The Wolfpack is a well built reliable board but K2's flatline isn't for everyone. The Flatline tech aka Flat Camber is very stable and predictable. It's great one footing, straightlining, making short radius turns and flatbasing. The drawbacks are the Wolfpack doesn't carve well, isn't very poppy and doesnt have the lively feel that many boards do. The Wolfpack isn't compleetly dull but it is missing something that many of the hybrid shapes have these days. What is meant by hybrid is Flat/Rocker, hybrid camber, hybrid rocker. Also continuous rocker is more lively as well. Still this is one of the better flatline boards out there so if you are looking for Flatline The base is fast and the board is pretty stable at speed for a twin meant to be a freestyle board. So if you are looking for a fast freestyle twin with speed and easy turn initiation then this might be right for you. Some love flat camber or flatline tech and some hate it. Check out our detailed review below.
The K2 Wolfpack Review by The Good Ride Conditions- 1 Day on Hard Pack snow with a little loose snow floating around here and there.
We have had some bad experiences with the flat camber (flatline) and because of that are skeptical because of this but K2 made a good argument for flatline with the Wolfpack. The K2 Wolfpack is a fast, damp and aggressive board for those who like to straightline.
A Quick look at the K2 Wolfpack from The Good Ride
Groomers- This is a great groomer board. The Wolfpack is fast, damp and fun to ride on just about any condition groomers offer except for snowment and ice. If you like speed on morning groomers then you will love the Wolfpack. Powder- The Wolfpack will take more work in the powder than rocker and hybrid shapes but less than camber. It planes just as well as hybrid/rocker shapes but the work on the back leg is more like camber when you are at slower speeds or trying to keep the nose up. Turn Initiation/Carving- Even though this is a medium/stiff board the turn initiation is pretty easy. It takes more work than some but the rider looking for a board of this style will prefer this work. It was fun to make short radius turns but it took a bit more work. When it came to bigger radius turns it was really fun. We did find a bit of a weird thing going on when it came to carving out an aggressive turn. The board didn't seem to respond like other hybrid shapes did. It seemed to miss the spring and linear turn that many boards we have tried. It felt like it skipped the last part of the aggressive carve that usually makes it really fun and just felt flat. There was also no real spring at the end of the turn which we normally really like. Speed- This is one of the Wolfpack’s best qualities. It’s very fast and stable. It was just what we expected and one serious bomber. This is chatterless at just about any speed Weight- Not very heavy at all and one of the lighter mid to high level boards. The K2 Wolfpack seems to be a good balance of strength and weight. Edge Hold- The Wolfpack will hold an edge in just about anything you want to ride in but still is missing something when it comes to gripping really hard snow or icy conditions. Still it did a good job in the hard snow that had a little soft stuff here and there. It was a good day to test out edge hold. The Magnetraction boards will do far better than the Wolfpack but it still did a good job. Switch- This is a directional twin but there was a slight difference riding switch. Still it does a great job riding switch and it’s borderline excellent. Rails and Jibbing- Because the Wolfpack is very stiff it's no fun even though it’s a flat camber. Not ideal for the jib park but you can hit a jib or two on the way to jumps or the half pipe. Pipe- The Wolfpack is slightly more forgiving than camber when it comes to pipe riding. Many prefer a softer board in the pipe but we found this to do a great job getting up and down a moderate sized pipe. The edge hold was enough to feel comfortable getting up and down a firm wall. Jumps- This isn’t the best for creating your own air on the mountain but pretty good for lapping the rollercoaster park. It was pretty good for flat camber but it's still flat camber and not as springy as many boards we have tried.
All in all the K2 Wolfpack would be a great board for someone who likes to speed around groomed runs and likes to make short/wide radius turns but not aggressively carve. It will be fun most places on the mountain the all mountain bomber will want to go.
The Good Ride Take On Flat Camber Flat Camber is a byproduct of Reverse Camber. There are many types of Flat Camber with many shapes. Some have flat camber between the feet and then bend the board up after the bindings. Some have a nose and tail like a regular board but it just goes completely flat between them. It has a lot of positive qualities. One is the ability to float well in powder. It doesn’t have that leg burn free feeling like rocker but some say it floats and performs better. It is also very stable at high speeds and doesn’t have the issues that rocker and rocker/camber boards have. Generally most rocker/camber and pure rocker boards don’t ride well in the flats due to the bend in the center of the board. The bend can sometimes be the only contact on the snow and that makes the board unstable in the flats and it can be a bit squirrely at high speeds or on hard pack snow. Flat Camber eliminates this issue. It’s also very fun to jib and is very catch free. The biggest drawback is the lack of pop these boards have. It is very hard to generate any spring to Ollie. If pop is important then Flat Camber isn’t for you. If you like to carve, stay close to the ground and want the same benefits that reverse camber offers in powder this might be a good choice over a cambered snowboard.
The Good Ride Take on K2 K2 is a big company that makes a lot of ski and snowboard gear. So many companies are really proud of their gear and let sites like the Good Ride borrow it for a few weeks. K2 doesn’t and is only about the on-snow demo so we have to put in extra effort to get a hold of K2 gear. K2 chose Flat Camber and variations of flat/rocker for their rides in the post camber revolution. Their flat camber has a mixed take but their flat/rocker shapes (especially all terrain) seem to be some of the best out there and are well liked. When it comes to Bindings K2 spends a lot of time working on the quick release side of things. We at the Good Ride aren’t big fans of the quick release but acknowledge that many do like this tech. To us we’d rather see them work on improved turn initiation, comfort and better board flex under foot but many don’t agree with our take. Their boots are well made, long lasting and comfortable but many don’t have the traditional upper and lower BOA system that most companies offer. Instead most have an inner and outer lacing system’s which some like but we’d rather see upper and lower autonomy instead of two lacing systems focusing on the same 2 regions. Their customer support is very good but there is no phone # on their site so you must contact them via email.
Running steps ahead of the rest the all new 2011-2012 K2 Wolfpack Snowboard leads with K2’s Flatline® Baseline. Raised in the wild for the all around rider the Wolfpack’s Bambooyah™ Blend core keeps it strong and Ollie Bar™ pop leaps over anything that steps into it’s territory.
A Better Look of the Wolfpack from K2
Flatline
The Perfect Balance
Demanded by the K2 International Pro Team and proven through multiple awards, K2 pioneered the Flatline base profile. Preloaded, stable, and turn-ready, Flatline creates a supremely balanced, smooth ride for both aspiring and accomplished pros
Ollie Bar
Pop comes pre-loaded
The Ollie bar is a totally new approach to adding pop to a snowboard. Built in place in a pre-loaded, cambered shape it solves the concern that rocker board don’t have the pop camber board have.Made with a secret layup of carbon, Kevlar and urethane layers, the ollie bar is positioned in the center of the board between the binding inserts. Strong ollies and pressing power doesn’t come from the tail alone. The backbone center section is actually more critical for smooth even pressure. You gotta try it to believe the pop.
Bambooyah Blend
A little Bambooyah goes a long way.
BAMBOOYAH® expands out into more models in this it’s second year. We now offer the all new Bambooyah Blended cores. Created for models that could benefit from just a little bit of Bambooyah’s incredible strength. A little it of Bambooyah goes a long way.
Hybrilight Construction
Less waste, more shred!
K2’s exclusive Hybrilight construction features a thin, constant thickness sidewall designed for maximum performance and minimal material usage. The result is a lighter, more advanced snowboard with significantly less waste produced in manufacturing. Better on hill and greener for the hill.
WH4 Core
Super-light honeykomb Core Technology
The WH4 Core pulls every trick from our bag of core tech. With a greater percentage of HONEYKOMB than the WH3 Core, it’s engineered to maintaindurability at minimal weight.
Triaxial Glass
A glass laminate with diagonal layers that stiffens the board torsionally. Giving you improved edge hold and increased stability for those off-axis landings
Hyper Progressive
An infinite number of different radius are blended together flawlessly from mellow in the tips, to more aggressive in the center. The result is a super predictable feel that never hooks. Responsive at high speeds and smooth enough to butter your way from the peak to park.
4000 Sintered
• Fastest natural base material available• Exceptionally Durable• Absorbs deeper & retains wax longer
