When Kästle overhauled the FX line this year, they took pains to differentiate it from their MX models.  The new FX85 doesn’t ski anything like any MX model you may have ever essayed.  The FX85 is built more for comfort than for speed.  Compared to the MX 88 or its new big brother, the FX85 HP, the tenacity of its edge grip is more relaxed in every phase of the turn.

What the FX85 surrenders in power it makes up for in ease of operation.  While its identical test scores for Power and Finesse would indicate that the FX85 offers the “perfect blend of balance/finesse!” as one tester exulted, in fact, its metal-free construction is clearly geared for lower speeds and lighter pressure.

One of the hallmark properties of an All-Mountain East ski is that it should encourage off-piste exploration.  The FX85 follows rumpled terrain without bucking and its “hook-free” tail allows for “easy release in the bumps,” according to Bob Gleason of The Boot Doctors, who skis in Telluride where bumps are ubiquitous.

While an MSRP of $849 wouldn’t raise an eyebrow at another brand, at Kästle it amounts to a fire sale. (Note the $1,299 MSRP on the MX 88.)  The relatively low price corresponds to a skier of less-than-perfect skills.  As one perspicacious tester opined, “a good ski for the Type II skier transitioning to Type III – it will teach them to ski well.”