High speed is the best part of the 2019 Kastle MX 99. The typical term used for a wide carving ski like this is “race ski on steroids,” but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It offers an alternative to other big carvers like the Volkl Mantra or Blizzard Bonafide but those other skis are more freeride oriented. The MX 99 is a trail ski first and foremost, that just happens to be wide enough to handle some fresh snow and certainly some chop. An all-new ski for this year, the Kastle MX 99 has a lot of camber and a flat tail with no taper or splay. The tail is what gives this ski its power, and there aren’t a whole lot of skiers out there that would require more performance out of a ski than this one provides. Our testers are huge fans of how the skis perform when pushed at high speeds.
Caroline Kessler skied the 176 and found that it skied true to size. She scored the skis 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. Her description of the skis start with one underlined word: “Fast.” She continues on to say that “this ski likes to absolutely rip. They’re very stiff and not forgiving in the crud and bumps. They’re awesome for a front side ripper who likes to go fast on groomers.” Caroline obviously likes the on-trail performance more than off-trail, and that’s great! She concluded her review with another underlined phrase: “Absolutely rips.”
Also skiing the 176, Steve Sulin mirrored Caroline’s scores of 5 out of 5 for stability torsional stiffness, and edge hold. Steve one-upped her though by giving a perfect score for overall impression as well. Even though Steve normally skis on longer lengths, he still found the 176 cm MX 99 to feel longer than expected. He remarks: “These skis love speed and big turns even though I’m on a 176. Hold on tight, this ski is full-throttle.” Another tester, and another great take on just how strong these skis are at speed.
Another tester, Ryan Daniel, found the 176 to ski long. He scored all 5’s except for forgiveness and versatility, which is not a shock. Ryan’s an accomplished on-trail skier, so it’s nice to get his opinion on the performance ability of the MX 99. “I skied the ski in corn conditions and she trenched. It’s amazing how hard you could stand on it, even at the shorter length. This ski loved carving turns and smearing in the woods.” Great analysis from Ryan, and this is the first tester we’ve had compliment the ski on its tree-skiing performance.
Matt McGinnis had some really perceptive input about the performance level of the MX 99. He is another tester who scored 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. He comments that as a result of the MX 99’s long cambered profile, “its strengths are quite strong. The MX 99 absolutely shines in space and at speed. Its camber-heavy profile results in a serious amount of edge hold, creating a ride that’s most enjoyable for those who appreciate a ‘set it and forget it’ approach to carving. One thing I did notice is that the ski performed significantly better at high speeds. Essentially, the faster you go, the better they are.” Haven’t we heard that already in this review?
Apparently all you have to do is get on the MX 99 and go really fast and you’ll carve amazing turns. While it may not be just that easy, it does sound like our testers were blown away with the performance and capabilities of the Kastle MX 99.
