There’s stability, then there’s MX89 stability. Nothing fazes it. Send it through crud and it bashes every sodden clump of set-up snow out of its way. Toss it on ice and it acts right at home, begging its pilot to tip it further on edge and trust it to hold a honking arc. If it has a speed limit, chances are you’ll never find it.
The MX89 exceeds expectations because it flies in the face of current fashion. It is not worried about its weight. Its camber line runs uninterrupted from shovel to tail, as does its sidecut. Its core is made from silver fir and beech, not cork, Koroyd or Paulownia. The top and bottom sheets of Titanal are a stout .5mm thick and paired with sheets of 0o/90o fiberglass weave. Aside from its shock-damping Hollowtech tip, its construction couldn’t be more traditional and its merits couldn’t be more evident once you put it all in motion.
Unlike most skis in the All-Mountain East corral, the MX89 is an extension of a Frontside family rather than a descendant of a Big Mountain design. This explains its exceptional scores for technical merit; it topped the AME category for quickness to the edge, carving accuracy, turn finish and stability at speed. All this hard snow proficiency comes at a price: the MX89 does not float and while it will drift on command, this isn’t its wheelhouse.
This isn’t to say the MX89 is poor in powder; it just treats it differently than most skis in the genre. Rather than attempt to rise above it with a tapered, turned-up tip and a washy tail, the MX89 burrows down to the bottom and blasts its way through thick and thin. If you love the sensation of face shots, the MX89 knows how to mine for them.
Among the cascade of praise for the MX89 comes from a tester for the Boot Doctors in Taos who writes, “A classic, clean looking ski with incredible edge grip and very smooth. A very dependable ski, it skis easier than you think, a pleasant surprise. This ski gives you nice feedback.” Echoes another Taos Boot Doctor, “Quick. Lively and oh, so smooth, it instills confidence at any speed.”
My favorite comment from three years of testing the MX89 comes from Lauren Takayesu of Footloose, who surrendered completely to its charms. All she wrote on her card was, “TAKE MY MONEY.”
