K2 Sky Pilot Snowboard Review

An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Breakdown Of How the K2 Sky Pilot Rides Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

How The K2 Sky PilotWas Tested:

I borrowed the K2 Sky Pilot for an extended demo and sent it back.

Size: 157
Days: 157
Conditions: Varied but mostly good spring conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-195lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards and close to 1,000 if you count different versions of the same Model over the years.
Boots: Nitro Team TLS,
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Bindings: Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket, Skyline Fuse Light 3L Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout, Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up

21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference as all I had was groomers.

Compared Against

I compared this against the antidote, the Commonwealth and a few other boards. You can see those in-depth comparisons on Patreon.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Nidecker Megalight, Burton Counterbalance, Amplid Souly Grail, K2 Alchemist, United Shapes Cadet, United Shapes Cadet Limited, Jones Flagship Pro, Stranda Descender, Stranda Descender Evo, YES Pick Your Line,  Weston Gnarnia

Ethics Statement

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Construction / Durability / Weight

The K2 Sky Pilot felt very well made, and although a little heavier than boards with K2’s lighter construction, like the Commonwealth, it still wasn’t that heavy.
(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

With the K2 Sky Pilot, I feel like I’m between sizes 54 and 57, kind of like I was with the instrument. I could handle this 57 no problem. If I was, let’s say a size ten boot, this would be perfect.

At a size nine boot, the 54 will turn a little better, and they do suggest sizing down 3-4cm, but you don’t size down as you do with the almanac or the excavator. So if you’re similar in specs to me and want a damp, high-speed carver with better float, go 57; if you have specs like mine and want more control and an easier board in uneven snow, go 54. If this sticks around for a few seasons, I’d love to try it in a 154 to see if that worked as well as the 154 Instrument it replaced.

K2 doesn’t really post boot sizes and expects you to figure them out on your own based on the widths listed in the specs. They are pretty good with their recommended weight.

The Good Ride’s Conservative / Safe Boot Size Recommendation

These are sizes that will keep you from booting out (super bad) or being too wide to turn quickly in critical situations.

148:7-8
151: 8.5-9.5
154: 9-10
157: 9.5-10.5
160: 10-11
163: 11-12

There is often more than one size that will work for your specs and how you like to ride. Size down for more control and size up for more speed/stability/carving power.. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape & Setback

The K2 Sky Pilot is tapered and directional. You have a much longer nose than you do tail. There are ten millimeters of taper, and with a -3.65″ setback on board all the way back, this steps it up versus the Commonwealth and the Passport. You get a more Freeride feel from this board.

Camber / On Snow Feel

You have a good bit of camber under the foot going almost to the tail, and then you have a little lifted tech in the tail here, and the nose that does not bleed down into the 119-centimeter effective edge.

So that’s something you’re only going to feel in really soft snow and powder. There’s also a good bit of early rise before the nose.

So the K2 Sky Pilot has a great on-snow feel. It’s very stable. It’s very easy to have one foot and a flat base. It never has that washy feel in harder conditions, like a lot of other boards that let that come down into the side cut.

It feels like a camber board without that catch of camber. So one foot’s really well, tracks really well, flat basing, and this is good for a committed intermediate on up to an expert.

Edge Hold

There’s no noticeable disruption in the edge that I can see here. The K2 Sky Pilot has more than competent grip, but it’s not the board I want if I’m out in hard-to-icy snow. There are better boards for that, for sure.

Flex Personality

The K2 Sky Pilot 157 flex is on the medium side, maybe bordering on medium stiff. It’s much stiffer in the tail. The nose is a good bit softer than the tail.

And if you flex from the front insert to the back, it’s pretty stiff. And overall, there’s good, but not that super poppy energy from the flex as you get with the Commonwealth and other high-end, more poppy constructions from K2.

Ollies, Air & Butters

And while this pop wasn’t that easy to ollie, the K2 Sky Pilot does track very well into a side hit, and it especially would with those tricky ones that might take a couple quick adjustment turns to hit that side hit.

But overall, if you like to launch, you have a lot of landing gear. You don’t quite have that spring as you do with the Commonwealth, but if you’re a stronger rider, you can get this to pop pretty well. You could hit any size kicker you want in the park or any drop-off piste; this will do great.

It wasn’t terribly easy to butter, but it was much easier than I thought it would be riding switch.

Uneven Snow

But the K2 Sky Pilot is a great board for those of you who see a lot of soft, uneven snow. This is just a champion for those who want a good all-day ride.

Turning / Carving

And when it comes to turning, the K2 Sky Pilot is medium, edge-to-edge for my size nine boots. If I were on the 54, it would probably be medium quick.

And when I got it on edge, this is a more turny side cut, but not super turny. So while it does do a good job across the groomer carves, it’s not bad on a circle carve, and it’s really good for medium-radius turns.

And when I really committed myself to a carve, I could front-foot, center weight, and back-foot weight equally well. It didn’t really ever feel washy or need a specific turning style. And there’s pretty good but not amazing spring out of the turn.

Coming off the Commonwealth to this, this felt a little dead, didn’t have that easy spring out of the turn, but this was better with longer drawn out down the line, higher speed turns that transition into sometimes a straight line or two.

Speed

And if you really like to go fast and you want a damp, stable ride, the K2 Sky Pilot does a great job. It really absorbs high-speed chatter well.

Base Glide

This is a centered 4000 base that absorbs wax really well. It’s clear and relatively easy to repair with the right equipment.

And while it doesn’t have really low lows, it doesn’t have those high highs that many higher-end bases do.

Powder

I didn’t get any powder, but looking at this early rise, the kind of Freeride-friendly set back on board, and my experience with the instrument, I think the K2 Sky Pilot would be a pretty good powder board.

And I think the 3D in the nose and tail will give it a much smoother, more fluid turn in that soft powder you often get with boards like these.

Final Thoughts

So overall, while I really enjoyed the pop and energy of the Commonwealth, I felt it was a much better board to ollie and carve with.

I can see the value of the K2 Sky Pilot for many riders who want something damp. They want to feel some 3D tech in powder, but not on groomers. They want a fast, damp board, and they see a lot of uneven snow. This could be a really fun ride. There you have it.