If you like to sleep in on snow days but still want performance on all sides of the mountain the K2 Apache Crossfire with new Marker MX 12.0 is your ride. K2 designed it for skiers who want to make fast turns on corduroy but take to the backcountry whenever the runs are overrun by the masses. It's a sophisticated performance design that's smooth and stable on groomed runs and busted crud but it still carves better than most utility all-mountain skis that never live up to the marketing department claims. Over the last couple of seasons we found that the Apache Crossfire is a great design for guys who mix GS terrain with short and sweet slalom turns. K2 used a Titan metal laminate construction that incorporates perforated titanium sheet over a light and lively aspen and fir core. When mixing first tracks with established inbound runs K2's Mod Technology dampens vibration and minimizes ski chatter at speed. K2 compares Mod Technology to shock absorbers in an off-road car. It's an "elastomeric secondary core" that's independent of the wood core that dampens vibrations without taking anything away from the overall ski flex. Combine this with the weighted Mod Monic on the ski and you'll find that the Crossfire has excellent contact with the snow and crud so you are more apt to initiate turns exactly where you want. This season K2 integrated the Crossfire with the Marker MX 12.0 Binding. It's an entirely new binding system for unsurpassed power transmission between your boots and these skis. K2 and Marker accomplished this by creating a wider contact area across the binding interface so you enjoy more response with less effort. These new refinements include Marker's Inter-Pivot Heel technology that extends the wider 50-mm. footprint toward the ski edges. Marker also established tighter tolerances in all of their MX bindings so you can feel more of the snow surface much like a high-end sports car lets you feel every undulation in a track surface. Marker's MX systems incorporate their Biometric toes and Inter Pivot Heels to help protect you in a backward release during a fall. The Biometric Toe has Marker's proven stainless steel AFD plates and their standard four-linkage design for improved safety. Whether you're an expert skier looking for a fast and smooth all-mountain ride or an aggressive intermediate seeking a jump up in performance the Apache Crossfire delivers on all counts.