This is a small roundup of several skis in the “premium” category that I got to test over a few weeks in March at Squaw Valley. Stats: Male, 6 ft, 192 lb. Expert skier, but not a racer or elite instructor, so definitely have some technical flaws and display them every day. Daily driver: Kastle MX99 (184).
First let me get one thing off my chest: any one of these skis will run circles around anything ”mainstream” from Volkl, Blizzard, or Nordica. The reason: they are built with a combination of wood core, metal, and rubber, which enhances the ski dampness and snow feel. When you go from a regular ski to one of those you feel like the ski turned on suspension. It is as noticeable and as dramatic as I describe it. Unfortunately that construction has a well-deserved reputation of being expensive and that’s where a lot of the premium pricing comes from.
The reference ski that I own: 184 Kastle MX99. A unicorn that feels like an illegitimate ski love child between a Ford Raptor and an BMW M3. Metal, rubber, carbon fiber, and wood core in a traditional full laminate construction, heavy, tiny rocker up front and a flat powerful tail. It is a Red Bull of skis- it gives you wings. This ski hugs the snow like no other and is damp to the point of inspiring you to go too fast in the terrain you really should be skiing much slower. Despite its reputation of being a beast and a truck, it is actually fairly mellow flexing and is a bit more forgiving than its dimensions, weight and specs suggest. 21m turn radius in 184 and it skis its full length (if not longer). Heavy, not very floaty, and does not like to smear very much. Most important, MX99 is out of production now, so it is only a reference, not a competitor to the other skis in this test.
First, the 186 Stereo Piste v3 (86 under foot). Stereo if a new Norwegian brand that makes their skis in Sweden. The construction is semi cap and it has metal and rubber, so, again, it is not a surprise that the skis feel very solid and connected. What threw me off on that ski was the flex that combined a fairly stout front with a softer back. This ski still carves better than most skis in its segment, it just takes more effort to bend the ski that I would have expected. The payoff however is off piste in 2D snow. In my opinion Piste V3 feels even better off-piste than on-piste (which is a bit if a cognitive dissonance for a ski that has Piste in its name). It makes smooth GS turns over literally anything on its path, and it feels surprisingly composed even in a mellow line through bumps. Overall, an 86 mm underfoot 186 cm-long carver has no right to ski that’s well off-piste. I can easily see this ski dominating an East Coast mountain with a lot of tricky off-piste skiing in 2D snow and still ripping the groomers all day under a skilled pilot. A caveat is that with that stiffness and width, it won’t be a great power day companion. Best of all: the price of this ski is not that far off that of regular ski, so it is definitely the value king of this bunch. With some minor tweak in the flex pattern it may become a real threat to the Stocklis and Kastles of this world.
187 Augment AM98. Not surprisingly, AM means all-mountain and this exactly what Augment had in mind when they designed these boards. For those who do not know Augment, the company used to have a rather unfortunate name of Croc Skis (good thing they rebranded!), and has quite a reputation for making top-notch race-room level race skis largely by hand in a small factory in Austria. As far as quality of construction it is at least a match to the old (made-in-Austria) Kastle. It is a full wood-metal-rubber sandwich, the materials were selected without any nod to the cost, and the 4-figure price quite simply reflects that. But they do ski their 4-figure price and some. The construction is predictably damp, it shows great snow feel throughout the turn but never harsh. Getting on any regular ski after skiing the Augments is frankly, annoying. Compared to Kastle the shape and the feel is almost polar opposite. Kastle is a de-tuned race shape that turns easier than it should do, the Augment is a thoroughly modern rockered off-piste shape that is more stable and composed than it should be.
The defining features of the ski are its wide and generously tapered shovels and an equally generously upturned flat tails. The shovel shape is tricky as it gives all the benefits of the rocker, and yet does not exhibit the hesitant turn initiation that is a common affliction of tapered rockered skis. This Augment turns in with an almost slalom ski-like eagerness. Coupled with a damp ride and a decent rebound, it is a joy on a groomer. Off piste the sensation is the same, a ski that likes to turn but can easily sustain fast rides over choppy snow (that’s where the rubber inside the ski makes its mark). I also think that 19mm turn radius is a bit too small in an 187cm off-piste ski with tons of stabiility. The shovel is almost too large in a sense that sometimes it is easy to overturn the ski and if you are not careful off-piste it can feel a tiny bit hooky in some situations, unlike the Kastle, which is completely turn-shape neutral. I would gladly shave a couple of mm from the shovel and raise the turn radius to 20-21 m. I think the ski won’t be any harder too turn but would gain a bit more predictability. Overall, this is the best new shape I was on in the 98 mm all-mountain category for a while and by some margin. Compared to the Kastle MX99, it is almost as stable and a hell lot more fun in 95% of the situations. MX99 still has that extra muscle, the completely flat tail is more secure in the turn finish and provides a bigger sweet sport. Because it its straighter sidecut, the Kastle also feels more stable on a steep slope with bad snow. But it does take a lot more attention and effort to ski, so I think the Augment will be a better, more approachable, and ultimately more satisfying ski for the majority of the users.
187 Augment AM108. More of the same Augment all-mountain goodness in a wider big-mountain chassis. This is a ski that the original Blizzard Cochise always wanted to be, but never could. More stable, more predictable, and somehow easier to turn and a lot more fun. Cochise feels like a truck, Augment feels like a BMW X5: all the utility and still plain fun to drive. The same complaint about the shovel shape applies here, maybe even more; this ski would definitely benefit from a straighter sidecut up front, the tip is so big that someone who drives the skis fairly close will even occasionally bang the tips (as me how I know . It is significantly more engaging than Kastle BMF105HP and is just as stable and damp. And it feels to have more power than Stockli SR107. It is still not quite the same level of dampness than the MX99, but the width and rocker-taper makes the Augment a clearly superior 3D snow ski. Initially, I liked the AM98 more than AM108, but by the end of my date with these boards I was not so sure: the AM108 grows on you, it is so nimble and playful for a ski of its waist, and yet so secure everywhere you go. It is not cheap, but you get what you pay for and then some. Even with the MX99 in the garage, I won’t mind having my own pair of AM108. As a quiver anchor AM98 still makes the most sense, but as a big-mountain 3D snow ski AM108 is really hard to beat right now.
A few superficial comments on these new skis: Stereo Skis graphics is restrained and sharp, yet it manages to be rather unoffensive and generic. A new brand should be more visible. Even more so with Augment. A ski design can be simple and great, or simple and plain. Augment protos were just plain. A splash of color of a strategically-placed logo would help that ski to stand out. For $1,000+ you should expect more visual oomph, so I hope some changes will make it into the production run. None of this criticism changes how these ski: they ski great.
First let me get one thing off my chest: any one of these skis will run circles around anything ”mainstream” from Volkl, Blizzard, or Nordica. The reason: they are built with a combination of wood core, metal, and rubber, which enhances the ski dampness and snow feel. When you go from a regular ski to one of those you feel like the ski turned on suspension. It is as noticeable and as dramatic as I describe it. Unfortunately that construction has a well-deserved reputation of being expensive and that’s where a lot of the premium pricing comes from.
The reference ski that I own: 184 Kastle MX99. A unicorn that feels like an illegitimate ski love child between a Ford Raptor and an BMW M3. Metal, rubber, carbon fiber, and wood core in a traditional full laminate construction, heavy, tiny rocker up front and a flat powerful tail. It is a Red Bull of skis- it gives you wings. This ski hugs the snow like no other and is damp to the point of inspiring you to go too fast in the terrain you really should be skiing much slower. Despite its reputation of being a beast and a truck, it is actually fairly mellow flexing and is a bit more forgiving than its dimensions, weight and specs suggest. 21m turn radius in 184 and it skis its full length (if not longer). Heavy, not very floaty, and does not like to smear very much. Most important, MX99 is out of production now, so it is only a reference, not a competitor to the other skis in this test.
First, the 186 Stereo Piste v3 (86 under foot). Stereo if a new Norwegian brand that makes their skis in Sweden. The construction is semi cap and it has metal and rubber, so, again, it is not a surprise that the skis feel very solid and connected. What threw me off on that ski was the flex that combined a fairly stout front with a softer back. This ski still carves better than most skis in its segment, it just takes more effort to bend the ski that I would have expected. The payoff however is off piste in 2D snow. In my opinion Piste V3 feels even better off-piste than on-piste (which is a bit if a cognitive dissonance for a ski that has Piste in its name). It makes smooth GS turns over literally anything on its path, and it feels surprisingly composed even in a mellow line through bumps. Overall, an 86 mm underfoot 186 cm-long carver has no right to ski that’s well off-piste. I can easily see this ski dominating an East Coast mountain with a lot of tricky off-piste skiing in 2D snow and still ripping the groomers all day under a skilled pilot. A caveat is that with that stiffness and width, it won’t be a great power day companion. Best of all: the price of this ski is not that far off that of regular ski, so it is definitely the value king of this bunch. With some minor tweak in the flex pattern it may become a real threat to the Stocklis and Kastles of this world.
187 Augment AM98. Not surprisingly, AM means all-mountain and this exactly what Augment had in mind when they designed these boards. For those who do not know Augment, the company used to have a rather unfortunate name of Croc Skis (good thing they rebranded!), and has quite a reputation for making top-notch race-room level race skis largely by hand in a small factory in Austria. As far as quality of construction it is at least a match to the old (made-in-Austria) Kastle. It is a full wood-metal-rubber sandwich, the materials were selected without any nod to the cost, and the 4-figure price quite simply reflects that. But they do ski their 4-figure price and some. The construction is predictably damp, it shows great snow feel throughout the turn but never harsh. Getting on any regular ski after skiing the Augments is frankly, annoying. Compared to Kastle the shape and the feel is almost polar opposite. Kastle is a de-tuned race shape that turns easier than it should do, the Augment is a thoroughly modern rockered off-piste shape that is more stable and composed than it should be.
The defining features of the ski are its wide and generously tapered shovels and an equally generously upturned flat tails. The shovel shape is tricky as it gives all the benefits of the rocker, and yet does not exhibit the hesitant turn initiation that is a common affliction of tapered rockered skis. This Augment turns in with an almost slalom ski-like eagerness. Coupled with a damp ride and a decent rebound, it is a joy on a groomer. Off piste the sensation is the same, a ski that likes to turn but can easily sustain fast rides over choppy snow (that’s where the rubber inside the ski makes its mark). I also think that 19mm turn radius is a bit too small in an 187cm off-piste ski with tons of stabiility. The shovel is almost too large in a sense that sometimes it is easy to overturn the ski and if you are not careful off-piste it can feel a tiny bit hooky in some situations, unlike the Kastle, which is completely turn-shape neutral. I would gladly shave a couple of mm from the shovel and raise the turn radius to 20-21 m. I think the ski won’t be any harder too turn but would gain a bit more predictability. Overall, this is the best new shape I was on in the 98 mm all-mountain category for a while and by some margin. Compared to the Kastle MX99, it is almost as stable and a hell lot more fun in 95% of the situations. MX99 still has that extra muscle, the completely flat tail is more secure in the turn finish and provides a bigger sweet sport. Because it its straighter sidecut, the Kastle also feels more stable on a steep slope with bad snow. But it does take a lot more attention and effort to ski, so I think the Augment will be a better, more approachable, and ultimately more satisfying ski for the majority of the users.
187 Augment AM108. More of the same Augment all-mountain goodness in a wider big-mountain chassis. This is a ski that the original Blizzard Cochise always wanted to be, but never could. More stable, more predictable, and somehow easier to turn and a lot more fun. Cochise feels like a truck, Augment feels like a BMW X5: all the utility and still plain fun to drive. The same complaint about the shovel shape applies here, maybe even more; this ski would definitely benefit from a straighter sidecut up front, the tip is so big that someone who drives the skis fairly close will even occasionally bang the tips (as me how I know . It is significantly more engaging than Kastle BMF105HP and is just as stable and damp. And it feels to have more power than Stockli SR107. It is still not quite the same level of dampness than the MX99, but the width and rocker-taper makes the Augment a clearly superior 3D snow ski. Initially, I liked the AM98 more than AM108, but by the end of my date with these boards I was not so sure: the AM108 grows on you, it is so nimble and playful for a ski of its waist, and yet so secure everywhere you go. It is not cheap, but you get what you pay for and then some. Even with the MX99 in the garage, I won’t mind having my own pair of AM108. As a quiver anchor AM98 still makes the most sense, but as a big-mountain 3D snow ski AM108 is really hard to beat right now.
A few superficial comments on these new skis: Stereo Skis graphics is restrained and sharp, yet it manages to be rather unoffensive and generic. A new brand should be more visible. Even more so with Augment. A ski design can be simple and great, or simple and plain. Augment protos were just plain. A splash of color of a strategically-placed logo would help that ski to stand out. For $1,000+ you should expect more visual oomph, so I hope some changes will make it into the production run. None of this criticism changes how these ski: they ski great.