Construction and Materials
K2 haven’t quite thrown the entire kitchen sink at the Passport (see the Alchemist), but they’ve certainly not skimped on the top shelf ingredients. And accordingly, they’ve ensured that you’ll be able to show off your new premium tech by giving you the ability to have a gander at some of the clever science stuff with its partially see-through construction.
A tri-blend of woods makes up the core, with specifically calibrated bamboo stringers running underfoot, directing rider input out towards the edges for supercharged response towards these crucial areas. You’ll also be able to see K2’s snazzy ICG 10™ Triax, which in laymans terms is 10 carbon stringers milled into the fibreglass weave stretching the entire length of the Passport. These ultra-dynamic strips help to smooth out turn initiation, soak up chatter (especially in the nose) and offer dynamic response from tip to tail.
This is all rounded out with a high end, wax absorbing, Sintered 4000 Base. This isn’t the fastest in K2’s locker, but keep it serviced and rest assured it’ll glide and slide.
“This was the one that intersected the lines of affordability and performance the best”
Roundup
Overall, the Passport is primed for tipping and gripping. It’s ideal for technical descents and steep chutes when you know that you need gear that you can rely on, but won’t say no to a day spent bombing the resort with your buddies. There are more technical and expensive boards in the K2 line but, for us, this was the one that intersected the lines of affordability and performance the best.
Pros:
- It uses some of K2’s top tech to ensure ultra lightweight construction
- It’s highly responsive and ready to go across a mixed terrain
Cons:
- Shape-wise, it’s not quite as versatile as some all-mountain offerings
Tester’s Verdict
Joy Dutch – Wordsmith, Whitelines
“Woooooooow. I rode this on a trip to Kosovo that happened to be the best trip I’ve ever been on for powder. It’s not the sort of board I’d usually go for, I prefer a super soft, true twin but when in Rome and all that jazz.
The first word that comes to mind with the Passport is nimble. It felt so whippy and agile, able to turn in a really tight radius and weave in and out of trees really easily. This is precisely the kind of board that a powerful and aggressive carver would love. Really grips through the whole arc of your turn and doesn’t spit you out the other side. It holds an edge like it’s on rails when you get it on the hardpack, which in fairness we spent very little time on but it for sure locks in.
This was a real winner for me, a touch stiff for my preference but very damp through the length, some stiffer boards feel like you’re rattling your fillings out when you hit bumps but this sucked up all the excess and handled it well.
This is the deepest, fluffiest snow I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding, I’m talking nipple deep at points and I wasn’t prepared for how well it floated. I actually tried to go over the handlebars on it and it took a lot of effort for me to try and sink the nose, it felt like it had its own magnetic field and everytime it got near the snow it forced itself back up. Really surfy when you’re pouting in powder turns, it puts up such a good spray as well. Face shots galore.”
