A fresh freeride collection with classic Kastle DNA
If you ask me what skis Powder7 staffers have loved the most over the years, the Kastle FX95 HP will be one of the first models I mention. Those things r-i-p-p-e-d. And while we enjoyed the subsequent versions with more taper and rearranged carbon and metal, none of them gave us quite the same buzz as the OG. So when we learned that Kastle is replacing the FX series with a fresh collection for 2024-2025, you can imagine the intrigue.
Kastle Paragon Review: Field Notes
The brand-new Paragon collection is a full overhaul of FX. It takes the ZX chassis, that new-ish line of wood core freeride skis, and powers it up with two sheets of titanal. So, dimensions between the Paragon and the ZX skis will mirror each other, including medium-radius sidecuts and plenty of camber. Rocker profiles are also quite similar, with rocker and taper in the tips and tails (though the tails are more squared off and flatter than those of many other freeride skis). The shapes and flex patterns change slightly, with the wider skis being more tuned for freeride skiing and the 93 looking the most like an all-mountain carver. With that metal, Paragon skis come in heavier than the ZXs, although they’re notably still lighter than plenty of other skis in their respective categories. Thank a strategic blend of poplar, beech, and paulownia in the wood cores.
Oh, and while these are freeride skis, they’re still built by Kastle. So traditional mount points are on tap! That’s -11 centimeters and change from center.
Here’s the spec breakdown:
Paragon 93 // 163cm (1657 g/ski, 12.7m radius), 170cm (1742 g/ski, 14.6m radius), 177cm (1827 g/ski, 16.4m radius), 184cm (1912 g/ski, 18.2m radius)
Paragon 101 // 169cm (1851 g/ski, 14.6m radius), 176cm (1926 g/ski, 16.4m radius), 182cm (1986 g/ski, 18m radius), 190cm (2071 g/ski, 20.3m radius)
Paragon 107 // 168cm (1878 g/ski, 15.1m radius), 178cm (1993 g/ski, 17.9m radius), 184cm (2053 g/ski, 19.2m radius), 192cm (2138 g/ski, 21.3m radius)
While I caught a few laps on the 107, I spent most of my time on the Paragon 93 and 101. So this review will follow suite. For reference: I measure 5’7″ and a couple McDoubles north of 160. I skied the 177 Paragon 93 and the 182 Paragon 101. Testing grounds were Crested Butte, Loveland, and Monarch Mountain.
Groomers
Spoiler alert: There’s going to be a theme with this review. So many skis were rebuilt or debuted for this new ski season (hurray!), and so many of them are being billed as more accessible and easier to ski than ever. To be clear, we love that. But, we also love a redesign that doubles down on a ski’s (or brand’s) high-performance character. This year’s winner is Paragon.
Rather than diluting the new skis, Kastle harkened back to that FX95 HP and the also-famous BMX105 HP. These things ski like tanks! And while you get specific traits out of each one in specific snow and terrain types, the overarching statement is this: They all like to go fast. They can all be pushed hard across the mountain, and athletic advanced to expert skiers will enjoy them the most.
Paragon 93:
As the de facto on-piste ski in the collection, I’ll call out the Paragon 93 specifically. It’s much quicker than the other two skis with a shorter turn radius and more camber. It’s a blast on fresh cord, slushy corn, and firm groomers. Compared to other low-90s all-mountain skis, the Paragon 93 is well-balanced if a touch on the playful side. It’s loaded with energy and springs in and out of carves. When you need to lock it in, it’s stout enough to provide. On snow, I thought of it as a midpoint between the new Blizzard Anomaly 94 and the Rustler 9. Not as directional as the former but more powerful than the latter. I’ve never skied a Kastle that sucked on groomers, and the Paragon 93 carries the family torch.
Paragon 101 and 107:
Groomer performance in these two skis scales as you’d expect. The 101 feels less snappy and energetic than the 93 and more tip-and-go. It can rip off short carves, but it also wants to make longer arcs. While the Paragon 93 carves happily at all speeds, the the 101 wants a little more input. It wants to be driven. As long as you give it enough gas, it feels as smooth and intuitive on firm snow as any ~100mm ski I’ve ridden.
Those comments then apply to the 107. Naturally, it feels less inclined to carve than the 93 or 101. But compared to other mid-fat skis, it holds its own, erring on the more aggressive/more power side of the spectrum.
Bumps and Trees
Paragon 93:
The Paragon 93 destroys moguls. It’s got enough heft to provide a stable platform underfoot, keeping you glued to your zipper lines. The rockered/tapered tips link smoothly from one trough to the next, keeping the ski from feeling too cumbersome or hooky in fresh or wind-deposited snow. The medium-to-stiff flex pattern bends with terrain, giving you some forgiveness without folding like softer skis can. And it weighs in lighter than some comparable options with titanal, meaning it doesn’t punish you too hard for back-to-back-to-back bump runs. And as someone who enjoys attacking the fall line down mogul lines, I enjoy the squared tails. They help you track straight and stay on your line. And yet, strong skiers will be surprised at how easily the tails release, which makes it easy to shed speed in tight trees or moguls. Don’t take that too far; skis with more tail rocker and softer flex patterns will still be more forgiving. But I think skis like the Anomaly 94, M7 Mantra, and Enforcer 94 feel more locked-in through the tails, making the Paragon 93 a nice midpoint.
Paragon 101 and 107
With an idyllic 101mm waist width for western all-mountain skiing, the Paragon 101 will get the attention here. We end up skiing so many tracked-up bump and tree lines in Colorado that we need our quiver-killer skis to pack serious all-mountain chops. The extra girth in the 101 makes it less nimble than the 93, but it also feels a bit softer and more forgiving than the 107. That plays well in bumps and steep tree alleys, where you get a somewhat forgiving ride considering the ski is built with two sheets of titanal. And as much as I say I’ll buy a narrower ski for dry spells, it hasn’t happened in the last decade. So, I end up taking my 100-110 ish skis everywhere, meaning I count on versatility. The Paragon 101 feels intuitive enough to handle all the terrain everywhere I ski, and in most snow conditions. It can torch a bump line and then navigate a chalky chute and feel at home in both places. It is the most fun when you drive it and ski fast, no doubt, but it slows down and facilitates more finesse skiing a little better than I thought it would.
In the Paragon 107, I noticed a considerable step up. It’s more of a hoss and pretty much prefers to go through obstacles rather than around them. If you’re considering a mid-fat ski and you spend a lot of time in the trees and bumps, know that the 107 wants to attack and will punish you if you get backseat. Fall-line hawks will love it. Casual freeriders and freestyle-minded folks will not.
Powder and Mixed Snow
Paragon 93 and 101
The 93 provides a solid ride in soft and mixed/choppy snow, where the taper and rocker and titanal keep the ski from killing your vibe. Again, the shape of the tips and tails help them smear and slash better than several comparable skis around this waist width. But if you spend lots of time off-piste and hunting for Bigfoot, you want one of the wider options.
My wow moment with the 101 came when I took it down Crested Butte’s Spellbound Bowl. Eight-ish inches of mostly untracked snow gave way to some crunch underneath. The ski absolutely crushed. It was intuitive and reliable at all speeds, but I found myself quickly trusting it to ski faster and faster. The tips don’t hook, and the suspension is remarkable. True to the Kastle name, and that legendary FX95 HP, it felt downright smoooooth. In pure pow, it’s natural to want something wider (hello 107), but for a directional freeride skier who mixes airs and slashes into attacking the fall line, the Paragon 101 felt primed.
Paragon 107
As for the 107? This is your choice for day-to-day freeride skiing. Of the three, it feels the most demanding. But if you like speed and power with a touch of freeride flavor (or enough maneuverability to negotiate scary terrain), you’re going to get along well with this ski. Again, I found it easy to ski faster than intended, and that’s a testament to its excellent suspension. Other skis are floatier, more drifty, and easier to maneuver. But they also don’t feel as reliable in steep, consequential terrain or crappy snow. And for my money, the Paragon 107 can handle all the demands of big-mountain skiing as well as any ski I’ve ridden. If you want to blast your way down big-mountain lines, you came to the right place.
Downside
I feel like I’ve gotten a bit wordy. Maybe a three-for-one review was a bad idea! So, I’ll keep this part short.
Relative to the average skis in each of their categories, the Paragons feel more damp and more demanding. Like I said, that’s intentional. So I can’t really fault a ski for doing what it’s supposed to do (ie, packing a punch for your freeride endeavors). But it could be a reason not to buy them if you don’t want a ski to make you push it hard. If that’s you, but you still want Kastle, check out the ZX series.
Bottom Line
With the excellent suspension, that plush Kastle feel, and a model to match most skiers’ needs, Kastle’s new Paragon skis put everybody else in the all-mountain/freeride category (so…everyone!) on notice. They call back to Kastle’s best freeride models of the past, while still managing to up the ante. If you’ve read this far and you’re salivating, you won’t be disappointed.
