Despite the fact they issue from the same factory under the same brand name and measure a mere 1mm apart in waist width, the FX85 is in many ways virtually the opposite ski from the MX84. Kästle takes pains to point how just how little of the cambered mid-section of the FX85 is in touch with the snow surface, helpfully printing how many cm’s to subtract from tail and tip to arrive at the effective running surface. If the fully cambered MX84 drives like a luxury sedan, the robustly rockered FX85 steers like a unicycle with mountain bike shocks.

In the FX85’s defense, it does have some redeeming properties. It’s light and responsive, with a little lift off a pressured edge that’s typical of all-glass skis. This dose of added energy, along with its abbreviated baseline, allows the FX85 to change direction in a nanosecond, even in choppy snow. It’s easy to slither through moguls and dart through tightly spaced trees. Fundamentally an off-trail ski, it has enough grip underfoot to make comfortable, short-radius turns on prepared slopes.

The FX85 is best suited to the skier with a so-so skill set looking for a ski that will impart the confidence to explore off-piste terrain in all its ever-changing glory.