K2 Snowboarding History

In 1987, the first cap construction boards were introduced to the market by K2 along with the production of their first snowboard - the Gyrator. By the 1992/93 season, K2 Snowboarding was pushing freestyle, and all boards were made with torsion box construction. This was K2's first season in the strap boot and binding market.

The first wide board for big footers was introduced - the FATBOB, aka, the"Original Fatty," - during the 1995/96 season. K2 Snowboarding also debuted the first step-in binding - the Clicker Step-In System. The Luna, K2's women's specific board was introduced two years later, and still remains one of the best selling boards on the market.

In 2000, K2 rented out Mt. Baker for three days for the first annual Festival; over 300 dealers from all over the world came to camp out, snowboard, and party with the K2 Snowboarding staff. K2 developed Hybritech Construction in 2001; boards built with cap tip and tail, Sidewall throughout the rest of the board. Riser technology and the variable height theory, found in the Recon Riser, is their latest innovation. BOA technology cable closure system was integrated into the women's Venus snowboard boot, simplifying boot exit and entry.
Cinch Technology, an innovative binding design, was brought to the market during the 2004/05 season. The same year K2 extended their commitment to women by donating one percent of net sales to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Between the years of 1987 - 2009, K2 has focused on the progression of Snowboarding through their technology, team, and the basic love of shredding.