2026 Kastle Paragon 93

By sharing a footprint with the fun-loving ZX 92, the 2026 Kastle Paragon 93 provides more poise and power. We feel that most higher performance skiers and certainly those who are more aggressive will find more to like here with Paragon than with ZX. One of the nice aspects of the ski is that since it shares a mold with the ZX 92, the good people at Kastle pass the savings along to you. These are not expensive in the same vein as the MX line, and while they’re still upper end due to the engineering in the build, at least they’re not THE most expensive skis out there. They have an uncommonly good blend of power and creativity.

Kastle does not shy away from quality construction. With the new InfiniCore technology, the designers at Kastle put the proper influence in the right spots. With Paragon 93, they use dense beech stringers in the central portion with lighter and more peppy poplar and paulownia on the outsides. Kastle also puts in two full layers of metal, both stopping just before the tip’s upward sweep. Normal Hollowtech 2.0 applies here to stem the vibrations and chatter through the forebody of the ski. By reducing mass, they reduce vibes and increase stability. By using thin laminates of wood, the engineers keep the weight manageable, with the 184 cm length sitting on the scale at a stated 1912 grams per ski. For something like this with multiple metal laminates to come in at under 2kg in the 184, that’s impressive. Grant Weiler calls it “Super fun, the two sheets of metal means it’s quite beefy, but the more energy you give it the more it gives you back. I didn’t find the speed limit on these; I found them to be super fun to ski bouncing in and around and over moguls and then charging through the soft snow. I could see myself skiing this as a daily driver.”

Paragon’s shape and profile are decidedly more freeride-oriented. We’ve been fans of the ZX shaping since inception, so when we pieced it together that the Paragon was sharing shapes, we got excited. Even though they’re named slightly different numbers, we could not tell a discernable difference between the ZX 92 and the Paragon 93 except for maybe a slight increase in tail rocker of the Paragon. Iin the 184, we get an 18.2-meter turn radius which allows the skier to dictate shape and style with greater ease than a shorter arc. Like the ZX, there’s a good amount of tip taper and rocker while the tail stays a bit more traditional in style. This emphasizes the floaty part of the ski while allowing it to complete turns with pep and zest—one of the things we like most about ZX. Greg Morrill says it works best on “All-mountain. Definitely holds well on hardpack, but the tips float so they handled the piles of spring snow easily. Easy to turn and smooth in mixed conditions. Handled the bumps okay but not be their forte.”

The 2026 Kastle Paragon 93 is a wonderful example of a premium all-mountain/freeride ski. This is best when used as an advanced or expert skier, but it’s not unreasonable for a progressing intermediate to find happiness here. It’s not too heavy, nor too stiff, so there’s some accessibility. That said, for experts and aggressive skiers, this thing will hold up to very rigorous and spirited skiing. Not many skis out there have this blend of attributes to go along with a 93 mm waist.