For the past few years, Kastle has been known for its high-end skis and incredible design and construction methods. This year is no different, and in the FX line, the 85 stands out as a great option for an all-mountain ski. At 85 mm underfoot, it’s on the narrow side for all-mountain, but fairly wide for a front-side ski. As such, it sits right in the middle of the two categories, and appeals to a large group of skiers who are looking for versatility and performance in the same package. The HP moniker in the title stands for “high performance” and means that the skis have two sheets of metal. With this increase in material comes increased performance, so the skier should have some good skills before clicking into these skis. Our testers found the FX 85 HP to be a damp, solid ski that carves amazing turns and has a versatile personality.
Chloe Wexler took the 165 cm length out for a few laps and loved the torsional stiffness and edge hold of the skis. She found that they excelled in longer GS style turns, and were definitely on the stiff side. With a 17 meter turn radius at 173 cm length, the FX 85 HP wants to be on edge, and Chloe’s score of 2 out of 5 for forgiveness and playfulness affirm those numbers. She calls them “rather stiff for playing in the bumps” and notes that for variable snow conditions, they are “not quite wide enough to blast through chunder.” As far as a very real strength, Chloe ends her review with two words: “frontside carver.”
David Raybould skied the 173 cm length and found it to be a bit short. As such, his score of 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability was predictable. Additionally, his score of 5 out of 5 for overall impression really stands out. He did note that he wanted to try the 181 cm ski as that’s a better fit for him. “Very versatile, great bump ski, and lots of edge grip on the groomers. Playful—easy to slide and pivot.” These all sound like really good qualities to have in an all-mountain ski.
Skiing the 181, David Wolfgang scored the FX 85 HP 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability, just like David Raybould. All other scores were 4 out of 5, including overall impression. “This ski wants to be laid on edge, then it is ready to rip. Very quick edge to edge with great rebound. A very playful toy.” This sounds awesome—we love it when testers note the fun of the ski, because in the end, that’s what it is really all about.
Mike Thomas skied the 173 and, not surprisingly, found it short. Nonetheless, he scored it 5 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, and forgiveness. He also thought it was very versatile and had a favorable overall impression. He calls it “smooth and damp feeling with a light snow feel. Handled manky snow well and felt good arcing at speed.” He continues on with his praise and targets a potential audience: “Great ski for an “off-piste” skier that needs a narrow ski, but doesn’t want a pure carver.”
Kastle doesn’t really “take aim” at certain skis as competitors, they more or less carve out their own way. But if you’re in the market for a Blizzard Brahma or a Volkl Kendo, the Kastle FX 85 HP has a lot of things going for it that you’ll find in those other skis, too. It all depends on you and how the skis feel on your feet.
