Review: K2 Recon 140

K2 Skis has never been afraid to think outside the box when it comes to designing toys and tools for sliding around on snow. Whether it’s skis that redefine entire categories or boots that are specifically engineered to meet the needs of the world’s best athletes, the classic American brand definitely knows a thing or two about innovation.

This year K2 is joining the ranks of boot manufacturers creating a very specific type of boot. That includes no walk mode, toe-only tech fittings, a 140 flex, and a high-end liner out of the box. I haven’t seen very many non-plug race boots that can claim that number so I was curious to see how it would stack up to the likes of the Fisher RC4, last year’s Dalbello Krypton 130 ID and others.

Features:

K2’s new boot has quite a few things I’ve never seen on a ski boot before, all of which seem designed to cater to the needs of the K2 Athlete Team and hardcore shredders the world over.

Let’s start with the obvious fact that it sports two BOAs - one on the lower shell and one at the top of the Intuition PowerFit Wrap liner. The shell BOA works the same as we’ve now seen on every boot under the sun since last year, but there’s a tiny BOA on the outside top of the liner that cinches the wrap around your calf. The cable runs through the inside of the liner and pulls it tight around your leg similar to the way a lace-up liner would tighten. The liner also sports a velcro-secured plastic wedge on the back to adjust forward lean and take up some room for rider with skinny calves.

Inside, there’s a rubber bootboard that’s designed to act as a damper for hard landings and skiing fast through rough, uneven snow. The shell’s cuff also features what K2 calls the Power Plate - an adjustable piece of hard plastic sits between the buckles and the liner to make hte front of the cuff taller and further stiffen the boot. Up top, we have a 50mm elastic Booster Strap-style power strap.

There’s a GripWalk sole, no walk mode, and tech fittings on only the toe, meaning this boot is compatible with GripWalk bindings, and the CAST, Duke PT and Shift bindings for touring.

Fit:

The K2 boot comes with a stated 97-100 last, adjustable thanks to the BOA. The Intuition liner certainly helps to customize all aspects of the fit, and is heated/baked the same way other Power Wraps are.

Other than the short and narrow toe box, the fit of the lower is relatively generous, with a pretty high-volume heel pocket and lots of room over the instep. There’s even a pre-punched navicular area which will play nice with those of us who have trouble with those pesky protruding bones. The cuff pivots offer built-in canting adjustment.

I tend to prefer lower volume boots, so I would say this boot definitely caters more to those of us with wider, higher-volume feet, and the fit is nearly identical to the K2 Mindbender 140.

Uphill Performance:

Like other boots in this very niche category, the K2 Recon 140 isn’t really a touring boot, but it does have tech toe fittings to work with a hybrid touring binding. With the lack of a walk mode, I wouldn’t recommend taking these on long tours, but for really short laps or emergency use, they work.

The lack of a walk mode really impedes the range of motion, but by loosening both BOAs, the power strap, and undoing the top buckles you get a few degrees of ROM, enough to make steeper skin tracks bearable. Touring on flat ground isn’t very comfortable.

The GripWalk sole is very grippy, so this boot hikes very confidently. Even with real touring boots, I find I don’t really need the ROM of a walk mode for boot packing, often preferring the stiffer feel of a locked-in cuff for hiking up steep bootpacks.

The K2 Recon 140 will not work with true tech bindings as there are no tech fittings in the heel, but will work with something like the Shift, CAST, or Duke PT.

Downhill Performance:

Well, this boot is designed for the needs of professional athletes, and it’s downhill performance really exemplifies that. Though it’s not really a measure of anything, the stated 140 flex really is impressively stiff, and the boot flexes very smoothly. I messed around with the position of the hard plastic Power Plate and found it worked best for me in the middle 30mm height setting.

The tall liner hugs the lower leg very nicely, and feels like it adds a little bit of leverage and support. The Power Wrap design also adds lots of material to the front of your shin, which I’ve found helps to alleviate shinbang and to dampen the boot and make skiing aggressively more comfortable. That translates to being able to ski faster for longer and rely on your boots for support through bad snow and quick evasive maneuvers.

Want to ski fast and jump off questionable things into even more questionable landings? The rubberized bootboard really takes the sting out of those situations - I kind of wish all my boots had a softer bootboard!

What compromises does the K2 Recon 140 make?

Like other boots in the category, I think it would be remiss to say that the lack of a walk mode was a compromise. It’s clearly an intentional design decision to allow the boot to focus on hardcore downhill performance, but it definitely makes it uncomfortable to tour more than a few hundred vertical feet in. If you are looking for a similar boot with an actual walk mode, check out the K2 Mindbender 140.

My biggest gripe with the boot is the BOA in the liner. Sure, it wraps your leg a little tighter, but overall, I don’t really see the benefit, and it makes it hard and annoying to get the boot on and off as the cable gets caught in the buckles - not to mention it’s quite fragile. The Power Wrap liner was pretty damn good as it stood, so why fix it if it ain’t broken?

There’s also the same thing that I’ve said for all the boots in this category: if you are going to add a tech fitting into the toe, why not add it to the heel just so that you can use both types of bindings?

What does the K2 Recon 140’s ideal skier look like?

There admittedly aren’t a whole lot of skiers out there who would be best served by a boot like the K2 Recon 140, but for those looking for something this specific, it hits the nail square on the head and sinks it in one blow. That skier is the freestyle/freeride oriented rider who wants the stiffest boot they can find to bring into the backcountry or sidecountry for mechanized-access freeriding. You're not in it purely for the uphill, but are willing to put in the work to access the lines of your dreams. 

The K2 Recon 140 Boot will be available soon.