2022 Kastle MX98

Few conditions are as intimidating as bone-flat light, where all terrain features disappear in a miasma of misty grey. Not that this is anyone’s idea of Nirvana, but it happens, and when it does it would be good to be on the MX98. It exudes confidence, a blessing when the pilot has little of his own. Like the Bonafide 97 and the Mantra M6, the MX98 doesn’t care where you aim it. Its tendency is to stay pinned to the planet, rolling over whatever is presented in its path. While one wouldn’t call it agile, neither is it nervous or indecisive. Whether flat or on edge, it’s a ski you can trust, which is of paramount importance when you can’t see squat. Sad to say, the most likely condition an all-terrain ski will encounter is also the most mundane: groomers. If you own an MX98, you’ll actually look forward to a morning of corduroy, for groomers are to the MX98 what the briar patch was to Brer Rabbit: its natural element. Rolling it edge to edge, twin-track style, you’d never guess you were on a 98mm-waisted ski. The ski simply doesn’t call attention to itself in any unpleasant way: no loose tip, no sense of sluggish girth, no soft tail to spin out. If you know how to fire out of a turn, the MX98 gives you a tail you can stomp on.