2022 Kastle MX88

If the MX88 has a character flaw, it’s that it can’t resist the urge to show off. It’s ability to stay blasé when other skis are getting buffeted around like a teacup in a typhoon can’t be evinced unless the pilot is willing to lay on the gas. So what if it’s not great at slow, short turns? That’s no way to ski crud and it’s certainly a boring means of consuming groomers. One pays a pretty penny for a MX88; what you’re paying for is its unperturbed ride when it kicks into a gear most skis in this genre don’t possess. The trade-off for its tranquility during supersonic acceleration is the absence of any patience with low speeds, which the MX88 sees no point in indulging. It would rather implement its own advice, which can be summarized as, “how are you going to go fast if you don’t stop going slow?” If this sounds like the MX88 belongs to a club whose only members are experts, well, that’s certainly true for the 187cm length, and I’m not sure anyone less than expert ought to get a 180cm, either. But the shorter lengths are fine for any competent skier who wants the quiet ride of a luxury sedan with the steering of a sports car.