K2 Inline Skates

K2 Skates is an inline skating division of winter sports and outdoor powerhouse, K2. Americans have never hesitated from forging their own path and have shaken up the industry when they have entered the market back in 1993. K2 is the company that invented the softboot concept, a lightweight, breathable and comfortable boot design attached to and supported by relatively minimalist outer skeleton. The fact that, 30 years later, all major skate manufacturers make their recreational and fitness skates using the same template, speaks for itself. K2 did something right here.

The brand’s relationship with skating in general is dynamic. There were periods when they have invested heavily in aggressive inline skating and freeskating, for example, but there were also pauses when they have completely ignored these audiences. They also have been making interesting speedskates once, but nowadays focus on long-distance “marathon” style models with higher cuffs.

The core offering of the company remains unchanged, though: they are, and always have been, lightweight and comfy rec and fitness skates. When you put K2 Skates on, they feel like a good pair of running shoes. This is what makes them so popular among fitness-oriented and casual audiences who skate purely for fun. It doesn’t mean that by choosing K2 Skates we sacrifice quality – the company still goes head to head with other industry’s giants in that area.