In the early 90′s Kastle Skis were the bomb. They dominated both the World Cup downhill and freestyle circuits with the famous RX-15 series. I had a pair of Kastle RX-15 Action’s in high school. They were a bump-lovers dream (back when I thought I wanted to ski moguls more than powder) and were even a sweet purple color. Mounted with a set of Look turntable’s I was hoping to be the next Glen Plake.
Fast-forward to 2007. Kastle skis have been off the market for several years, but are now making a comeback as a top-shelf, no-nonsense skier’s ski. The lineup consists of four skis: Kastle RX (The frontside performer), Kastle MX78 (all-mountain), Kastle MX88 (freeride) and Kastle MX98 (fat powder ski). The graphics are understated and clean and the construction is as traditional as it comes, but with some proprietary technology and Austrian love.
If you’re looking for a hard-charging pair of frontside and backside or backcountry-specific skis, the MX88 (88mm underfoot) and the MX98 (98mm underfoot) are the best options. For those of us in the Rockies, an 88mm waist is about as narrow as I’d go these days. Both of these skis should be solid performers in powder, crud and even groomers. The only hangup is he pricetag… these badboys don’t come on the cheap.
Kastle MX88 Details
The MX88 looks to be an all-mountain, all-day performer in any condition. I’m sure it will be perfect for anyone looking for that one ski to do it all in the Rockies. Mounted with either standard alpine bindings or alpine touring bindings, the MX88 offers the most versatility in the Kastle 08 lineup.
Dimensions: 128mm (tip) 88mm (waist) 113mm (tail)
Lengths: 168 cm, 178 cm and 188 cm
Price: $1550 with Marker Duke / $1450 with Marker Jester
More Info: Kastle MX88 Ski Page
Kastle MX98 Details
The MX 98 is just the right width to surf the deep powder in the backcountry, or on deep days at Snowbird. Even though it’s nearly a century underfoot, it still has ample sidecut to carve up the frontside groomers on your way back to the tram. Mounted with the Marker Duke, they would be a hard-charging backcountry ski like no other.
Dimensions: 132mm (tip) 98mm (waist) 117mm (tail)
Lengths: 174 cm, 184 cm and 194 cm
Price: $1550 with Marker Duke / $1450 with Marker Jester
More Info: Kastle MX98 Ski Page
Hopefully we’ll get on a pair of these this season and report back our thoughts. I’m stoked Kastle is back in the fray and look forward to great things from this strong Austrian brand.
A Seattle native, Jason developed a love for the outdoors and a thing for mountains. That infatuation continues as he founded
My shop had us demo ski’s yesterday, and I had the chance to ride Kastle’s MX88 (168cm). And I have to say, holy crap! For an 88 girth I was surprised at the agility of the beast, almost felt like a slalom ski underfoot.
This one is definitely pro-form worthy.
That’s awesome man! I’m supposed to get my hands on a pair, but they have been hard to come by. Nice to see that the MX88 is solid even at that short of a length. These are Austrian boards at their finest.
Where are you located?
The shop is in Rochester, NY, it’s called Snow Ski & Board. Drop in sometime if you’re nearby, we open in August.
The next time I’m in Rochester, I’ll look you up.
I used to live in NYC, but I never made it up to Rochester… nice area though.
my freind has a pair of RX 15 CAN YOU TELL ME IF AN INTERMEDIATE COULD USE THEM AND HOW MUCH THEY ARE WORTH MANY THANKS JANE BOWLEY P.S I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD EMAIL ME BACK
Hey Jane…
If your friend is trying to sell you a pair of old Kastle RX-15′s, I wouldn’t pay them a dime for them. Those skis are so old, they are worthless as actual skis you would ski on. Maybe to mount on the walls, but not to actually ski on.
If I were you, I’d look elsewhere for a good intermediate ski that actually has sidecut and extra width to help you improve your skiing. The RX-15′s won’t help you become a better skier and you’d hate skiing on them compared to modern skis.
Look around… check on eBay… there’s a ton of great intermediate skis that you would love to ski on for not much money.
I just demoed a pair of the 98s here in Jackson Hole. We are in the middle of a high pressure cycle and as the mountain has been skied off, I started looking for a turnier ski, which could also handle softer conditions. I have a number of the old Salomon AK-Rockets (the yellow, the green and the newer Pilot AK-Rocket) which prefer larger radius turns. The Kastles were annoyingly wonderful skis. Just about exactly what I was looking for. Tighter turns, super grippy, stable as anything and plows. I say “annoying” because the price tag is simply too much. It is not going to stop me from buying a pair of the 98s, but frankly I liked these skis so much, that if they were more reasonable I think I would have bought a pair of the 108s for powder days and a pair of the 88s for firmer days. As it is I will not buy more than one pair. Heck of a ski though. Highly recommended but don’t try them unless you can afford them as once you are on the you will not want to get off.
@Frederico
Awesome to hear that the skis perform so well. I’m still hoping to get on a pair, but we’ll see how it goes.
Friend gave me some never used RX 15 synergy s They are probably 12-15 yr old model. Are these a high performance slalom or GS? I have some bindings I was going to mount and try them for fun. Is it worth the effort for high speed groomed?
Ha! No way! Those skis would be sweet to try out, but I’m guessing they don’t perform anything like today’s skis. The “S” designation likely means Slalom, so get ready for your best Alberto Tomba impersonation if you do!
Thanks for the reply. I just mounted them and am going to throw them on the hill Wed.! Let’s just hope they are fast enough to out-run any homophobic skiers! They are orange and purple. I’m skiing some Salomon GS, non-parabolics, now, so I’m not going completely backwards from what I’m on.
Enjoy your straight skis!
You’ll be right at home.
I found some Kastel RX12- Synergy, TYPS 198 (Mogul Mouser) with Sallomon S Binders. What would these be worth today for re-sale?
Gail… I hate to tell you this, but they aren’t worth much. Those are some pretty old and antiquated skis that are best hung on the wall as a remembrance of old, long, skinny and straight skis. I’d give you $25 for them.