K2 Passport Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

K2 Passport Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4
Conditions: Firm to pretty good mid-winter snow at Mission Ridge (cam failure though), good but mixed spring conditions and 6 inches of good spring pow with Drift Boards
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo, Burton Ion
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Pick Your Line, YES PYL Uninc, Burton Flight Attendant, Jones Flagship, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Weston Backwoods, Season Nexus, Cardiff Bonsai, Prior Spearhead, Burton Cartographer, Burton Instigator, Never Summer Hammer

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

How It Was Tested

I often compared this to the K2 Instrument and Manifest, but also spent a decent amount of time riding solo with it.

Approximate Weight

The K2 Passport felt pretty normal. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The K2 Passport fit my boot size really well. I could have gone to the 160, which would work better for my weight, but if I were to buy this, I would go 157.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
146: 7-7.5
149: 7.5-8
151: 8-8.5
154: 8.5-9
157- 9-9.5
160: 9.5-10
163: 10-10.5
159w: 11-12
162w: 11.5-12.5

For weight, I would stay close to the K2’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The K2 Passport has 8mm of taper, which you can feel a little bit, but not that much. You don’t have to weight your foot on the back of the board as much as some. The ride is pretty centered, too, so you aren’t super far back. It’s a little on the all-mountain side of freeride but not quite on the border.

The directional camber profile has a decent amount of early rise before the nose and a touch of early rise before the tail. On snow, the K2 Passport feels less catchy than it looks, and it was pretty easy to skid a turn.

Flex Personality

I enjoyed buttering the K2 Passport for sure. It buttered in the nose a little easier than the tail, but not by much.

There is a pretty consistent medium to medium stiff flex throughout the board. On snow, the K2 Passport feels rubbery and damp, but surprisingly, it pops really well. I found the Excavator and Alchemist to pop a little harder but this was easier to do so.

Uneven Terrain

I think this is my favorite part of the K2 Passport. No matter what conditions I had in, the ride felt good. You don’t have a lot of stand-out personality, but you can ride all day, every day, and it will never get cranky on ya.

Edge Hold

Pretty competent. Not a hard snow-to-ice specialist, but competent with the hard snow patches I encountered.

Base Glide/Speed

The base is middle ground. Not super-fast, but not super slow either.

The K2 Passport is pretty damp and comfortable pointing it for sure but it isn’t a bomber with this deep sidecut radius and almost medium flex.

Turning Experience/Carving

So I can really transition quickly edge to edge with the K2 Passport. It’s very fast. When you commit to the edge, you get a pretty turny ride that likes tighter radius turns more than down the line longer drawn-out turns. You can still do a bit of everything, though. The spring out of the turn is surprisingly good for how rubbery and damp it feels as well.

Powder

With a 21.75” stance width, you can get 2.625” back from the center of the board. That isn’t massive, but it’s for sure better than most non-tapered all-mountain boards. It wasn’t trying in the little bit of pow I had it in, but I wouldn’t want to stress test this. I’d rather be on the Excavator or even the Instrument. Still, the K2 Passport is very good for a one board quiver kind of ride.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

Doable switch for sure and it didn’t feel super weird. This would also be a fun pipe board. Pretty good for jumping but not as stable a platform as some with this turny sidecut. Still no slouch either though.

Conclusion

So overall, I had a great time on the K2 Passport and what really stood out was it’s upper tier consistency in all conditions I tried it in. You can get livelier poppier more dynamic rides that shine bright doing a few things,but they won’t do everything well like the Passport does.

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