2024 Kastle FX 106 Ti

[SkiTalk Test Team]

Philpug
Size tested: 184cm
Location tested: Loveland, CO
Conditions tested in: Soft groomers, 6-8” powder, crud, moguls, trees

The FX106Ti is a bit of a throwback ski. There are not too many One-Oh-Somethings that are square flat tail skis that have minimal rise. Most skis in this segment are much more off piste oriented with a lot of taper and rise to the tail, and I must say it was very refreshing to get on this bit of a throwback design.

The day of testing at Loveland was very good for this class of a ski, so good that I took it out twice, early in the day right after we got 6-8" of cold fresh snow, then later in the day after the snow got cut up. It is the latter than I will focus on because these were the condtions that a ski with the wider flair in the tail could get hung up and locked into a turn. This was not the case with the 106Ti; it was a pleasure to ski and was easily and accommodated any turn shape I asked it to make.

• Insider tip: The FX is closer to an MX than a ZX.
• One thing I would change: Try to get more dealers to stock them; the FX106Ti is not a me too ski.

Ron
Size tested: 184cm
Location tested: Loveland, CO
Conditions tested in: Soft groomers, 6-8” powder, crud, moguls, trees

The big change in the FX line was that Kastle added back the Ti to the skisa few years back. I’m actually a fan of what they did on the prior FX HP series but I digress. The 106Ti is an excellent ski, quiet, damp, and composed. It’s more of a charger now with a little more grounded, stuck-to-the-snow feel and a slightly stiffer tip. However, It was easy in the powder and I was able to make slow, tight controlled turns on Loveland’s South Chutes in 6-8” of fresh snow. In the open powder fields, the 106 acted more like a charger and I skied in tracked and untracked powder at full speed driving the ski, creating deep trenches in the snow. It was powerful and eerily smooth.

The 180 was a great length and If I had more time with the ski, I would experiment with moving the mount position forward 1 cm to see if it made the ski more playful and easier/quicker turning. Kastle is still mounting their skis pretty far back. The only place I found it was a little lacking was deep moguls where it was a little slow but still very controllable (I suspect moving the binding forward may quicken the ski). I don’t think It’s a ski I would want for skiing tight trees on a powder day but I don’t think that’s what Kastle had in mind with the 106. If you want that type of ski, I would suggest looking at the ZX line. Overall, this is an excellent ski that would be an absolute blast on open steep terrain.

• Insider tip: the 180 felt good but you might want to experiment with moving the binding forward to quicken the ski even further
• One thing I would change: I liked the added pop and fun of the FX HP.