Snowboard Review: 11-12 K2 Panoramic Splitboard

Location: Mt. Baker, WA and Thompson Pass, Alaska

Snow Conditions: Mixture of heavier fresh snow to lighter snow.

Setup: I rode the K2 Panoramic with Spark R&D Burner bindings and Vans size 8 women’s boots.

Size: 158cm.

First Impression: I got this board blindly and it more than did the job for a splitboard setup. Good all-around mountain splitboard.

Weight: Average

Ease of Use: The Panoramic was easier to set up since I had already set up a Venture splitboard the season before. I had all the things needed (board, voile system, sparks bindings) so it just meant sitting down and setting it up to my stance. The K2 climbing skins that came with the setup weren’t bad but definitely had some days where snow was able to get into the skins and had to be cleared to continue skinning up.

Flex: The K2 Panoramic was definitely more forgiving than expected. The all-terrain rocker combo with bambooyah made it a good medium range for flex on the mountain. Longitudinally it had the bambooyah feel to it that was lively and poppy on the board but torsionally it had a softer more forgiving feel. I really liked that when I rode the board as a snowboard, it never felt twisted in the center. It felt connected when riding.

Turning: Very easy to engage on edge and held a grip just fine on the ride down and the ride up. I thought it held good on edging but did encounter some slipping out moments (which could have been me too). On the ride down, the board was stable and offered a good ride, especially in new snow to bumpy snow.

Stable: I thought the Panoramic did very well with stability despite the all-mountain rocker technology. It helped it float in the new snow and still held an edge on the skin up the mountain. I took my 158 through powder in Mt Baker, heavier snow and lighter snow in Alaska, both times the board handled. Although I could definitely have used a bigger size in the heavier snow to charge more.

Switch: I did not bother riding this splitboard switch on the mountain.

Overall Impression: The K2 Panoramic is K2’s splitboard option. It comes ready to go with the voile system and K2 skins. All you need is the bindings, beacon, probe and backcountry avy training to start exploring. I ended up riding this splitboard in a mix of mountain conditions, from the heavier Baker snowfall to the lighter Alaska end of season riding. It handled the varible terrain and offered a good choice for getting into backcountry riding.

Shay’s Honesty Box: The reason I chose the Panoramic was simple, it included skins and the voile system. I was ready to own a splitboard (definitely figured I could use it) and instead of having to buy each thing seperately, I was stoked to see the Panoramic included the board, voile system and skins…much easier for me to own. Overall I was really happy with the Panoramic splitboard, it did the job and gave me an all-mountain board to skin up and ride down with.

Review Disclosure: I received this splitboard from usoutdoor last season.