2023 Kastle FX86 Ti

The 2023 Kastle FX86 Ti is a fantastic all-mountain ski that has endless versatility and surprising edge grip and carving control. Thanks to Kastle’s ability to build an awesome all-mountain ski, you’re getting the best of all worlds when it comes to versatility. Kastle starts the ski out with a blend of poplar and beech stringers in the inner portion of the ski and poplar/paulownia in the outer portions. This mixing of woods provides stable and smooth central chords with more manageable and playful edge feel. They then add two sheets of .5-mm titanal to the top and bottom as well as dual fiberglass layers for energy and pop. We get Hollowtech 3.0 to dampen vibrations and lighten swing weight, and it works well with this ski for sure. Tip and tail rocker complete the profile, making the ski floatier and driftier while the build keeps it firmly and squarely rooted to the snow. In the 177, we’re seeing a weight of 1725 grams per ski, and that’s pretty light for something with dual-metal. In addition, that same size generates a 15.6-meter turn radius, so these things prefer to turn and be on edge for sure.

Connor Gorham skied the 177, noting it was both a good fit for him as well as skiing true to size. He scored it top marks of 5 out of 5 for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. He bookended that with a low score of 1 out of 5 for playfulness, a 2 for forgiveness, and 3’s for flotation, quickness, maneuverability, and versatility. His 4 for overall impression is a nice way to conclude the scoring, showing that for the most part, Connor is a fan of this ski. “Pushing crusty corduroy was easy with these red rockets. Felt comfortable to open them up on the highway as they hug the glaze functionally. Hot morning laps are this skis cup of tea!” It’s interesting to see Connor’s spread of scores here, especially given the all-mountain nature of the ski, but that’s the fun part of having a test like this and a multitude of testers.

Also on the 177, Dana Allen found that it skied longer than its length and radius. While the stated arc is 15.6, Dana thought it “felt more like an 18 or 19 at least.” He gave the ski top marks of 5 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. 4’s for overall impression, stability, and flotation were not far behind. Skied very well side to side in both long and short radius turns. Definitely not a playful skier. Very directional. Overall, a very good front side carving ski. One strange thing – the hollow tips are very loud in certain snow conditions and it’s a bit distracting. They do chatter slightly, but didn’t affect turn initiation or edge hold.” We’ve often wondered what a ski like this would be like without the Hollowtech, but that’s a discussion for another day.

If you’re looking for a strong front side ski with an all-mountain personality, the Kastle FX86 Ti is a fantastic choice. There’s a lot of sophistication and technology used here in this ski, and it makes a lot of sense when you click in and make your first turns. Intermediate all the way through expert skiers who value strong edge grip and a wider shape will love the FX86 Ti.