As befits a longtime leader in women’s ski design, marketing and sales, K2 makes a slew of Frontside skis for women. The brightest star in this galaxy of models, the new Tough Luv, might be the best women’s Frontside ski K2 has made in years. An unapologetic carver from a brand best known for its off-trail collection, the Tough Luv’s new tip design quietly tucks into the top of the turn and continues on a tight trajectory with an exceptionally stout turn finish.

“Turns on a dime!” trills Paula from The Sport Loft. “Powerful, and a great carver, not great at slow speed, but why would you ever ski slowly on these?” Jolee from Footloose concurs, finding it “hard to go slow and stay slow. Very smooth and stable. A fun, fast groomer ski.” Several testers praised the Tough Luv for its stability throughout the speed range, tranquility the Tough Luv achieves without metal in its makeup. “This all carbon, no metal ski was great,” confides one of Willi’s Divas. “It’s flexible, it’s fast, and turns well. I felt a boost of confidence with this ski. You can almost tell it was built for a woman.”

The guiding principle behind K2’s women’s collection is called BIOkonic technology, a synthesis of sidecut, flex distribution and material application that maintains the appropriate proportions as the models shrink in size. In other words, shorter skis won’t be inherently stiffer, and skis in every length have a smoother, rounder flex that’s easy to engage. Lauren from Footloose calls the Tough Luv a “strong yet easy carver. Pleasantly surprised how it held at speed. Smaller over larger turn preference,” she aptly adds.

While it doesn’t figure anywhere in our scoring, quite a few testers volunteered positive impressions of the Tough Luv’s appearance, a factor that never hurts. Appearances aside, the Tough Luv is a brilliant blend of Power and Finesse attributes and a worthy recipient of a Silver Skier Selection.