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K2 Spellcaster 2020-2021 Women’s Snowboard Review

  • Price: $450 / £395 / €450
  • Category: Park/Jib, All-Mountain
  • Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
  • Sizes: 140, 144, 147, 149, 152
  • Flex: 5/10
  • Profile: CamRock
  • Shape: True Twin
  • Base: Sintered
  • New for 2020/21 season

Why we chose the K2 Spellcaster Snowboard: This enchanting little sorceress has a few tricks up her sleeve.

New for 2020/21 the K2 Spellcaster is a freestyle powerhouse for women who demand the absolute best from their equipment. It’s a no holds barred ripper designed to ollie higher, press longer and butter better than its playmates.

The K2 Alliance™ is a collection of women who are committed to designing and developing the most innovative and imaginative female-specific gear in the industry. They work in conjunction with the R&D team at K2 to rigorously test and tweak every single product that hits the shelves, ensuring their suitability and shredability. ‘Shrink it and pink it’ women’s stuff that comes from the male, pale and stale brigade never really hits the mark, but with K2 you’re getting products by women, for women.

“Women’s stuff that comes from the male, pale and stale brigade never really hits the mark, but with K2 you’re getting products by women, for women”

As you’d expect the Spellcaster has all the hallmarks of a classic park snowboard. True twin shape, middle of the road flex pattern and poppy profile are boxes you can tick off straight away, but its what’s under the hood that’ll get you frothing with this board. This little sorceress has a few hidden tricks up her sleeve.

K2 have used their sustainably harvested women’s specific Rhythm Core for a predictable and stable ride. A tri-blend of wood with specific lightweight zones in the nose and tail offer up lower swing weight and smoother turn initiation. The softer wood is more manoeuvrable for smaller and lighter frames keeping you from being sluggish, so you can focus solely on ripping.

Underfoot Carbon DarkWeb cross braces to drive power to the contact points for precise edge control and handling. These stiffen the board torsionally without affecting the overall softer flex. You still get the nice playful, buttery feel through the length, but a more responsive and powerful ride when you’re going heel to toe.

Not just a board for hotlapping with the homies, when you bust out of the confines of the park, the Spellcaster still has the sauce to perform in a variety of terrain. The versatile camrock profile puts a lengthy positive camber throughout the body of the board for a dynamic and powerful ride. When the camber is weighted and engaged, you get an aggressive on piste performance that uses the whole sidecut to rip and grip.

“You still get the nice playful, buttery feel through the length, but a more responsive and powerful ride when you’re going heel to toe”

A touch of rocker in the nose and tail mellows it out a little, but for all intents and purposes this is a camber dominant workhorse. You’ll get a bit of float should you happen to stumble across a sneaky powder bowl, but the Spellcaster won’t be winning awards for freeriding anytime soon. That said, that’s not why you’re buying it, this is a freestyle machine, not a point and shoot cannon.

The 4000 grade sintered base is a trick in its own right, the “now you see me, now you don’t” variety. Speedy and durable, it’s a good shout for a board like the Spellcaster that you’re gonna be throwing through the ringer. Whether it’s long days slapping the metal or making sure you have enough speed to clear the knuckle, you’ll be glad for this beefy underbelly.

More aggressive and powerful than the Lime Lite, the Spellcaster is a step up on all fronts. It’s more suited to riders who have already cut their teeth and locked down their skills. Spell yeah!

Tester Verdict 2020/21

Stella PenttiWhitelines Snowboarding

“I really enjoyed riding the K2 Spellcaster, it felt very stable and solid underfoot. I didn’t get to ride it through the park but jibbing around on piste and sending it off sidehits was a blast.

The nose and tail felt quite soft and playful, but it was still quite responsive and rapid from edge to edge. It was pretty mellow with landings off rollers, but I have to say I did catch a huge edge and have my worst scorpion of the season on it. That could be down to my slightly hungover state though…

My one niggle with it was that it felt a little heavy compared to some of the other boards I was testing, but otherwise the Spellcaster is a barrel of laughs.”

Trade Secrets

Jonny Russel – K2 UK Rep

“Designed by and for The Alliance™, the Spellcaster is K2’s newest all mountain freestyle twin. Aimed squarely at female riders that demand high-end tech and performance. Combination camber, Carbon darkweb and a high speed sintered base work in magical harmony to deliver every trick up your sleeve.”

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