2012-2013 Kästle XX110 West, 190cm (134-110-134)
Kästle is making a move into the powder/park freestyle world this season, and Mr. Colby James West is leading the charge for them.
The West XX110 is the fattest of Colby’s three pro-model skis, and is the only ski in the entire Kästle lineup with tip and tail rocker.
With fully symmetrical dimensions, a subsequent single-radius sidecut, and Kästle’s Hollowtech construction to reduce swing weight, the West looks like it could be a great tool both for backcountry jibbing and cruising around the resort on any given day.
Plus, this ski doesn’t hand flex like some dumb floppy noodle, and the build quality appears to be really top notch. (Anecdote: when we weighed each ski of our pair, there was only a difference of three grams between the two skis. That’s the smallest difference of any ski we’ve ever reviewed.)
Long and short: our initial impressions of the West XX110 are sky high; if we were going to build a symmetrical, rockered out, non-noodly fun ski, it would look a whole lot like this. Now we just need to go find out how it skis….
Kästle is known for high-quality ski mountaineering and all-mountain skis. We can’t wait to see what they’re bringing to the table in the freeride world.
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Dear Will, Thank you for your earlier reply on suggesting the Cochise 193. Question for you though.
I am 6’4″ and 240. I ski bumps and tight trees at Vail and Keystone, and also spend time at A basin.
I am an expert skier and love to ski Pallavicini at A Basin but at 43 I now ski it with less reckless abandonment than I did in years past. I want a ski that I can ski hard but not kick my butt in the bumps and that I can handle in really tight trees. After reading a lot of the reviews I think I want a fun forgivings ski like the new Sir Francis Bacon in 190 or the Kastle West XX110 in a 190 or potentially the Scott Punisher 189. I just think that a 193 Cochise might kick my ass in the bumps and I would not be able to ski tight trees with it. So what do you think Bacon 190 or Kastle 190?
Hey Jason,
If you’re looking for something more playful, either the West xx110 or Bacon would certainly be a better option over the Cochise or Belafonte. The Cochise can be skied in bumps, but a less playful, different sort of ski, for sure. Unfortunately I haven’t skied either the West or 190cm Bacon (though I will be asap this season). For now, you might ask Jason Hutchins what he thinks differentiates those two in his reviews – he’s reviewed both the West and the 184cm Bacon.
Cheers
Will B