Reconfigured with Marker's new MX Binding the K2 Apache Recon ski remains an ideal choice for advanced and experts skiers who demand power in all conditions. Like K2's new Apache Explorer the Apache Recon is set up for a 50% groomed/50% off-piste profile but while the Explorer has a wider waist the Recon remains refined and ideal for mountains and wind-shaped terrain where hardpack tends to abound especially off the groomed runs. Even after several seasons on the market Apache Recon still remains one of the best choices for any advanced or expert skier who can only take one do-it-all ski on vacation. It features the responsive fir/aspen core wrapped in a Titan Metal (perforated titanium) laminate with a light and low swing weight. There's also a vibration dampening Mod Monic to minimize chatter and improve the Apache Recon's contact with the snow so you initiate turns exactly where you want to especially in varied crud and broken powder. Coupled with K2's Mod Technology the Recon is amazingly smooth and easy to control despite being an advanced-skier design. Mod Technology is a secondary elastomeric core that's independent of the wood core that dampens vibrations without taking anything away from the overall ski flex. That's why K2 compares Mod Technology to shock absorbers in an off-road car--Mod Technology keeps the Recon lively without the same unforgiving qualities that sometimes deter new expert skiers from becoming "experienced" expert skiers. This season K2 integrated the Recon 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.