One way to make a fundamentally strong construction more docile is to rocker it, which reduces the amount of ski that operates on hardpack conditions. Because the ski tip and tail bend away from the snow surface, for there to be ski/snow contact in these areas the snow must rise up to meet them. This makes a ski like the Kästle FX85 HP feel more at home in a patch of day-old crud than it does on an acre of crystal carpet.

Kästle’s Dual Rise baseline allows the skier to swivel sideways at any time without penalty. This maneuver is most frequently invoked when a crisis arises off-piste, as when the skier is tracking like a laser towards a tree trunk. But a sudden twist of the feet is just as accessible on trail, which allows skilled skiers to blend carving and drifting at will and less talented skier to mask their weak suits.

In light of the FX85 HP’s relatively loose connection to groomed snow and its generous nature to those who don’t drive a ski with the strength of a lumberjack, I have overruled my esteemed panel by assigning it to the Friendly Fraternity (where it reigns), rather than numbly obeying the numbers and adding it to the long list of Power skis in this genre.

All skis benefit from being perceived as easy to ski, regardless of category. But an open-arms approach to those lower on the skills ladder who want to experiment with off-trail skiing is particularly important in the All-Mountain East genre. This is the step-up ski, the I-haven’t-skied-in-10-years ski, the finally-I-get-to-treat-myself-to-a-new-ski ski.

As Stephanie Humes of Jans notes in staccato shorthand: “Wide user audience. Smear it. Carve it. Bumps. Groomers. It will do it all.”

For its easy-peasy steering properties with a penchant for off-trail adventure, we bestow on the FX85 HP a Silver Skier Selection.