K2’s Annex 98 is custom-made for all-mountain skiers looking for a hardpack loving ski that is especially fun in the bumps. We gave it high marks for its quickness and ease of initiation, as well as its lively feel underfoot. It likes carving as well, with a reassuring stability anywhere on-piste.

Where the ski fell off in scoring was off-piste. That same sense of stability and playfulness seemed downright clunky at times, and the ski had to be worked a lot harder than others in this category to achieve the same level of response. Across the board, it also got mid-level scores for float. If you’re one of K2’s many diehard fans, this’ll fill your frontside bill. For a truer “all-mountain” feel, the Atomic, Blizzard, Rossignol and Volkl in this category should be of more interest to you.