The new Kästle FX106 HP is an unabashed powder ski. It’s built to float and drift on a lightweight chassis that does without the two Titanal laminates that characterized the BMX105 HP that preceded it. Nearly 50cm of its running surface is rockered (320mm in the front, 160cm in the rear), allowing the BMX105 HP to swivel in lieu of carving. Its relatively shallow sidecut increases its total surface area for maximum buoyancy. Its maneuverability comes more from its lower swingweight and ease at pivoting, rather than the influence of its shape.

All of which underscores the lightweight FX106 HP’s heavy bias towards ripping up freshies. When it’s back on groomers, it tends to run for the barn, as if impatient to get back to the powder that’s its preferred domain.