2023 Kastle FX96 W

The 2023 Kastle FX96 W is an awesome all-mountain ski for intermediate through expert levels. On the light side for a ski with this much power, the FX96 W has a lot going for it, while allowing skiers the ability to access the entirety of the sidecut in order to generate a ton of edge grip, control, and energy. Built with a fiberglass-wrapped wood core, the skis have additional wood stringers that line the sides of the skis outside of the fiberglass portion. This gives the ski a tremendous amount of stability and dampness in the central chord while the edges remain largely unencumbered by this material. As a result, the skis offer a unique blend of power in the middle and playfulness on the sides. For any all-mountain ski, blending those attributes remains a top priority. We also see Kastle’s Hollowtech 3.0 tip in the ski, and by reducing mass in the shovel, we see reduced vibrations and a more stable ride while keeping the swing weight to a minimum. With two additional horizontally-placed fiberglass laminates, we’re dealing with a snappy and energetic ski here, and the fact that the wrap of the core puts the glass in a 3-dimensional format makes a huge difference in terms of stiffness and energy. While not really freeride-style rocker, the more all-mountain personality starts to shine through here. If you’re looking for one ski to do absolutely everything at a very high level and with top-shelf quality and precision to it, look no further than the Kastle FX96 W.

Alli Ruschp got to ski the longer 172, and she did note that it was on the long side for her. She nevertheless gave it pretty high scores across the board, including 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and flotation. 4’s were given for stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and versatility. All 4’s and 5’s is kind of what we expect to see out of this ski, and it’s nice to see that reality has met expectations. She calls it a “Fun and playful Kastle ski, very responsive on snow. Love the color of ski too! A little more forgiving than the MX versions. Used it in some powder and loved the feel, enough float in the soft stuff and great edge hold when I hit the ice below. Would make an excellent one ski quiver for a western lady.” For someone who doesn’t really have the need for a narrower, on-piste ski, this surely makes a lot of sense for that one-ski quiver.

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 workhorses 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.

These two skiers are right in the wheelhouse for what Kastle is looking for—strong capable testers who ski a variety of conditions and terrain on a given day. Thanks to the build quality, precision, and well-rounded shaping, there are a ton of skiers out there who fit this bill, and Kastle makes one of the best skis for this particular application for sure in the FX96 W.