The Kästle BMX115 must be a Gemini, for it seems to be inhabited by two polar opposite personalities. If you’re railing it on a surface like corn snow, it handles like a Frontside ski, albeit one without short turns on its resume. When it has a chance to settle into soft stuff, it acts like it invented slarving, a controlled drift that uses banked bases to direct trajectory.  This two-in-one character is really helpful in the trees, when it may be necessary to aim precisely and brake suddenly in the same instant.

One reason to get a Powder ski is to be happy in conditions that would otherwise be a chore. The BMX 115 treats heinous conditions like dust-on-crust with undisguised contempt. When skied in its shortest length (177cm), the BMX 115 is mellow enough for Finesse skiers who want to tap into Kästle’s fabled stability. In a 185cm, it requires a skier willing to drive it with a confident hand and in a 193cm, I hope you know what you’re doing.