North America and Europe. Every couple of years I test everything I can find and I always end up back with K2 for both my piste boards as well as my backcountry rig.

I tested the ski for one day in Zermatt. It has a great grip also on hard snow. It is a good all-round ski that can be used for the whole mountain. But if you really go fast, then it have vibration and makes not fun anymore. Then you have to us an GS ski from Stöckli, Völkel or Atomic.

The Chargers are great, I am about 5'10" and ski the 160 and they are perfect. Great for carving and really kicks you into the transition to the next turn when you release. Great for really leaning into so to speak.

Only negative is the toe caps, they don't enjoy much abuse.

After trusty old voelkls got bent in a mishap have tried a couple dozen skis in all categories, some very nice skis. Then recently randomly demo'd the K2 charger, wow the best! A really fun fast nimble ski in all kinds of conditions, stable and solid at speed. Had to buy them, gotta like those little tip guards!

i used to ski with recon 2007 ,,it was a great ski too ,but believe me charger is a fantastic ride! in my country-iran- we have plenty of ungroomed area,but even in 40-50 cm powder you can perform well

just little problem with fixation system

Demo'd thesse in Big Bear, CA. Easter Skiing and the snow was hard packed in the morning and sugar in the afternoon. The Charger tackled both conditions with Ease. Haven't ski'd with this amount of confidence since the Apache Radier.

This is the best ski I've tried so far. It's great for long and short turns, it's stable in high speeds. The only cons are the tip plates. I know the ski is not for jumping but sometimes you just can't resist. Because of the landing shock the front plate was bending out all the time and finally broke off. It's not a big problem but I would recommend screwing the plates all the way threw so they're connected both at the bottom and the top of the ski.

As an ex racer, I always liked slalom skis. The Charger feels like a slalom race ski that can be used for the whole mountain. I spend most my time on groomed always trying to perfect my turns but I've been in knee deep with no problems.

Just hope they change the color.

I bought those skis and I loved them immidietaly. Great performance in every conditions - from powder to firn. Very light, and versatile