We love this ski's performance in the powder and soft snow. It provides a smooth, confidence-inspiring ride on big powder days and in the crud. Our testers barely had to think about this ski when in steep and challenging conditions. It is easy to control, nimble, and floaty. Its wide shovel and relatively fat 95mm waist kept us floating through the fresh and plowing through crud. Some of our testers find it unremarkable on-piste, saying it is nothing to write home about, but agree that it handles itself just fine, can hold an edge well, and is tons of fun when the groomers are soft.
These FulLUVits have a wide shovel, lots of rocker, and a soft wood core. This combination does not inspire confidence at speed. It is stable in varied and steep terrain and can rail into whatever variable conditions we throw at it. We can get up to decent speeds with confidence. However, when it is on very hard snow or ice, it can start to chatter and flop, making us feel like we need to check our speed. The rockered tip is quite soft and will flop disconcertingly on the groomers, but the full sidewall construction underfoot seemed to hold on pretty well.
K2 has tightened up the FulLuvit's carving performance by reducing its turn radius to 14M, and they definitely like to turn. We enjoyed their quickness and sprightliness. While carving and edge hold is not their forte, that's not to say they don't do well in these areas. They are just better at buttering and skimming through trees in a bit of fresh snow. They will rail a turn if you really stay on them, but if you let lose so will they. However, this makes them quick to release the old turn, springing you into the next one, and very fun in the right conditions.
The K2 has the shortest turn radius of our test group, so if you're looking for something snappy, this could be it. The FulLUVit has some camber and sidewall construction underfoot, which helps it in the stability and edge hold department. We can easily keep this ski on edge throughout our turn without much chattering.
This is where the K2s are in their element (where they're not so fulluvit). They float well and provide a beautiful cruisey ride in deeper snow. We love to make big sweeping turns in open powder fields but aren't quite as impressed as with the Rossignol Soul 7 HD in the super deep dumps we received during La Nina in Mammoth Lakes. Even though they have a slightly skinnier waist this year, the FulLuvit's fat shovels still cruised right through the powder. We have so much fun on powder days with these skis we forget they're there — you don't even need to think about them.
Our testers found that this ski does well in the crud, but wish it had a bit more chutzpah to rocket through the chunky stuff. One tester was a bit disappointed with the FulLUVit in the crud at first, and felt like the tips and tails wanted to cross — until she discovered that they just need to be skied with a bit wider stance, as most fat skis do.
It is a weird feeling to get used to when you're accustomed to the more old-school style of skiing where you want to keep your feet closer together, but modern fat skis require this wider, more aggressive stance. The FulLuvits are light and frisky, and if they stay on top of the crud, they can be manipulated well.
This contender does well enough in variable conditions. They are forgiving and nimble in steep, variable terrain and because they are wide enough underfoot to rise above breakable crust. The tapered tail allows more control as you exit the turn to either accelerate out or scrub speed as the conditions dictate. The Rossignol Soul 7 HD W have a similar tapered tail shape that makes it a fun and versatile ski as well. We love these K2s on anything soft like slush and corn and just love to cruise smoothly through it all.
We have a lot of fun on this ski and think it is one of the more playful of the bunch, especially with its tighter turn radius. We love wriggling down through the powder, and it is the first ski we reach for when the snow will be soft. The Rossignol Soul 7 are another booty wiggling ski, as is the Elan Ripstick 94. Both exceed in powdery soft conditions. The FulLUVit's lively graphics make it feel extra playful and look like the northern lights. Because we feel so confident skiing it in most conditions, it's like a steadfast adventure partner you call on when you're ready to get after it.
The slimmed down waist and tighter turn radius make this a more logical choice for the bumps than its predecessor. However, none of the skis in this review are made for mogul skiing. If you consider bumps something you have to get through to get to the rest of the mountain, the FulLUVit's will do the trick. They are relatively soft so can absorb the cruddy bumps, and we did have fun making turns in soft chalky bumps. Our favorite ski of the bunch in moguls was the Elan Ripstick.
Once retailing for $900, K2 has dropped the price down to a much more reasonable $650. For even less, we found that the $600 Ripstick gave us a far more stable and pleasurable ride. For a more advanced skier we'd recommend the Rossignol Soul 7 HD W.
