Model: Fujative
Size(cm) / Radius(m): 159/? 169/? 179/23
Sidecut : 113-85-104 (12mm)
Length tested: 175

Manufacturer’s Description:

"Area K2 advanced technology codes have been cracked and they all point to the Fujative. This Pep Fujas pro-model project tops the list of America’s Most Wanted Skis for 04/05. This elusive ski is considered armed and dangerous with its unconventional flex pattern that allows tip and tail presses, butters, and even more Ollie power than a traditional flex profile. The 85mm waist and 12mm sidecut are almost criminal, and at the Fujative’s incredible price, this ski should be outlawed."

Ski-Review’s verdict:

All right then, that’s what they say, but what about us? Before expunging my experiences with this ski, let’s hit the tape and see what kind of beast we’re talking about here with the specs above.

For those without a firm grip of the metric system, we’re talking about a short and skinny here. A relatively narrow ski, often quite short, with a minimal sidecut reminiscent of some bump skis a few years back. Seeing as the trend long ago centered on "carvers", the fact that these puppies are more properly designed for a skidded turn makes them a bit of an oddity, then again, quite a few pipe and park skis have made a return to these old-school dimensions, because a skidded turn is just what you need when trying to put your feet where your head usually is and vice versa.

I had the opportunity to ride these over a couple of days at the end of February in the 179 length. I spent most of the time trying to nock out my teeth doing the things these babies were designed for, namely the half-pipe, the slope style park and some rails - but I took time to try them on everything one might encounter on a ski hill.

The "new and improved" flex pattern is a bit confusing, but I was able to nail it as "soft". Unlike most skis, I found both the tip AND tail to be noodle-like in consistency, making for successful landings where none should have been possible. The ends just seemed to bend out of the way no matter how badly I botched my landing. The light weight made for snappy floats in the air, and overall, the whole set-up seemed more like a shock absorber than a ski at times. This is, of course, precisely as intended and in this respect, the ski performs as advertised. It is forgiving, platformy, and a cool customer on impact.

Sliding rails (ok - not my forte - yet) seemed good as well and the wider edges gave the impression that you wouldn’t rip them out as quickly as with many other skis on the market. (This doesn’t mean they actually work to grip the snow after riding rails all day - but we can’t blame K2 for the principle of friction….) A side note here: the extruded base, (as opposed to a sintered one) is one of the biggest reasons this ski is so cheap. For those now confused, an extruded base is cheaper to manufacture and assemble than a sintered base, but has some drawbacks, primarily its lack of speed. A sintered base is faster - BUT - an extruded base is softer, holds on to and accepts wax better, and (listen up shred-heads) is easier to repair! An extruded base is therefore, in the writer’s near omnipotent opinion, an excellent choice for a pipe and park ski such as this one. Kudos to K2 for going with it and being smart about both price and function at once!

Carving turns on the piste takes some work, and the ski doesn’t return your energy when snapping fast turns, but this is what one would expect from such a softie. It is forgiving, and you can do almost anything and the ski will not run away from you. At speed, you’ll roll like Jerry Lee Lewis on the San Andreas fault,  (there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on…) but here again, its probably something you’d expect from a ski designed to spend 50% of the time in the air, 50% on a metal object, and 5280% lying all over the hill in a hastily organized and poorly planned yard sale after trying to copy the action on the X-Games last night….

Pow was pretty much a disaster, the narrowness only helped by the softness of the tip. The soft tail meant that even when you tried to muscle the ski to do what you wanted, there was nothing to back you up. Only at high speed could I get up on top of the fluff, but by that time, my front end was squirrelly, and the tails were like butter through a hot knife. Same could be said of less than ideal snow, while the soft tips float you over the schwag, the back end has no punch to back you up. You can ride, but you can’t drive.

Bumps were a welcome surprise though. With a centered stance, and good technique, you can jam them down a zipper line in nothing flat. Its here where I really felt the softness and the "non-tapered" design to be ideal. After bashing the bumps a few runs, I just traded time between the pipe and the mogul run.

Now all I need is a pipe with rails in it, and a nice bump line down the middle…then I think this ski would be top.

All in all, I found the ski to be very forgiving due to its softness, and for a beginning skier, it could be a great ski! The fact that this ski is marketed as a high-performance ski for studs has more to do with market positioning than any design criteria. The fact remains however, that many of the characteristics of a beginner’s ski, (soft flex, less aggressive sidecut, extruded base construction,) are equally beneficial for a hardcore pipe and park freak. I say this only to encourage up and comers to give these sticks a try, and not to be intimidated by the hype. If you are looking for a ski to play on, and your area of choice is the park, this ski is a good choice. Forays into the bumps will be rewarded with smiles all around, but beware of hard carving S turns and week-long race lessons with guys named Hans Hinterscheissterheim. Have fun - and get a helmet stoopid!

About the tester:

Height: 6’1’ Weight: approx. 170 (the Imperial system rocks!) lbs. Age: 30ish

I’ll leave it at that. I’ll keep who I am a secret because I’m not sure my contacts giving me the skis would appreciate me writing open and honest reviews of their gear….

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