2025 Kastle Paragon - New Collection Overview

For 2025, Kastle makes another leap in the high-performance all-mountain division with the introduction of the Paragon series. These three new skis, the 93, 101, and 107, replace the outgoing FX line, ushering in a new level of stability, versatility, and precision. While Kastle has earned a well-deserved reputation for quality and clarity in their skis, it has also been associated with costliness. The Paragon skis are not overboard in this regard—they will keep it within a competitive threshold, with a Minimum Advertised Price of $849 across all three models. So far, we have been more than impressed with these new skis as they borrow shaping principles from the current ZX freeride line with build characteristics from the FX skis that they are replacing.

Built with Kastle’s new InfiniCore, the Paragon skis get the latest and greatest when it comes to Kastle’s wood core construction tactics. We’ve always noted that Kastle does a better job than most when it comes to using thinner stringers of wood in vertical manners. This continues into 2025 with a few twists. For Paragon, Kastle uses wider poplar and paulownia stringers on the outer portions of the ski to increase mobility and versatility, keeping the weight down and the energy up. Through the middle chord of the ski, narrower stringers of beech and poplar do the bulk of the heavy lifting in terms of stability, edge grip, and power transfer. These stringers are basically placed under the mount width of the ski, so every bit of energy from your boot gets distributed through the denser wood portion of the core. This is a very sophisticated wood core, and it follows Kastle’s tradition of using multi-layering to achieve the desired effect. Paragon also gets two full sheets of titanal, although they do end just before the Hollowtech tips. The graphic of the ski illustrates where this takes place. The new MX skis feature Hollowtech Evo, putting more emphasis on the entry phase of the turn while the Paragon series sticks with Hollowtech 2.0. This tip construction works great at reducing mass in the end of the ski, and therefore chatter. The build of these skis results in weights hovering around 2,000 grams, so neither particularly heavy nor especially light.

From a shaping perspective, these Paragon skis are built with the same mold as the ZX series , and we find that to be curiously interesting. Ever since ZX showed its freeride-oriented shape a few years back, we’ve loved the long shovel rocker and directional tail. Those skis serve their purpose quite well, but for more aggressive skiers looking for stability and power, they could feel a bit light and jittery. Basically, it appears that they took a new FX-oriented build and stuffed it into a ZX body, and it actually works great. While the numbers may look to be slightly different on paper, with ZX’s 92, 100, and 108 giving one mm to the Paragon in width, when we put them together, it’s basically impossible to tell a difference. There’s a slight bit more tail rocker in the Paragon line, but that’s about it. The good news here is that the shape is very amenable to various turn styles and shapes, with versatility at the forefront of the conversation. We get that long and low tip rocker for flotation, the flatter tail for directional power and responsiveness, and high teens turn radius for switching up arcs as per the skier’s preference. The taper pairs well with the tip rocker, making for smooth entries to the turn and drifty capabilities in softer snow. Overall, the pairing of the burly build with the freeride shape makes a lot of sense, and that blend certainly comes through in a positive manner when the ski hits the snow.

At a Glance:

2025 Kastle Paragon 93 Skis

As the narrowest of the Paragon line, it’s easy to pigeon-hole this ski as the most front-side oriented and the best carver. While that may be the case, do not discount this ski’s ability to mix it up off-piste. We talk a lot about the mid-90's and how that makes for a supremely versatile ski—that is true with the 93 as well. This ski is a true high-performance resort ski with strong carving and agile mobility in mind. We found this ski to be extremely well-versed in various conditions and terrain, and one of the highlights was its ability to make shorter carved turns, bordering on skids—lots of energy through the tail of the ski—and a very entertaining rebound into the next turn. Best suited for skiers of the advanced and expert levels who ski all-mountain conditions and terrain, the Paragon 93 is a high-performance no-brainer.

At a Glance:

2025 Kastle Paragon 101 Skis

It’s easy to consider the middle ski in the realm as the flagship model. You will not get many/any arguments from us. This 101 can do it all. If you’re mixing it up between on and off-trail activities, you’re going to get it all from the Paragon 101. The 182 hits the scale at 1,986 grams per ski, which is right on the money for blending stability and power in a carved turn with agility and mobility off-piste. Just like the ZX 100, the Paragon 101 is capable of floating through fresh snow, busting through crud and chop, and leaning on firm groomers in a perfectly round carved turn. This mix will keep expert skiers entertained daily. While it’s fine in the bumps and trees, it does want to let loose a bit more and hit some higher velocities.

At a Glance:

2025 Kastle Paragon 107 Skis

This ski is an absolute rocket ship. For whatever reason (likely the added mass and surface area without downgrading on build), this ski absolutely flies. It crushes crud, blows over softer snow and mank, and is 100% stable in a carved turn. With wider skis like this with metal, the directional power shines through. The fact that there’s just more material makes a lot of sense when considering the capabilities and strength. In the 184, the ski hits 2,053 grams on the scale and offers a 19.2-meter turn radius. It feels like a heavier ski with a straighter cut than that, based on the ski’s preference for longer turns and higher speeds. We’re not complaining that it steps out of its stated numbers, rather, we’re incredibly impressed that this ski has that upper end capacity. With endless stability and smoothness, this is a must-ski for any aggressive expert looking for absolute confidence in any snow condition or terrain.