Kästle has completely redesigned their all-terrain FX series this season, eliminating any perceived overlap with their MX or BMX collections.  It only takes one run on the new FX95 to realize it’s not even closely related to the MX 98 that also appears in this genre.  (You’ll find it at the top of our Power Picks.)

Nor does it ski much like the FX94 that preceded it or its stouter twin, the FX 95 HP, mainly because both of these skis sport two sheets of Titanal under the hood.  Without metal to settle it down at the high end of the recreational speed range, the FX95 loses points for the tenacity of its edge grip but it gains ground in the ease-of-use department for it takes less effort to bend it at the speeds most skiers travel.

Skiers more interested in cruising than charging will find the FX95 is geared for their world.  Even with a 20m radius sidecut it’s softer flex allows it to cut a shorter radius turn without protest.  Unlike Kästle’s narrower models, the FX95 is more predisposed to scrub a turn than carve it, which raises the ski’s off-piste potential while sapping its strength on hard, firm snow.

Which is exactly what one should anticipate from a ski that’s rockered at tip and tail, has relatively little camber underfoot and also tapers the extremities so they have no hope of suddenly hooking up at the top or bottom of a turn.  When one tallies all the design features meant to make the FX95 swim like Michael Phelps, it’s amazing it feels as connected as it does on groomers.