2012-2013 K2 Pettitor
Ski: 2012-2013 K2 Pettitor, 189cm
Dimensions (mm): 147-120-141
Actual Tip-to-Tail Length (straight tape pull): 189.0cm
Sidecut Radius: 22 meters in 179cm length
BLISTER’s Measured Weight Per Ski: 2,528 grams & 2,529 grams
Boots/Bindings: Dalbello KRII Pro / Marker Jester (Din at 10)
Mount Location: +5
Test Location: Las Leñas Ski Resort
Days Skied: 1
After one day on the new K2 Pettitor, I’m here to give the most preliminary of preliminary impressions. While we had a number of great days in Las Leñas, we were holding out for a bigger storm to roll in before getting on the Pettitor, since it was the fattest ski we brought to South America. But that storm didn’t materialize, so while it’s not our normal M.O. at BLISTER, we know this is a hot ski this year, and we figured providing some preliminary information would be better than none.
The Pettitor’s size (120mm underfoot) places it in the “Factory Team” line-up where the OG Hellbent and the last generation of the Obsethed were formerly located. Aside from the similar underfoot dimensions, though, a glance at the new Pettitor quickly reveals that this isn’t just some slightly tweaked version of the skis that Sean grew up on.
Starting with the side-cut shape, the Pettitor does away with the traditional full-length sidecut with the addition of a short section of tip and tail taper. This brings the wide points of the tip and tail closer together (~20cm at the tip and tail), shortening the turn radius, and, according to K2, “decreasing swing weight.”
The rocker profile is also a quite a departure from what we’ve come to expect from K2. Un-weighted, the Pettitor has a fairly standard (these days) symmetric rocker-camber-rocker profile that does away with the massive amount of splay found on both the Hellbent and the Obsethed. While the Hellbent was flat underfoot and the Obsethed had a slight amount of camber, the Pettitor has a significant amount—about one full centimeter. This camber is hard to squeeze flat with a single hand, which takes me to the next topic.
The Pettitor’s flex has also been beefed up significantly. K2 claims “it has a keen eye for natural takeoffs and is built stiffer than any other ski in the line for high-speed stability and soaring into stomped landings off oversized cliff bands.” While still being quite soft in the extremities, the Pettitor is definitely ramped up underfoot compared to its direct predecessors, or any other “Factory Team” K2 I’ve ridden over the past 4-5 years.
Jason Hutchins on the K2 Pettitor, Las Leñas Ski Resort
My first run on the Pettitor took me from the top of the Iris poma back to the base of the Marte chair. I first steered my way over to Luna 1 for a short, moderate pitch on some seriously wind scoured snow, then down to Jupiter for some high-speed carving. With the bindings mounted at +5, I immediately noticed that I was going to have to adjust my stance to account for the more centered position.
Most importantly, I felt a slight hinge-point just in front of the bindings that made me a little nervous heading into bumpier off-piste snow. At high speeds down Jupiter on smooth but firm snow, the skis carved very well but were still a little floppy looking in the tip and tail. Because of the hinge point I was feeling, and it being my first run where I had yet to find the boundaries of the ski, I didn’t push the Pettitor hard on the lower section where the snow had softened and been pushed into small piles.
As I returned to the Marte chair I felt like I hadn’t really found the sweet spot on the ski yet. I also decided I needed to de-tune the tips and tails a little as they were a bit hooky feeling, especially for a soft-snow ski.
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January 26, 2013 at 9:48 am
Is there going to be a more in-depth review or a 2nd look for the Pettitor? Really interested how does it compare to the obsethed it replaces…
April 16, 2013 at 9:05 pm
I am currently in the market for a new pair of skis, I am 5’10″ and about 150-160, skiing pow and big mountain primarily in the PNW. I have ridden on a pair of 169 ’09 K2 obsethed for the past couple of years. This year, I’ve grown a bit and as I’ve started to ski more big mountain type lines i’ve felt like I need more ski.
I was able to spend one day this year on my cousin’s old Line Motherships (185) and loved them. That being said, the snow conditions that day were soft corn snow so I have no idea about how those float. I’m looking for something thats kinda similar to the motherships but maybe with a little bit more rocker. I had no issues with the 185 length or the stiffness through moguls and I’d love a ski that I can really push like that. i thought that the Pettitor might be a good place to start or maybe the line influence 115, I’ve also found some old motherships for sale online and am open to more suggestions so I was just wondering what ski do you think would be the best for me?