 Poster: A snowHead
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Hallo,
I'm looking to rent a decent set of skis for my trip to the Arlberg in January. I'm currently eyeing one ski rental company that has some higher-end skis on offer.
Two of them are Kaestle Limited Edition (Proto and Scala) and the Volant Black Spear.
I've not heard of these skis before. Does anyone know what type of skier they're intended for?
I'm an Advanced-Intermediate skier and believe I would enjoy a top-notch set of skis. But I don't want to lay out the money and find I've rented skis I have to chase down the mountain all day.
Cheers...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| monkbeer wrote: |
| .....I've not heard of these skis before. Does anyone know what type of skier they're intended for?..... |
Wealthy ones
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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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The Russians seem to like those Volant skis.
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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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@monkbeer, as you are hiring make sure you can change to a different pair if the first ones don’t suit
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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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What he said. Forget the names and the price tag and start with something middle of the road and change daily until you know how different shapes and flexes work and what suits your technique now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As already posted, they appear to be marketing led and aimed at a specific elevated price position.
That said, the Kastle are what seems to be cosmetically enhanced versions of their normal skis to fit the market sector.
That being the case, they are very good and well regarded skis in their normal iteration. Mostly based on the MX84 model. These will easily perform in the area you're interested in being a very well balanced ski that seems to accommodate skill levels leading from intermediate right out into skiers skills extending way beyond those you've stated.
Their "dna" seems to encompass a very broad range of skills with space to let you find your preference without being difficult to use. Certainly a decent choice of attributes, you shouldn't have difficulty with them.
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Thanks for the responses. I wondered about marketing and cosmetics. There would be no point in paying extra money, just to look good. I would be happy to pay less and rent the kaestle MX84, if it performs as well as the Limited Edition.
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I don't know anything about the Volants but I'm a big fan of Kastle and use an MX83 as my everyday ski. A quick look at the Kastle website and it's obvious that the Scala and Proto are nothing like the MX range and certainly not based on an MX84. Neither are they just marketing gimmicks.
Kastle's standard construction is a Silver Fir/Beechwood core with one or two layers of titanal (or none in a basic FX model). These two Limited Editions are a Karuba woodcore with a carbon fibre layer which is most similar to their TX (Touring) range. Karuba is the wood du jour for lightweight skis at the moment and the centre of Head's highly rated Kore range of skis.
I wouldn't expect them to ski anything like an MX. Kastle puts them firmly in the Comfort category and uses words like Elegant and Forgiving to describe them. In contrast, an MX84 is firmly in the Sport/Advanced category and is described as Powerful and Stable.
It seems to me that Kastle are dipping their toes into a non-Kastle market - lightweight, forgiving skis for less aggressive and less skilled (or lighter weight) skiers. As Realskiers would put it, a Finesse skier not a Power skier. The lengths they're in certainly make them unisex but the endorsement for the Scala is from a female tester which tells you something in itself. I would expect these to be towards the lively end of the lively/damp ski spectrum whereas nearly everything else that Kastle makes is very much at the damp end.
For the OP, who doesn't want to, "find I've rented skis I have to chase down the mountain all day", they could work very well and for the Arlberg, the Proto would be the better choice. My only reservation would be if the OP is a heavier skier as my gut feeling is that these Limited Editions will work best with lighter weight skiers.
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| monkbeer wrote: |
| I would be happy to pay less and rent the kaestle MX84, if it performs as well as the Limited Edition. |
The MX84 is clearly the performance orientated ski, not the other way round. It is also more accessible than some people think, if you're more at the Advanced end of the Advanced-Intermediate description, you can ski it.
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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 checked out the Kastle website also. I was a little confused by the choice of the word 'comfortable.' Is the comfortable skier someone who wants to lay back and make relatively effortless turns? Elegant would be another odd word choice.
The Proto does seem like the obvious choice of the group. But I am a fairly trim 138kg/305lbs which ensures I'm not going to be labeled a lighter weight skier.
Aside from the Volant, the MX line seems most intriguing. I'm all for stability/control with a mixture of speed.
It should be fun trying out a variety of skis and find the ideal pair.
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| monkbeer wrote: |
I checked out the Kastle website also. I was a little confused by the choice of the word 'comfortable.' Is the comfortable skier someone who wants to lay back and make relatively effortless turns? Elegant would be another odd word choice.
The Proto does seem like the obvious choice of the group. But I am a fairly trim 138kg/305lbs which ensures I'm not going to be labeled a lighter weight skier. |
[b] IMO, comfortable means they don't bite if you've got crap technique and elegant is to make them appeal to people who just want to make pretty turns in between coffee stops.
At your stats, I'd be renting MX89's in a 188cm if you can find them. Otherwise, MX84's in a 184cm. I don't for one second think the Protos will work for you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| monkbeer wrote: |
I checked out the Kastle website also. I was a little confused by the choice of the word 'comfortable.' Is the comfortable skier someone who wants to lay back and make relatively effortless turns? Elegant would be another odd word choice.
The Proto does seem like the obvious choice of the group. But I am a fairly trim 138kg/305lbs which ensures I'm not going to be labeled a lighter weight skier.
Aside from the Volant, the MX line seems most intriguing. I'm all for stability/control with a mixture of speed.
It should be fun trying out a variety of skis and find the ideal pair. |
Comfortable and elegant is a complimentary euphemism for someone who goes skiing to get to the champagne lunch at the mountain hut 
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