K2 Hellbents gone!?

They were discontinued, last season was the last year of production. There's been a rumored replacement in the form of Andy Mahre's pro model. However that is just a rumor, just like the rumor that K2 wanted the Petitor to be widest ski in their line up from now on. Its hard to say at this point what, if anything will fill the void left in K2s line up. The main reason for discontinuation was the fact that whilst it was an epic ski for deep pow, it just wasn't versatile enough. Consumers are moving away from the big floppy pow ski design, as its obsolete for everyday riding; and skiing pow skis every day is becoming a trend, and skis like the Bents don't complement this.
 
pretty spot on , but damn those first gen hellbents are still some of the funnest skis on a pooder day for sure,
 
shop round and get some from a few seasons ago, just picked up a pair of 2010 ep pros brand new in 185 for 150 quid posted
 
Dude hellbents aren't obsolete for everyday riding especially in the spring. As long as there's soft snow they're some of the funnest skis ever.
 
They were too ''specific'' I was told.

a part from being the teams favorite , they were not a really good seller.

the shredditor series is a toned down hellbent I think.
 
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The Shreditor 102 is the exact dimensions as the Kung Fujas.

The Shreditor 112 is a bit smaller than the Obsethed

And the Pettitor is the same dimentions as the old style Hellbent, but a largely different flex and camber profile.
 
As someone who skied the first gen bent for 3 years, I say good.

They were heavy, floppy and TOO WIDE, yeah I said too wide. You talk to pow skiers and a lot of them don't like to go over 120, let alone the 128 that I had, I think .

The older I get the skinnier my skis get.
 
the hellbent was obsolete.

everyone wants a pow ski that can perform in more than strictly pow and that's what gave birth to the pettitor. i've skied the pettitor in everything from knee deep pow (i live in ontario), to boiler plate ice, to spring slush and it can hold it's own. the hellbent was way too washy and super difficult to control in anything other than pow or super mushy spring snow.

the rumour of the andy mahre's ski is just that, a rumour. while he may be skiing a prototype ski (most of the guys are always skiing something in proto stages) from what i know there are no immediate plans to put it into production.
 
2010 Hellbent: 150/122/141

2012 Pettitor: 147/120/141

Very similar dimensions. Pettitor sneaks in some camber, Hellbent did not.
 
Packed pow and softer i have a blast on mine. Probably should get a stiffer setup though there are days that i am completely out of control at all times...
 
Not similar at all... that variation even by a few mil changes a ski completely.

I dont think you can compare a petitor to a hellbent in any way shape or form.
 
umm they are both super fat floppy rocked pow skis with side cuts that vary by a couple of mm and one was essentially introduced to replace the other...

sounds pretty comparable to me :p

 
have you skied the pettitor? floppy isn't exactly a term i'd use to describe it. it's cambered underfoot while the hellbent was fully rockered from tip to tail. the pettitor held up for me on east coast ice while hellbent didn't stand a chance.

2 completely different skis (ok fine, they're both fat)
 
^ that was mainly k2's choice the first gen petiafiles Sean had were actually very hellbenty. They had flat camber and were much softer. He wanted a slightly more nible hellbent but the design got changed quite a bit presumably to make it more marketable. So who knows maybe it will change in the future.
 
the first time i flex a pettitor i thought i broke it. not joking. same reaction i had the first time i flexed a hellbent.

a slalom ski is a completely different ski to a hellbent. camber underfoot or not, when 2 skis are 120+ underfoot with insane amounts of rocker and a stupidly soft core then they are very fukcing similar
 
Give it up. Seriously.

Sean had been riding the hellbent for years, why would he all of a sudden want a ski completely different that what he liked and was used to? he took the hellbent, and tweaked it for things he wanted.
 
Exactly. Freeskiing is a constantly changing sport, and the hype over super fat skis such as the Hellbent and the ARG of 4-5 years ago are significantly toned now in this age of skiing. The evolution of rocker allowed for skinnier, quicker, and more versatile powder skis, so now super fat skis are unnecessary. However, park skiers are doing the opposite and actually widening. For example the 81mm waisted Halo and Alpha skis from Armada have been replaced by 95mm waists. Wider park skis make landings off big jumps easier, and they can stay on top on spring slush. Also, so many changes have been made to cores of skis that have considerably lightened weights, so skinnier park skis are becoming less and less popular.
 
You're an idiot, and although I'm sure your trolling I hope to god to you never got a job in a ski shop, those unfortunate oblivious customers....
 
I can almost guarantee that a hellbent/pontoon type ski will be back in 2014-2015 season i have talked to people from k2 and sponsored athletes and have told me that they are taking a season to redesign a super fat pow ski. and to say that theses huge pow skis are becoming less popular i believe is false i still think that tons of people out there use them everyday. I picked up some bents last year and skied all season on them. If anything Im seeing more and more people on skis like the hellbent, but i do think that how they are making them now will add more verticality but i dont think there trying to get rid of them all together.
 
I want some Hellbents so bad. They look sick. I hope K2 comes back with a redesigned Hellbent for 14-15. Just make it lighter, add some taper, and a little less width.
 
The Pettitor is basically the replacement, but it's a more versatile ski, and just as good in the deep as the Bents. Its more stable and locked, but just as playful

and then the Shredditor is a more stable smaller version of that.
 
Why, because I can see a difference between 2 skis?

If you ski a hellbent. and then ski a pettitor. I dont understand how people can say they are similar.. Sure they are both designed for pow.. But other than that I can't consider them alike.

I have had 2 gens of hellbent. the original and the clown. loved them both. the wider one more... Yet I really don't like the petitior.. because it skis different.

get your head out the sand.
 
i remember my first turn in deep snow with my bents. rocker just made sense. sad to see them go. bents bring back memories of the idea and those bright red bases flying through the air. also

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late release this year? who knows
 
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not the pic i wanted to post but same ski i believe. so much wider than the binding. petiors and annex do not have that
 
In an earlier post you said you didnt think they were comparable in any way shape or form.

So by your logic you cannot compare two skis against each other unless they have the same side cut and rocker/camber profile?

I only quoted you because you said they were not comparable. I am well aware that two skis with slight changes will differently but they are still comparable. How can you not see that? Get your head out of the sand?
 
Being different is what makes them comparable. Heres the google definition for you: "Estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between."
 
Why dont you spend the week writing a five paragraph compare contrast essay on the subject. Please submit your thesis for approval no later than wednesday.
 
IM going to ahve to disagree with this. Every one complains about skis and "ohh they cant handle pow, or they cant handle ice" thats bullshit. Its not the ski , its you. If your a experienced skier and know how to control a ski under ur foot you cna ski any thing on any ski.
I ride hell bents in the park, on bomber groomers in pow, and they perform perfect because i know how to push them. I can say the same for any park ski iv ridden.
 
Sorry, too busy being a sick cunt... and who the fuck needs a week to write 5 paragraphs? And what kind of a thesis is only 5 paragraphs long???
 
While I agree with part of your message that it is more about skiing ability, it still definitely makes a difference to have equipment set up for the terrain which you are experiencing. You could have trained to ski powder for 20 years, but if you're wearing 65mm underfoot, titanium-walled slalom skis, you won't really zip through it. And I would be pretty scared to ski Hellbents on steep east coast ice, just saying.
 
Just because you can doesn't mean that they're the best at it or the most fun

There is a replacement in the works, pretty much the whole team was on protos last winter, I don't think there's rely a set date for them to come out yet though
 
Yep. I can make my bents do whatever i want, whenever and wherever (for all intents and purposes)

Its the skier, not the skis
 
if anything, the hellbents were very popular. it seemed like in summit, CO if someone had pow skis, they were either hellbents, or S7s
 
I remember when the first-generation Hellbents were described as "surprisingly versatile." Personally, I still ski them all the time--and not just in powder. Pretty much every soft snow day midwinter, they are my go-to ski. So soft and buttery, and just absolutely excellent in chopped powder. I understand the criticisms, but I know I will miss the Hellbent in the K2 lineup.

Luckily my pair will keep me going at least another few years!
 
Guy I won’t ski switch here look up I’m not two people I’m not the dimensions of the ski I wear like a Patagonia t snap it’s my pro model.
 
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