 Poster: A snowHead
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It must be that time of year for what ski threads 
I'm thinking of replacing my original (2011?) Head Supershape Titans with a ski that can do a pretty similar job, just with a touch more off piste bias - something that's more versatile than a dedicated piste ski, good in bumps and around the edges of pistes, but still with great piste performance. I've liked the Titans for all the usual reasons - great at short turns, rewarding if you drive them but without trying to kill you all the time and capable in all conditions you're likely to find on piste and a fair bit off it too. I've found they do lose a bit of stability at top speed and they're quite sensitive to fore / aft balance in more variable conditions though.
I've also got a pair of Blizzard Cochise for more off piste bias or when I just want to make big turns and smash through everything - which are awesome, so I don't need anything particularly wide.
I guess I'm looking for a narrower all mountain ski at the stiffer / more chargey end of the specturm. Probably around 85mm underfoot, high teens turn radius and importantly must be available as a flat ski. The Titans weigh more than a small planet, that combined with the rail binding makes it a pain to lug both them and the Cochises around which means that whatever I buy will be a flat ski.
So what should I try? Blizzard Brahmas seem the obvious choice (and I've skied them before), but what else is there?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kastle FX85?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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No contest - Kastle MX84
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Rossignol Experience 88 Ti
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have Kaestle FX95HP and they are amazing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Raceplate, Sweet home a la Tania. Very funny
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I searched high & low for a wider ski that could still carve a tight turn on piste, tried some Rossi sky 7s that were awful on piste & ended up with now discontinued Head Venturi 95s with a 16m turn radius, more of a handful in the bumps than my iRallys and still don't float that well off piste with my 90kg stood on them but my god do they carve! Really stable at high speed carving, almost getting my elbow in the snow.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I tried some Soul 7s a few years ago and didn't like them at all either, I guess they're kind of the polar opposite of the Cochise. Put me off Rossignol a bit, but the Experience Ti skis look quite different.
Hadn't really considered Kastle at all, on paper I think I'd prefer the extra versatility of the FX85 HP over the piste performance of the MX84 but it's hard to know really. They're both quite pricey though 
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New Mantra? Maybe not so quick underfoot...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@FlatPack, 2019 K2 Pinnacle 88 Ti. All mountain/free ride skis. Good on piste. 13.5 metres radius at 170cm, 15 metres at 177cm. Sport Conrad in Germany have them at a really good price. You could get them for approx. £420 with Marker Griffon 13 Id bindings apparently. Shipped free to the UK.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@under a new name, I was looking at those new Mantras this week, very well made ski I thought. Guess the OP would have to try that one as they seem to have pushed and pulled the focus of these over the years.
@FlatPack, I'm on a different track to you but bought some NOS Kastle for last season which where very good cost compared to retail, I know what you mean by pricing though, they are
What surprised me though is the unbelievable range over which they work and that I've used them. Mine are true twin tip XX 90 (now discontinued) but like some of the other's views of Kastle ski I think they are utterly sublime in doing what I want them to do. I've never used something in which they've packed such variables in so accessible a way into one ski. I really think they are that good.
They have none of the "current" terminology used to promote so many skis, yet they really seem to know what they are designing into a ski. None of the hype but all of the character.
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@ski3, yeah, I think(I know) they have. Moved a bit middle market, think Ford Capri vs Reliant Scimitar, also apparently a but Marmite.
We (oh and i) loved the 2006 as it was as capable as a race ski but good in anything. We bought 2010s (09s maybe) on the back of that experience and a general liking of the brand.
The 2015 (?14) or 2016 which brought in rocker was also softer and prone to unplanned rapid disassembly.
The M5s are apparently something of a return to form, perhaps a bit everyman. I.e. less “demanding” whatever that is 
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You know it makes sense.
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@FlatPack, newer pair of Titans
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The new Mantra sounds like the sort of ski I'd like but they're a bit on the more 'all mountain' side of all mountain for what I want here - wider and as you say likely slower underfoot
The Titans are rail mount bindings, otherwise a newer model would have been on the list
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Poster: A snowHead
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As above FX85, MX84 or FX95hp hands down
I have the Head Isl, I Speeds, and Titans (what can I say I love Head) but also have the FX95HP.
If I could only take 1 pair (I'm sad and always take 2 or 3) I'd take the FX 95HPs without a second thought. They ski narrower and shorter than a 95mm under foot, nice and stiff to charge around on.
Great on or off piste.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 1-11-18 0:34; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@FlatPack, I think you need to clarify a few things. Your weight/height and experience/ability for a starter. And then what really matters to you most because to me some of your requirements are contradictory.
If what you want is this:
| FlatPack wrote: |
| I guess I'm looking for a narrower all mountain ski at the stiffer / more chargey end of the specturm. Probably around 85mm underfoot, high teens turn radius and importantly must be available as a flat ski. |
then there is no finer ski than a Kastle MX84.
If what you actually want is this:
| FlatPack wrote: |
| a ski that can do a pretty similar job, just with a touch more off piste bias - something that's more versatile than a dedicated piste ski, good in bumps and around the edges of pistes, but still with great piste performance. |
then a Kastle FX85HP might be better.
But it's a might because you also said about the Titans:
| FlatPack wrote: |
| they do lose a bit of stability at top speed and they're quite sensitive to fore / aft balance in more variable conditions though. |
You won't have a speed issue with an MX. I haven't skied the FX85HP but my daily driver is an MX83. Both it and the MX84 have no speed limit for recreational skiers. I suspect the FX85HP does have a limit but is friendlier off piste as compensation so it's a question of priorities.
The fact that you said:
| FlatPack wrote: |
| I've also got a pair of Blizzard Cochise for more off piste bias or when I just want to make big turns and smash through everything - which are awesome, so I don't need anything particularly wide. |
suggested to me that you are an experienced, competent, technical skier. I haven't skied the Cochise but everything I've read says that they are a balls-out charging ski for skilled skiers. If that's your level, I don't know why you'd want an FX unless it's just a "play" ski.
It's also a question of stats because I suspect that a FX85HP in its longest length of 181cm skis similarly to an MX84 in a 176cm but that's as long as the FX gets. I'm 179cm and 90kg and ski the MX83 in a 183cm. I don't think they make an FX85HP in a long enough length for me. But you can get an MX84 in a 184cm if it suits your stats.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yeah it's tricky isn't it
Even talking about ability is really subjective before we even get to describing what we want from a ski (or how one behaves!).
Anyway I'm 39 years old, 182cm and about 83kg with 40+ weeks skiing I guess and experienced, competent, technical skier does seems like a good description.
I learnt to ski from about 6 on dry slopes and with the ESF in the late 80s - I've managed to lose the exaggerated bending and extending and pushing the tails of the skis round since, but I'll probably ski with an overly narrow stance forever  . Had lessons up until my mid teens then decided I knew everything there was to know  and didn't have any sort of tuition until I was about 30. I ski 2-3 weeks a year, have never done a season or anything (but I've skied every year) so I'm never going to be as good as someone who's skiing every day could be. I do like working on improving technique though so I try and get some form of instruction whenever I'm away - from a dedicated off piste coaching week to just the odd private lesson / clinics.
My Cochise are the latest generation (I think, unless they changed them again this year). I think like the way most of these things go they've been made more accessible (or dumbed down if you like  ) over time. They're still a big, stiff, charging ski though.
I realise that some of the requirements do contradict each other - the very things that make a ski great in one area will compromise it somewhere else.
Picking any sort of ski (and especially a multi-role ski) seems to be mostly about picking which set of compromises suits you best - to an extent that's still something I'm working out myself, some days I think I want a ski that's essentially a piste+ ski, other times I think I'll give up a bit of piste performance for something more versatile. Obviously the answer is more skis, but that's not going to happen right now
I think I'll have to see if I can try some skis that are a bit more versatile and see if I'm ok with the piste performance - that'll probably help figure out more what I'm looking for.
There's already a bunch of skis here that all seem like good options and the sort of things I'd like to ski though
Thanks for the vids @PaulC1984 and there's lots of love for Kastle in general it seems.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nice vids! Looks like you’re experienced skiing with a hangover 🤣
Never skied the FX version but those MX are bomber construction and fabulous on piste. Pretty stiff so not sure they’d be much fun in untracked snow. The FX’s with a bit of rocker sound like the more versatile model and from the vids look like they still rail a good turn on the piste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@DB, I'd look at the FX95 with or without HP as demoed above. For me it was as nimble and easy to get from edge to edge as the mid 80s skis I tried (albeit in a dome; so different ability skier, different size, different snow, different speeds, different length skis, but otherwise an almost identical experience to you skiing in the Alps).
tested against:
Kastle -FX 95 HP
Blizzard -Bonafide
Nordica -Enforcer 93
Blizzard -Brahma
Kastle -MX 84
Head -Supershape i.Titan
K2 -Ikonic 84Ti
I assume that being in the land of lederhosen, you could get to one of their test days? And as above, they rarely change construction, so there are always models from previous years going cheaper, if not exactly cheap.
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@Penry,
When there is a lot of snow about I'm normally ski touring. Have 83mm and 98mm touring ski setups but prefer the edge to edge quickness of the 83mm if skiing pistes.
Was looking for something to use with my alpine boots when there isn't enough snow for ski touring but don't want a piste ski that rules out a bit of offpiste.
Used to own Kästle TX97 touring skis which had soft tips / tails so did get deflected when the offpiste was less than perfect.
Can't see any demo days on the Kästle site, I'll probably just look around the rental shops and try out a few of these skis when possible.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Penry,
Thanks
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@DB, No worries, I should be thanking you. While your needs and mine don't overlap, my son is desperate to spend his savings on a pair of skis. He's 65kg and 6ft and he skis very much at the finesse end of the power-finesse spectrum. One of your links picked out the Navigator 85 which looks spot on for his requirements. Sport Conrad has them for 400 Euros with bindings but interestingly they have it in their Touring Ski category so may not be enough of a difference from your current skis.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Got some Salomon XDR 88’s coming today, I hope that these meet a similar brief without compromising my on piste enjoyment
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FAQ
