by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The only problem with Kästle’s MX series of Frontside-focused models is it’s proven to be a tough act to follow. Kästle’s initial foil to the MX’s preeminent position in the line was the Chris Davenport signature fleet of FX models, built with the same, premium components as the MX’s, but with a double-rockered baseline and a tapered tip and tail, both essential features of any off-trail collection. In a word, they ripped.
The original FX clan was ultimately deemed to be too similar to MX, so it was retired in favor of a FX family that was massively rockered and available both with and without metal. Their only drawback was the new FX’s didn’t ski nearly as well as the old ones, so the search continued for an off-trail alternative to MX. The final version of FX didn’t fare much better, despite an expensive construction that still couldn’t hold a candle to the MX’s mastery of its domain.
So, bid a fond farewell to FX and say hello to Paragon, a definite step in the right direction. If the new Paragons bear a striking resemblance to the returning ZX clan, it’s because they borrow the ZX molds, but swap out the wood core and add two sheets of Titanal. The Paragon core is one of the few that uses three woods – poplar, beech and Paulownia – to create just the right snow feel for a wide ski.
Considering that it’s made to ski in chopped-up, off-trail conditions, the Paragon 101 handles hard snow surfaces with the stability and response you’d expect from a wood-and-metal laminate. Its rockered and tapered tip isn’t going to initiate as early as a Frontside carver, but wherever the edge meets the snow, the grip is secure and unwavering. The Hollowtech 2.0 housed in the shovel lacks the shock-damping power of the Hollowtech Evo on the MX’s, but the Paragon’s amply rockered forebody doesn’t collide with the snow surface at the same angle as, say, the fully cambered MX84’s. For the terrain it’s meant to plunder, the Paragon 101 has all the damping power it needs.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
As was the case with its men’s counterpart – the Mantra 102 – last year, the latest bundle of modifications to the Secret 102 has infused it with a complete personality transplant. As succinctly summarized by former US Ski Team member Edie Thys Morgan in her review of the 2023 Secret 102, “This is not the ski for the faint of heart or of flex.” The 2025 Secret 102 has shed its hell-bent ways. It no longer seeks to subdue whatever gets in its way, instead responding to its pilot’s subtle suggestions with grace and poise.
What happened to turn a barely tamed bronco into a well-trained show pony? Two factors did most of the heavy lifting, Tailored Titanal Frame and Tailored Carbon Tips. In the original Secret 102, the forward section of the 3-piece Titanal Frame was a one-size-fits-all affair; as of the 2024 iteration, each size received its own part. This is of particular importance in the smaller sizes women prefer. Every aspect of the Secret 102 is size-specific, so shorter skis aren’t saddled with over-sized components.
Part of the reason that the double-rockered Secret 102 rips groomers like a fully cambered ski is the manner in which Völkl applies an extra dose of carbon to the shovel. Most carbon that goes into skis are either thin stringers or weaves in a pre-set orientation. To get exactly the pattern they wanted, Volkl engineers created hundreds of prototypes, stitching carbon thread into a fleece matrix to arrive at just the right dosage to keep the tip quiet.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The first edition of the Santa Ana 110 swapped the Enforcer 110’s poplar/beech core for balsa, but otherwise faithfully replicated its unisex structure, including two full sheets of .4mm Titanal. That’s a lot of ski, too much for most women hoping to make powder skiing easier, not more demanding. Three years ago, Nordica found the solution, Terrain Specific Metal: the wider the ski, the more metal is cut out of its forebody. The widest model in the 2025 Santa Ana series is now the Santa Ana 102, an acknowledgement that the best women skiers don’t need skis the width of a barge to float their petite frames in deep powder.
Opening up the Santa Ana 102’s performance envelope is largely attributable to a new Pulse core that bisects its vertically laminated wood core and inserts an elastomer laminate in the middle. Splitting the core makes it easier for a lightweight skier to bend it, and the shock-sucking center smoothes out the ride from tip to tail. The top Ti laminate of Terrain Specific Metal provides more than enough bite for hard snow, and keeps the ski calm underfoot on choppy traverses and tracked-up run-outs.
All powder skiing entails some foot steering, which is lots easier when there’s less mass to toss around, so the trimmer shape of the new Santa Ana 102 helps make it more maneuverable.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Blizzard’s Sheeva 10 optimizes the best qualities of Blizzard’s latest freeride technology, FluxForm. Fluxform deploys Titanal in a different fashion than was last used in these models’ 2023 iterations. Instead of a single, truncated top sheet of Ti, FluxForm concentrates its Ti laminates directly over the edges, in strips that run nearly tip to tail. In the center of the Sheeva 10, roughly where the Ti plate used to be, is a women’s-specific platform that helps distribute force evenly underfoot without the heft of metal.
This redeployment of Titanal is the major reason the Sheeva 10 feels more stable from end to end, but it isn’t the only reason it feels at once smoother and more powerful. The other major contributor to the Sheeva 10’s stellar handling is the switch to Blizzard’s carefully crafted TrueBlend core. TrueBlend combines slender tendrils of dense beech interspersed with lightweight poplar and Paulownia in a precise pattern that is adjusted for every size. Note that the Sheeva 10 offers six different sizes on 6mm splits, so women can dial in exactly the right length, which is key for maneuverability in off-trail conditions.
While the Sheeva 10 is a powerful ski compared to its predecessor, it’s still simplicity itself to steer. Using Paulownia in the extremities and trimming the Titanal strips down at the ends lowers swingweight, making it easier to swivel, an essential trait in deep snow.
