This past season we were blessed to ride a lot of powder in the late season, especially compared to the year before. This allowed us to test a lot of the new powder shapes on the market. All snowboards should be able to ride powder because that’s initially what they were invented for. The stand out performance of the best powder board we rode was the K2 Ultra Dream. Here’s why.
Board: K2 Ultra Dream
Size: 158
Camber Option: All Terrain Baseline. Flat from just before the insert packs with rocker in the tips.
Bindings: Rome 390 Boss
Stance: 22.5 Wide 18 Negative 15 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 175lbs
Resort: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Puking snow on top of a half of foot of fresh that had a crust layer underneath. At points you couldn’t see 10 feet in front of you.
Flex: Some give in the tips, stiffening up under foot, and finally softening up between the feet. The torsional give is just enough to allow you to center twist the board while carving. Over all it’s a solid all mountain freestyle flex that makes it playful but yet supportive for charging.
Stability: Hitting chundery pushed around pow this board didn’t buck me one bit, it just absorbed the impact and kept on going. It’s stable, slightly damp, yet lively which are just amazing characteristics in a board.
Ollies/Pop: The board has snap for hitting natural features which just makes it a super fun ride. It’s a very skate inspired styled pop which means you’re not having to load up to boost you can just charge and go.
Butterability: This board is meant to pow butter. The tip shape coupled with Tweakend just gives you so much surface area to play with in the deep stuff. Doing high speed pow butters has never been this easy and it just wants to keep going.
Carving: You can rail hard turns on groomed surfaces with ease. I was getting deep transitioning from edge to edge and not worrying about it washing out. K2 knows how to make a sidecut.
Rider in Mind: The guy that’s pursuing powder but still needs a deck that can handle the rest of the mountain.
Personal Thoughts: This board is the Turbo Dream on crack or steroids or steroids infused with crack. You can just charge so fast without it washing out. The tip shape is so ideal for powder riding it just pushes the snow outward and lets you get up on top of it. The pop is more than ample for killing it on natural features and I would dare say this board could be fun in a powder park (park jumps covered in powder). Over all if you’re looking for a board that stands above the rest for being playful but forceful this is something to check out.
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Disclaimer: This board was loaned to us for review from the K2 Snowboards Rockies Rep.
28 Comments
How does the Ultra Dream stack up vs Rossi Angus/One for charging through the tracked up end of a pow day, railing carves and popping off natural features? I’m assuming you found it bested them on pow days.
Greg I dropped a 20 foot cliff at the end of the day on this into a chundery run out of death. I survived with ease. The board can handle it if your knees can handle it.
Sbutler it can handle groomers fine but it’s more at home with at least 6 inches or more covering everything. If you’re riding more groomers go with the Uber Spoon the cambered profile will grip better.
Would you go with a Nitro Uberspoon or the Ultra Dream? I want a fun freeride board that handles well in powder and can handle groomers.
The knees are a definate question mark, but thats rad. How would you compare it on the crud to the Angus and the One Magtek?
Here’s the thing every one of the boards you’re asking about I got to ride in a foot or more from first chair till everything was tracked to hell. If you want camber between your feet Rossi/Nitro if you want it flat K2.
I have been wanting to buy a powder/all mountain board and I am thinking of either the 2013 ultra dream or the 2013 Salomon powder snake. I don’t want the board to be too stiff but I don’t want it to be to flexible. I weigh 135 140 pounds.
You do realize the powder snake is not an all mountain board?
Ya well I’m mainly looking for a powder board that will be good for the days that I can’t really ride my forum destroyer. All mountain would just be nice if it still floats on powder but its not too big of a deal
Pow only Powder Snake, everything else Ultra Dream.
I currently ride a Venture Storm (161 – fairly short for the trees, long enough for the NW concrete) that is getting to the point where I need to consider replacing it. My short list is Venture Storm, Jones flagship, Rossignol equivalent (I can’t remember the name, but it is basically the Jones version 1), and the Ultradream. I like the bomb through anything quality of the Storm, its powder performance, its quality of turn at speed including on ice. Does the Ultradream compare well?
You’re thinking of either the One Magtek or the XV from Rossignol. The Storm vs the Ultradream is a completely different ride. The Storm is built like a brick shithouse that can run over anything. The Ultradream is built for float and riding atop snow not pushing through icy crust. Honestly for what you’re asking the Rossignol would be the better option.
I’ve always ridden stiff full camber boards that have pop and can lay on the rail but Im looking for something new that has float and a little more play but can still hold a good edge coming out of the trees or pow and maybe hit a jump line on the way to the lift. Basically a true all mountain freestyle deck with more of an emphasis on natural terrain. I demoed the salomon mans board in nelson last year and thought it rode well but too narrow for me (size 12 boots). I have looked at the ride machete and gt, rome mod rocker, jones mountain twin, gnu dirty pillow, salomon assassin and this board. Any suggestions I am 6′ 175 and surf alot more than i ride but very experienced rider most of my riding lately has been in NW Montana and BC or Stowe in VT.
Have you looked at anything from K2 with the Lifted camber profile or the Nitro Uber Spoon?
[…] K2 Ultradream […]
I ride mainly rocky mtns, so conditions vary from ton of pow to icy yr on yr. Not much for park mainly ungroomed steeper stuff or trees but also hang w my skier friends on groomers. Would you recommend ultra or turbo dream over the lib tech hot knife?
Also did the turbo or ultra change significantly from last year’s model?
No changes that I can really tell. If more groomers than pow you want the Turbo, more pow than groomers Ultra. Don’t know too much about the Hot Knife.
would you go Turbo dream or RayGun? if conditions vary? I get 2 trips a year typically the rockies so sometimes its pow sometimes stuck w icier.. having a terrible time choosing and can’t find a shop w them to demo in whistler.
I’m upgrading from an old k2 illusion if that helps.
Raygun for a board that is 50% park 50% Pow/Groomers. Turbo 75% Pow/Groomers 25% Park. Ultra is 90% Pow 10% getting around the mountain to find more pow.
[…] only very dedicated and advanced riders that need a dediacated pow board. But see if you can find a K2 Ultra Dream 157w (waist 263) from last year at a reduced price; it's (according to the reviews) not extremely […]
[…] […]
Hey just curious about the difference between the ultradream and k2 peacekeeper. Is the ultra dream floatier? Or is the only difference the twin shape and more playful feel? I currently have the peacekeeper but everyone else at baker seems to have the ultradream. ?.
It’s a little softer and then the twin shape. Right straight down a line Peacekeeper, going to play around in the trees and ride a line that you might spin off something Ultradream.
Bought ns heritage 162 on your recommendation. Great board
How does it compare to ultra for pow(which is my main goal)
I think heritage would be better if it had blunted nose like cobra and
I feel like the nose is a little catchy sometimes traversing
Every time its a pow day i have the thought in the back of my head like
“I wish i was on a pow specific board”
My ns feels good in pow but not great. Its not effortless. I have to
Work at it
Been riding since 1993
If you want pow specific just buy an Ultra.
Ps
Mainly ride in utah.
Thnx
Have you tried a hovercraft yet?
Ps
Loved how my 164 eldorado used to charge but in pow that back leg burn was nutz
[…] Here, let me Google that for you __________________ Snowboarding Is… That thing I do to escape the world and have fun with my friend Also, buy my things? http://www.snowboardingforum.com/buy…ml#post1737634 […]
[…] out the 2014, 2015, and 2016 reviews of the K2 Ultra […]