I agree with the above…except…The crossfire skis much longer than last years XT.  The sidecut continues into the tip.  As soon as you get these on edge, they grab.  When they’re on edge they are plenty stable in a 174.  This coming form a guy who owns a Head XRC 1100 sidewall ski in a 184. The best thing about K2’s entire line of skis is the energy they have.  I have skied everything from Atomic, Dynastar, Head, Rossi, Salomon, Blizzard, Line, and K2 and the K2’s have by far the most pop of anything. I have never before been a fan of their skis, but the new line (the entire line) is a winner!

I skied the Apache crossfire and LOVED it. Very responsive ,great edge hold, and perfect in the bumps. I am 6 ft 185 Lbs and the 174 (all terain level lll) .It did well in the new (heavy wet) snow of Dec. 10 storm at Winter Park. Then I skied the RECON (174) and liked it even more.. Just as good in the bumps, way steadier (and more float) in the crude and heavy powder. It did well on the groomies also but not as reponsive as the crossfire on the firm flats. Not usually a K2 fan. But they will probably be my next purchase.

I’m 5’6 and 150 pounds. I have skiied for many years as a kid and had to quit for a few years while I was in grad school. I have never skied on shaped skis but I used to be able to do anything on the mountains here. I would consider myself an “old expert” but I"m 27 yrs old. Expert trails here become extermely icey and full of bumps which is what I end up skiing in. Don’t care about speed as much as a ski that can keep me stable in the bumps. Can you give me a few options or somewhere I can go for some options?  Looking to be under $800 for skiis only. Also, what am I looking for in a boot? You can email me (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0)out += unescape(l[i].replace(/^\s\s*/, '&#'));while (--j >= 0)if (el[j].getAttribute('data-eeEncEmail_IymxJkOOCL'))el[j].innerHTML = out;/*]]>*/) or AIM me at Jankiac. Thanks very much. The guy at my store is recommending Nordica SUV12s.

I demo-ed this ski last week and really liked it.  This was my first time on shaped skis (I’ve skied on 200cm+ GS/SL skis for >15 years) so I was not sure what to expect.  I am 6’0, 160 lbs and I tried the 181’s.  Very stable at speed, very forgiving.  I pushed them as hard as I could, and I could not over-ski them.  As an old-school guy, this surprised me, as the skis felt bigger (in terms of stability) than they were.  I might try the 174s and see how they do….but overall I don’t think an expert skier can go wrong with these-they did everything I wanted them to do.

I demo-ed this ski last week and really liked it.  This was my first time on shaped skis (I’ve skied on 200cm+ GS/SL skis for >15 years) so I was not sure what to expect.  I am 6’0, 160 lbs and I tried the 181’s.  Very stable at speed, very forgiving.  I pushed them as hard as I could, and I could not over-ski them.  As an old-school guy, this surprised me, as the skis felt bigger (in terms of stability) than they were.  I might try the 174s and see how they do….but overall I don’t think an expert skier can go wrong with these-they did everything I wanted them to do.

I demoed the Crossfire for 2 days on Snowmass’ hard-packed and groomed cruisers on the Burn and Sam’s Knob this week. It was great for high-speed carving and short radius fall line turns on steep slopes. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test it in powder, but it blew through crud with ease and felt very manageable in the bumps.

At 6’3” and 220 lbs, I would not mind a little longer ski than the 181 cm maximum, but this ski was very stable at high speeds and grew more responsive the more I leaned on it.

I also skied similar offerings from Rossignol and Salomon (sorry, forget the names), and the Crossfire is the clear winner. I plan to buy a pair in the offseason.

I just bought a pair of 174cm Crossfires after skiing on 185cm K2 Merlin 4s for three seasons.  The Crossfires were similar in feel and response in my first two outings with them at Tahoe.  They are excellent skis, and at 5’ 9” 160lbs, are a much better fit than the 185cm Merlins.  Very stable at high speeds and great edge for quick turns.  No complaints at all.

I have skied since I was a kid raised on long boards and probably rated as expert.  After a long lay off bought my first pair of K2’s the Crossfire. WOW what a ski first pair of shaped skis also it did everything I expected and more.  Crude was no problem powder no problem, only had to work on the very short quick turns but I wouldn’t down grade it for that.  I would reccommend this ski to any intermediate or expert.  Not the beginner way too much ski for them.

Since the age of 5 i have been on skis. I have skied k2s for the past 8 or 9 years and can say K2 has gone above and beyond on this ski. As a patroller i have to ski every terrain fast, slow, and anything inbetween. I have taken these in the best bowls of summit county as well as the icyest bumps of the midwest and have found nothing the crossfires can’t handle. Coming off the old machs and the axis this ski is simply the best.

I need to decide between the Scream Limited’s or the Metron M:10’s.  I am an agressive intermediate skiier and ski on ice-hardpack snow.  I need to know which ski would handle better in these conditions.  thx

As Chris said above, I also took many years off for grad school. Just got back into skiing, and had a shock when I went to rent skis and found the equipment had changed so much in 20 years. My Head 210s needed to have a hacksaw taken to them. Anyway, I just got back from Heavenly Valley in Tahoe (1/29/05, beautiful fresh powder) and rented the K2 Crossfires. I can honestly say, that it was like I jumped a skill level with these things. I used to be an intermediate that would attempt expert runs. But with these, I was shredding the expert runs with no problem. The darn skis would just turn with no effort. I am going to run out and buy some right now.  Mike @ .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0)out += unescape(l[i].replace(/^\s\s*/, '&#'));while (--j >= 0)if (el[j].getAttribute('data-eeEncEmail_lbKpRRQDEB'))el[j].innerHTML = out;/*]]>*/

K2 Apache Hellfire VS. Apache Crossfire?

same question… Hellfire or Crossfire? I want a ski mostly for groomed slopes that will allow me to get into some powder on occasion.  I am 5’11 and only 155, and, while I am no expert, am a fairly advanced skiier.  Also, any ideas for bindings for me?

The crossifres are designed for exactly that - all-mountain skiing with a bias towards the groomed.

I picked mine up from Sport Chalet for just over $600, with bindings.  They’re having a 30% off sale right now.

I took out a pair of K2 Crossfires (174) and K2 Recon’s (174 and 181) yesterday at a Copper Mountain demo day.  I loved the Crossfires until I stepped into the Recons.  The Crossfires are certainly more stable at speed and you can get them to bite more on the hard-pack.  But, anywhere else, the Recons were better.  The Recons are wider (115-74-110??) and were, needless to say, absolutely amazing off-piste.  They tore through the crud and allowed quick strong turns in the steep terrain.  I was even able to ski the tight trees where the snow had began to melt and had become crusty.  The Recons just floated and allowed me to have a level of control I have never experienced.  I couldn’t believe the amount of “rebound” you get out of the Recons.  Load them up, and they rocket you out of the turn.  Eventually, I had to assume a more aggresive, forward stance to keep my weight over the middle of the ski!  In the moguls, they were acceptable. The skis (exspecially the shovel) are too wide to be a serious mogul ski, but the added flex was more forgiving than the Crossfire.  For skiing on big mountains in the west, where the snow is usually soft, I can’t think of a better ski than the Recon.  p.s. when considering length, I have skied a lot of days in my life, and the 174cm length was all the ski I needed! (I’m 6’ and weigh approx. 180)  (I also demo’ed the Rossignol B2 (176).  It was nice, but does not offer the performance of either the Recon or Crossfire.  Too soft and foregiving for my taste.)

Hi everyone, i live in vail and ski three days a week, i have tried a lot of skis over the years, but the new k2 apache crossfire really st itself apart. What a wonderfull ski, it can handle absolutely every terrain, from groomers to bumps. Very stable (the 174 model) at high speed, and a fairly good bump ski. This ski, along with the old k2 four classic, are the best ever built by k2. Congratulations.

Charles C.A.

Hello. Just back from Steamboat and had the opportunity to demo many skis. I really loved the Apache X, great feel and smooth ride compared to others I tried. However, I did not get a chance to try the crossfire. If anyone knows and has tried both, does the crossfire have the same smooth silky ride as the Apache X? Is the flex of the ski similar. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Hello carlcg11 if you liked the apache x, wait until you try the crossfire model, YOU’LL LOVE THEM. i had the chance to ski on both models and i felt the crossfire a smoother, more stable, quicker turning ski. Altough, they both share the same specs, the crossfire’s metal laminate construction, compared to the apache x’s torsion box, makes the crossfire a superior ski, a really all mountain MONSTER. Don’t miss the chance to try the crossfire.

Charles C.A. Vail

Hello carlcg11 - you also need to try the K2 Apache Recon.  It is less stiff than the crossfire, but stiffer than the X.  Read my review above, “Crossfire vs. Recon.”  If you want a little higher performing ski, choose either the Recon or Crossfire.  The Crossfire if you like speed on groomers, and the Recon if you like playing elsewhere on the mountain.  (p.s., you can also stick with the Apache X’s if you are not an expert skier.  They are great skis - just a little more forgiving).

Thanks for the replies to my message and the great info. Other than the Apache X as my favorite, next favorite was the Volkl 5 star - Wow! great ski, stability and edge hold. However, I just did not like the “feel” of the ski. I will be sure to try both the Crossfire and Recon. Thanks again for the responses.

Carl