Review: K2 Reckoner 102 and 102W

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The K2 Reckoner 102/102W (same ski, different topsheet) gets a total overhaul for 24/25 along with the rest of K2’s Reckoner line. As one of K2s most popular ski models, this reboot comes with a lot of attention. The new ski has a very similar footprint and profile to the previous model, with a smidge more camber underfoot and a slightly stiffer midsection, but with softer tips and tails.

Groomers & Resort Skiing:

The updated construction translates to a ski with a little more oomph underfoot than the previous Reckoner 102. It has a bit more energy edge to edge when carving on groomers and a little more bite too. Overall, the ski is more surfy feeling than edgy. It isn’t a powerful ski for charging on groomers but skied with a light touch it’s still quite rewarding on hardpack.

It has enough edge bite to get the job done and the soft-ish flex can be bent into a variety of turn shapes. When the going gets icy, the ski does struggle a bit due to its softness but it’s an upgrade on the previous 102 here.

“The new Reckoner 102 still retains the soft and playful nature of the old one but now I feel there’s something to push against when actually skiing. It slithers through bumps and the stiffer tails add stability at speed, so the ski has a higher speed limit than the old one.” - Max Ritter, Powder Gear Editor

Powder & Mixed Conditions:

Like the K2 Omen Team, the Reckoner 102/W is a good powder ski for its own category of 100-105mm underfoot skis, but it isn’t a big enough ski if your resort regularly gets a lot of snow. The soft, rockered tip floats well and the taper helps the ski go sideways in soft snow. But it’s fundamentally a pretty soft ski in the tip and tail, meaning it lacks power for skiing chopped snow and crud.

Even in heavy pow, the Reckoner 102 can get bogged down pretty easily. You can make it work, but if pow days are a priority, we’d go fatter. Perhaps the new K2 Reckoner KF would be a better choice.

Park & Jibbing:

The Reckoner 102 was probably our testers' favorite park ski of the whole test. Everyone from the smallest women to the biggest of guys loved this ski, because it’s simply so easy to ski in the park. The softish flex and generous rocker profile make butters and surface swaps a breeze, while the stiffer mid-section makes it stable on most jumps. Of course, if your daily park lap includes 40+ footers you might want something stiffer, but these are a decent enough ski to land on for regular mortals.

“A very intuitive ski. Easy to spin, easy to flex, felt like it wanted to do more tricks. Both forgiving & exciting to ski. Loves the rails, butters & jumps. It belongs in the park, but still skis happily out of it.” - Mark Valtr, ski tester

"This ski was awesome in the park! I skied these in a 170cm length as a 5'1" girl in the park and to my surprise the weight and width were easy to control and play around with. The softness of this ski allows for creativity in and outside of the park without being too soft. Because I am a more aggressive skier I would size up to the 177cm length in this for all-mountain use." - Rylee Hackler, ski tester

Conclusion:

The Reckoner 102 and 102W were one of, if not the most popular skis of the whole test. The new build seems more durable too and if that’s the case, K2 have something close to perfect on their hands here. We really liked the old ski, and the new one is a definite step up. From the east coast for good days, to the narrower ski in a west coast quiver, to a jibbers one ski to do it all, this one feels like it could find a home with most skiers with freestyle tendencies.