Author Topic: 2011 Kastle MX98 178  (Read 1126 times)

Ron

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2011 Kastle MX98 178
« on: April 22, 2010, 09:59:18 am »
I skied the new 2011 MX98 last week at Vail. the new 98 is really a new ski all together. 126-98-116 (not postive on the tail dim) slight tip rocker- I mean slight, I think they nailed it! Tail is not raised but rounded. the running lenght of the 178 is perfect as many other rockered skis require much more length.? No metal this season and softer, more playful than last season's ski. It's really where it should be, a more off-piste soft snow oriented ski.

groomed- I skied firm and soft groomers, the ski was quite happy, very responsvie and typical Kastle smoothness and feel. 98 underfoot but as other Kastles, the TR felt much tighter than the 20 plus M- personally, for off-piste soft snow, I don't want anything less than 24m or so. The new binding is very sweet. I only felt the tip flap slightly at very high speeds on firm groomed but it never got squirrely or felt unstable. You could work the ski.

off-piste- skied it crunchy crud mid-boot and boot high (for real gary :) ) and  in soft heavy snow (and some crunchy peanut butter type soft with chuncks) in the back bowls and jumping off cornices. Loved it, the slight rocker came into play beautifully here. just enough to get a little float but not deflective or hooky. very stable.? again , you could work the rounded tail, it was easy to drift and slarve turns- you could go to the tail and not wash out.? ?Bumps- I am not a good bump skier but I did find this a good ski for bumps, soft enough to aborb but not too wide to work all aspects of the bumps (you should be able ot ski all aspects of bumps- tops, trough's and bridges) I really found this much easier than skiing bumps with my Nomads.

I Reallly like this ski. excellent all mountain performance with enough spectrum of performance that unless its' rock hard groomers ro deep powder you really could get high-level performance every where in between.? ?This iwill be my every day ski next season.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2010, 11:06:15 am by Ron »

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Ron

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2010, 10:13:20 am »

Gary

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2010, 08:46:59 am »
Great report ROn....looks like a fun, versatile ski...wouldn't be my choice for an every day ski just due to the width but it knowing Kastle, versatile enough to handle it all.

So how does it compare to the Pilgrim which too is a phenom ski on groom, pow, bumps....etc.?

Kastle makes a great looking ski as well......nice dud's bud....into the brown, very cool.

G

Ron

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2010, 09:15:30 am »
the piglrim is a very nice ski but this is a step up in terms of performance. A bit stiffer and more of a "tool" ski. The pilgrim is still a great ski, this one's a little more serious and a bit less playful but for what I want it for, its near perfect. I would like to ski the Oracle for comparison although it's a softer ski and much more sidecut.

jbotti

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2010, 10:21:37 am »
Ron, what is the Oracle? Who makes it?

jim-ratliff

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2010, 10:33:34 am »

Icelantic Oracle (courtesy of Google)

Sidecut for the Oracles is hefty, with a 138mm tip, 100mm waist, and 120mm tail. An early tip rise helps the ski float more in powder and it has a moderate twin tip tail for switch riding and playing in the park. The combination makes the ski nimble. They are available in lengths of 155cm, 165cm, and 175cm; the turning radius of each is 13 meters, 16 meters, and 18 meters.
"If you're gonna play the game boy, ya gotta learn to play it right."

jbotti

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2010, 12:49:28 pm »
I appears that they are calling the oracle a female specific ski. I like the fact that it has big sidecut and a tight TR, but I feel confident that the ski will be too soft for most male adults. No shot for me.

Ron

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Re: 2011 Kastle MX98 178
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2010, 09:18:24 am »
It is female specific in the graphics and length really. It's not a noodle by any means. I will get on one in the fall/winter. It's a really sweet ski. For steeper, more technical lines, I would like it to be much less in TR but for bombing around its a very nice ski. They did a very nice job on the rocker.  This is a ski that women should be testing for sure. I think with the energy in thier ski's this would be a fun pow/soft snow ski

Nice job Jim! I will be skiing the new Keeper this winter. 150-119-140.  Moderate tip rocker, slight tail, they did an excellent job on the design, Moderate flex, a bit stiff than the Nomad SFT but softer than the tradtional flex. Not sure where the Nomad will fit in on my quiver, but the kastle mx98 will be my everyday and the Keeper will be my powder board.