2017 Kastle MX89

It’s tough being the offspring of a genius. Someone is always comparing you to Dad and it’s impossible to measure up. So it must be for the new MX89, taking its place in the Kästle line in the tracks of the MX88, indisputably one of the greatest skis ever made. It’s not that the MX89 is a slacker; if anything, it might be an over-achiever, trying so hard to earn top grades for technical merit that its social skills suffer. There was an effortless quality to its predecessor associated with how quickly it tucked the skier into the turn; the slightly softer forebody of the MX89 doesn’t engage as aggressively, leaving it to the skier to seek a higher edge angle with a more aggressive move of his own. This phenomenon, we surmise, lies at the root of the new ski’s dip in Finesse scores compared to illustrious antecedent.