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K2 College Guy Attractant System (non organic variety)

Bookmark and Share            By Lou

Ah, seasons of life. Always something new. Latest: Young man’s first summer back home from college. Only question: How to get him back home for as long as possible before his next adventure? Big backcountry skiing mountains? Nope, we don’t have anything as big as Rainier. Girls? No doubt plenty of gals at school. Aha! One more trick. With the help of K2 Skis, TA DA, enter the K2 College Skier Attractant System!

Backcountry Skiing

Always fun when the UPS truck idles outside my office window, then I hear the clunk of a big brown box landing on our front porch. This time, a brand new pair of K2 Coomback skis. From what I've heard on the grapevine, these things might be next season's must-have for backcountry skiing.

Backcountry Skiing

Check out the tip rocker on these planks! No joke.

specs:
Length – 174
Sidecut – 135/102/121
Weight – 62.5 oz, 1772 gr
Features – tip rocker, tip&tail holes, tail skin notch, Doug Coombs tribute text.

Posted by Lou on June 15, 2009 | Filed Under Ski Reviews 

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Comments

19 Responses to “K2 College Guy Attractant System (non organic variety)”

  1. Tom Gos June 15th, 2009 9:13 am

    Cool. There is a lot of buzz on that ski – hurry up and get them mounted for a test before all the snow disapears. I could really see the dust layer(s) become more visible over the weekend so I think the snow will go fast now.

  2. Mark Worley June 15th, 2009 10:13 am

    Probably my favorite ski at the February gear extravaganza at Keystone. Get out and ski ‘em this summer.

  3. Travis June 15th, 2009 10:23 am

    Coomback = Antipiste. Layup, core, rocker all the same… graphics and inserts are different. Tele skiers figured it out first and I’m glad that AT skiers were able to figure out the program for F09

  4. Lou June 15th, 2009 11:07 am

    Travis, I think your in part wrong, they have a way different rocker pattern than the Antipiste. I’ve got both models here at HQ so I can do direct comparo. And yeah, no more inserts as all K2 backcountry skis are now for tele/AT and as we all know are part of the “Backside” K2 sub-brand. I really don’t get the feeling this is a re-badge, though close. If it was a repack rebadge I’d be sure to mention, as when I don’t, you guys always jump all over me (grin)! So I’ve learned my lesson…

  5. Lou June 15th, 2009 11:10 am

    The WildSnow Dynafit FT12s are going on the Coombacks just as soon as the young man is in the workshop. In a few days. We’ll then head up to Montezuma or something for a session. I’ve hung up my skis for the next few months, other than a few small test sessions. Dealing with a minor knee issue that requires a few months of healing time — so I can hit it hard again next winter!

  6. colinsamuels June 15th, 2009 11:39 am

    hi guys,
    when will K2 go fatter with the Coomba? Doug was way into the fattest skis possible for variable conditions..when the sethpistols came out years ago Doug had a pair but cut the twin tip tails off to give a traditional tail and also he did not like the violent graphics and i remember he covered them up….so I think if K2 makes another tribute ski to Doog they could go way fatter. The 102 on the current coombacks is a bit lean considering what Doug was into and also what is out there now on the market. 102 is skinnnnny! i would love to see the same type ski in a 110-115 underfoot…maybe one day K2 will realize that Doug was not that old-school and that he actually saw the benefits of super fatties.

  7. Lou June 15th, 2009 11:59 am

    Doug needed all the help he could get, the rest of us just don’t need skis that fat. (that is a joke, grin).

  8. Ben W June 15th, 2009 1:40 pm

    Does it weigh less than the Coomba/Anti Piste? I’ve seen a different weights listed.

  9. Lou June 15th, 2009 2:37 pm

    Louie just called and said he’s driving home two days early. Thanks K2!

  10. Lou June 15th, 2009 2:50 pm

    Ben, the Anti Pistes we have here weigh 63.5 ounces each. Coomba weighs 62.5 ounces each (I re-weighed and averaged between both). Many skis vary a bit in weight between ones of the same model, so I’d say that both models are essentially the same weight, though one could perhaps say the Coomba is “slightly lighter — very slightly.”

  11. Wes Morrison June 15th, 2009 4:18 pm

    I skied the Coomback in perfect windbuffed powder last Feb, and it was great. Way more manuverable than the old Coomba, but also more stable at speed. Love tip rocker. I never skied antipiste, so no comparison there, but I put quite a few days on my Sidestash this season. It’s kinda Coomback on steriods with tip rocker, 108mm waist, and two sheets of metal. My favorite ski ever. The whole Backside line is really fun; Darkside is a bit much for a small guy like me, but Hardside (tip rocker, 98, metal) was super fun too.

  12. gtrantow June 15th, 2009 8:31 pm

    Did K2 adjust the ski length or does the 175 cm measure closer to 178? My 181 cm Anti-piste are closer to 185.

  13. Lou June 16th, 2009 7:34 am

    Last season’s 174 Anti Piste and this coming 174 Coomback are the same cord length, 175.41875 centimeters.

  14. Tim June 16th, 2009 2:23 pm

    What are the other lengths for that ski. Is it similar to the “old” Coomba; 174, 181, 188?

    My experience with rocker skis is that they can be skied longer than you might expect, due to the reduction in surface area of the base in contact with the snow.

  15. Lou June 16th, 2009 2:26 pm

    167,174,181,188 (the latter for when you get your Matchstick movie contract)

  16. Niklas June 17th, 2009 2:46 am

    Colin!

    FYI: next year K2 launches a model called “Sidestash” that looks really nice and has a 110 mm waist.

    It will also be part of their “backcountry” line up and looks really interesting, like a fatter version of the Coomback.

  17. Any June 17th, 2009 9:51 am

    Not to mention this ski you may have heard of called the Pontoon. There’s also the Darkside, which is, I think, 128 under foot and available at Evogear right now.

  18. Bob October 9th, 2009 5:23 pm

    hi Lou,
    I just picked up a pair of the Coombacks, removed my TLTs from my old skis and mounted them on these. Was just playing around with putting my G3 Alpinist skins on them and it looks like the ski tail may require some customization (widening of the notch?) to work with the G3 tail hardware. But before I start wacking on my brand new skis, thought I would see if you had tried this or had any comment on it.
    Thanks!

  19. Lou October 9th, 2009 6:05 pm

    I’ve modded the notches in many ski tails, never had a problem. Just to a minimal amount. I usually use a course file.

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Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

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