2022 Kastle FX 96 W

For ladies looking to do a little bit of everything, the Kastle FX 96 W is here for your all-mountain needs. Structurally unchanged for 2022, the FX 96 W does get a graphics re-fresh, but it’s still the same high-performance and versatile all-mountain ski that lots of ladies loved last year. Built with a blend of poplar and paulownia in the middle spine of the ski and poplar and beech along the edges, these skis are stable and energetic at the same time, and that’s a combination that we love to see in an all-mountain setup. The central part of the ski is wrapped in fiberglass, so that middle portion gets a 360-degree sock of fiberglass to really add to the snap and energy of the ski. This makes it one of the more energetic and playful skis in this section. We talk a lot about the mid-90's underfoot skis and the fact that they’re very much like a one-ski quiver that you do not have to think too hard about when you get on them. More flexible in the shovel than in the tail, these skis are able to float and smear through a wide variety of conditions and terrain, while the tail and underfoot portions of the ski have a whole lot to offer in terms of edge grip and high-performance.

Nifer Hoehn was on the 164, and she found it to be a bit short, but that didn’t stop quite a few high scores from breaching her scorecard. 5’s out of 5 were given for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, with a 4 close behind for overall impression. All other scores were 3’s showing a well-rounded nature to the FX 96 W. “These were nice feeling—solid underfoot and through the tip. Not playful—not as much pep coming out of the turn, but solid and came around nicely. These are a workhorse and I liked it and enjoyed skiing it. Nice edge hold and I had a lot of confidence throughout the turn.” That confidence is a big thing in skis these days, as it allows skiers to tackle more terrain and conditions than they normally would.

Catherine Ferguson thought the 164 was a good length for her, and she gave 4’s out of 5 for stability, quickness, maneuverability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and overall impression. She notes that “this ski was great to put on edge. Very fun and fast on the groomers especially. As things are getting scraped off the hill, this ski made it unnoticeable. The responsiveness was great overall and I found it easy to transition my turns. I’m not sure how versatile it would be in different conditions, but the shape and size make me think it’ll do just fine. I would definitely recommend to a female skier looking to rip it up on the groomers.” Ariel Aidala noted about her 164 that while the “tip was floppy at high speeds, these skis can rip! The edge hold was really great and I felt in great control of them. The amount of tip chatter was a bit unnerving, but it didn’t take away from my overall experience on this ski.” Accordingly, she scored it a 4.5 out of 5 for overall impression, with made-up scores of 6 out of 5 for flotation, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. We’ll make sure to add extra score columns for Ariel for next year.

In the world of all-mountain versatile skis with a high-end feel and top performance ceiling, you could theoretically begin and end the list with the Kastle FX 96 W. These skis are great for advanced and expert lady skiers who are looking to do it all, and they have the ability to be a lot of different things for a lot of different skiers, and we’re all about that here at SkiEssentials.com.