Hmm, can't seem to master the K2 pinnacle 95's

[Kulharin]

I've been riding these as my main ski for 2 full seasons now... Width-wise they seem ideal for all-mountain-all conditions if there isn't a ton of new snow... I don't know if it's the bindings on the ski "Salomon squire" ... The ski is certainly a fun ski... I find it very maneuverable and easy to turn... but almost too much so; they tend to feel a bit squirley off piste or in variable conditions... the tips almost wanting to turn too eagerly when I encounter bumps, change in snow, or something unexpected; leading to some close calls with losing directional control of my tips. I feel to maintain control of the ski in variable terrain or conditions I need to be driving the ski hard and aggressively all the time to prevent them from wandering... Maybe I should consider replacing these with a different 90-100 underfoot or with a different binding? Any suggestions or similar experience with this ski?

Compared to my Atomic Automatics 109 which feel much more relaxed to control and ski on in the same terrain/conditions... they turn easily when I want yet seem to ski very dependable and reliable even if I'm taking a much more "chill" approach to my skiing. I also have these skis paired with a pair of Tyrolia Attack 13 bindings, which are without question my favorite bindings I've ever owned

 

[Greg_K]

The symptoms you are describing seems to be a tuning issue with the ski. Some skis come from the factory with bases that are either base or edge high rather than flat. When a ski is "base high" the bases are higher in level compared to the edge area and this causes the ski to have stability issues when the skis are flat(they wander and feel like you're skiing on ball bearings) as you are balancing on a small section of the base, not the whole width. When you are on edge you wouldn't notice this as it will be making solid contact with the snow.

I"ve had lots of brand new skis that were almost unskiable as they were so base high but were easily solved with tuning.

A True Bar is used to check base flatness and any shop will have one. If it is base high like I think it is, a simple stone grind to flatten the bases should solve your issue. A tech will run the ski over the stone or belt to first flatten the base so it's more even with the edge(pre-grind) and then do a final pass with stone to imprint a structure on the base so that the ski will glide properly. You may have to re-check the edges to make sure they weren't affected by the base grind or just get the shop to check after the tune. K2 are 1 degree base edge angle, 2 degree side edge angle from the factory.

Did you mean Marker Squire bindings you have on them? I agree that the Attack 13 are nicer bindings but there is no weird ramp issues with the Squire bindings that would cause any issues. They are higher off the ski than the Attacks but it's the height difference between heel and toe that can cause other issues but the Squires are pretty flat like the Attack 13's. The base of your ski is problem I think.