Some follow up after owning these for a couple seasons. They are truly a great all mountain ski. I have hit deep powder over 2ft, long moguls runs, and icy groomers at over 60mph, and much more. It does very well on every surface. The only thing I would not recommend them for is tight trees or very technical chutes with high consequence lines. The tails hold a little more than other skis making ultra tight turns a little more difficult. You cannot ski these in the backseat or they become very hard to turn. Stay up in front and they are very good and light easily getting long chain of moguls without a problem for their width. A good touring option as well. You can also buy these still for a very good value now.
Bob, debating between this in the 181 and the new '21 bonafide in the 183. Looking for versatility, can you compare the 2? Have a 177 volkl deacon 84 for firm days and the legend 106 in a 182 for snow days. Wanted something for those in between storm events, turn variety, yet stable in crud/speed. Thanks!!
The FX definitely feels lighter, and I think it feels more forgiving as well. The Bonafide, however, is more stable at speed, stiffer throughout, and more powerful. If you're looking for a variety of turn shapes, I think the FX may be the better option, as I do think it's easier to manipulate its turn shape and it's still relatively stable in crud and at speed, but if you want to maximize stability and are willing to work a little harder, get the Bonafide.
I had these skis.. I traded them for Enforcer 104 Free.. These skis were way too reactive for me.. There was a speed limit with these skis only because they would bounce around all over the place.. Like taking a Vette on a rough road.. I also noticed that they were grabby.. Different than catchy.. It was more like when I would go over grabby snow I would go head over heals.. To me confidence is a big thing.. I had no confidence with these skis.. I have too much confidence in my Enforcer 104 Free.. What I mean by that is that my Enforcer 104 Free will go through anything but I won't.. I need to be able to get physically fit enough for the ski.. That and rock hard corduroy isn't the best for that ski.. I have better skis for that..
Lots of good options! Resort skiing? Attack 13, Griffon 13, STH 13... or you could go Pivot 14. Of course, if you need a higher DIN range, there are stronger versions of all those bindings. If you're going to be doing some touring as well, I'd consider either the Shift or Duke PT.
Just replied to your other question as well. The FX96 feels more precise because of its shape. I think the Ranger 92 takes that even a step further, at least arguably, as the narrower width and stiffer tail give it a very responsive feel. Ripsticks have a lot more rocker than both of those skis, most notably in the tail.
@@SkiEssentials thanks guys. Haven't had a chance to demo any of the ski's on my short list but that Fischer 92ti might hit all the check marks for me. Love my MX88's for nearly everything but after 10 years on multiple pairs I want to try a similar ski with a little rocker-camber-rocker profile in the 90-96mm range.
You give me all the tax facts but not how it really skis. I wanna know how it carves, how it holds an edge how it works in crud and what the feels. I know these are great skis I just need to know how it actually skis.
HI Tosh! We found the carving to be exemplary, but more specifically from the mid-body through the tail. The shovel is on the more flexible side, so it's not the most precise in turn entry, but from mid-foot back, the ski rips. For lighter skiers, this won't make much of a difference in crud, but for me, at 225 pounds, I can drive past the tip when the snow gets chunky. That said, I really like it in the bumps and trees as it's super-easy to press the shovel into the bumps and you get good support from the tail. SE
That pronunciation of Kastle cannot be unheard. Yet, I will probably never pronounce it like that in the future. The ignorance is strong with this one [me].
Excellent rundown. Thanks for this. Looking to move up from my old Davenport FX95’s. Fantastic ski and this 96 looks like its successor for me.
This has to be one of your best reviews. What the ski can do and why! Lovely ski too!
Some follow up after owning these for a couple seasons. They are truly a great all mountain ski. I have hit deep powder over 2ft, long moguls runs, and icy groomers at over 60mph, and much more. It does very well on every surface. The only thing I would not recommend them for is tight trees or very technical chutes with high consequence lines. The tails hold a little more than other skis making ultra tight turns a little more difficult. You cannot ski these in the backseat or they become very hard to turn. Stay up in front and they are very good and light easily getting long chain of moguls without a problem for their width. A good touring option as well. You can also buy these still for a very good value now.
Thanks for sharing that great feedback!
demo-ed the 106's from the same year and have the 95hp from 2019. The backseat is the only enemy of any fx hp kastle.
Bob, debating between this in the 181 and the new '21 bonafide in the 183. Looking for versatility, can you compare the 2? Have a 177 volkl deacon 84 for firm days and the legend 106 in a 182 for snow days. Wanted something for those in between storm events, turn variety, yet stable in crud/speed. Thanks!!
The FX definitely feels lighter, and I think it feels more forgiving as well. The Bonafide, however, is more stable at speed, stiffer throughout, and more powerful. If you're looking for a variety of turn shapes, I think the FX may be the better option, as I do think it's easier to manipulate its turn shape and it's still relatively stable in crud and at speed, but if you want to maximize stability and are willing to work a little harder, get the Bonafide.
I had these skis.. I traded them for Enforcer 104 Free.. These skis were way too reactive for me.. There was a speed limit with these skis only because they would bounce around all over the place.. Like taking a Vette on a rough road.. I also noticed that they were grabby.. Different than catchy.. It was more like when I would go over grabby snow I would go head over heals.. To me confidence is a big thing.. I had no confidence with these skis.. I have too much confidence in my Enforcer 104 Free.. What I mean by that is that my Enforcer 104 Free will go through anything but I won't.. I need to be able to get physically fit enough for the ski.. That and rock hard corduroy isn't the best for that ski.. I have better skis for that..
Any 2021 binding recommendation to mount on the fx96?
Lots of good options! Resort skiing? Attack 13, Griffon 13, STH 13... or you could go Pivot 14. Of course, if you need a higher DIN range, there are stronger versions of all those bindings. If you're going to be doing some touring as well, I'd consider either the Shift or Duke PT.
How do these compare to the Ripstick 96 and a Fischer 92ti?
Just replied to your other question as well. The FX96 feels more precise because of its shape. I think the Ranger 92 takes that even a step further, at least arguably, as the narrower width and stiffer tail give it a very responsive feel. Ripsticks have a lot more rocker than both of those skis, most notably in the tail.
@@SkiEssentials thanks guys. Haven't had a chance to demo any of the ski's on my short list but that Fischer 92ti might hit all the check marks for me. Love my MX88's for nearly everything but after 10 years on multiple pairs I want to try a similar ski with a little rocker-camber-rocker profile in the 90-96mm range.
You give me all the tax facts but not how it really skis. I wanna know how it carves, how it holds an edge how it works in crud and what the feels. I know these are great skis I just need to know how it actually skis.
HI Tosh!
We found the carving to be exemplary, but more specifically from the mid-body through the tail. The shovel is on the more flexible side, so it's not the most precise in turn entry, but from mid-foot back, the ski rips. For lighter skiers, this won't make much of a difference in crud, but for me, at 225 pounds, I can drive past the tip when the snow gets chunky. That said, I really like it in the bumps and trees as it's super-easy to press the shovel into the bumps and you get good support from the tail.
SE
That pronunciation of Kastle cannot be unheard. Yet, I will probably never pronounce it like that in the future. The ignorance is strong with this one [me].
"Kes-leh," in German, I think, more or less.
Take it up with your "financial planner"? Lol