2016-2017 Kastle BMX 105

Moguls, Trees, and Tight Terrain

Like most skis in the big-mountain freeride category, the BMX 105 is not particularly nimble in tighter terrain. While the ski’s softer shovels certainly do allow you to flex the front of the ski, the back half of the ski doesn’t follow as easily, so you still need to keep your weight centered over the front of the ski and drive it confidently to maneuver through tighter terrain. It’s here that I most noticed that out-of-balance feeling that Jonathan and Mike had described. That said, the BMX 105 is definitely easier to stay on top of than something like the Head Monster 108. But if you do get knocked off the front of the ski, the tail can be still somewhat punishing. While the Cochise does have stiffer shovels, its rocker profile and softer tail does allow it to snake through tighter terrain with a lot more ease than the BMX 105.

Firm and Variable Conditions

When you think of a “powerful freeride” ski, you probably assume that it will perform well in firm and variable conditions. And in some cases, the Kastle BMX 105 does perform very well. In smoother firm and variable conditions (or more forgiving slush), the BMX 105 feels solid, planted, and stable. But as the terrain becomes more firm and bumped up, deflection in the shovels became a liability. When compared to skis such as the Blizzard Cochise, the front of the BMX 105 begins to deflect in a similar manner to that of a lighter ski. I should re-iterate, however, that this deflection is at the tips only — the rest of the ski feels noticeably more stable and less prone to deflection (such as when shutting down speed).

But, despite this deflection, the BMX 105 has an exceptionally smooth and silky feel on snow that (in this regard) reminded me a lot of the Head Monster series, and is reminiscent of some of the best variable-conditions chargers from the past.

Powder

To date, I’ve been pretty underwhelmed by the deep-powder performance of the “powerful freeride” type skis I’ve been on. So one look at the BMX 105’s rocker profile and flex pattern had me pretty curious to see how the 105 handled deeper snow. And what better conditions to test this claim in than a 24” powder day in mid-May?

For any shortcomings that the shovels of the BMX 105 may have exhibited in other conditions, they have very few, if any, faults in untracked powder. In more open terrain, the 105 is a phenomenal powder ski for its width. No, it isn’t slashy or playful, so it feels noticeably more locked in than a ski like the Salomon QST 106 or ON3P Wrenegade 108. But the 105 does float, and float very well.

In addition, its powerful tails create a very solid platform for landing airs. I had a blast sending cornices with as much speed as I could garner, without concern for going over the handlebars or backslapping.

For all the accolades we’ve given the ON3P Wrenegade 108 as a powder ski, I think the BMX 105 could give it a run for its money in untracked snow, especially in more open terrain.

Soft Chop

As impressive as the BMX 105 is in powder, it’s equally good in tracked-up, soft snow, whether powder or slush. In thick, maritime snow (where the snow can get packed into dense clumps), I could see the shovels becoming a liability again, like they were in bumpy, firm snow. But, in intermountain spring snow, there’s enough heft in the shovels to blow through piles of softer snow with authority, regardless of how deep the trenches are. In my Head Monster 108 review, I mention how that ski can get hung up in deeper chop. The BMX 105 performs significantly better in this regard, and, it might even be a step above the Cochise, too, which is one of the best skis I’ve been on recently in such conditions.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a directional charger that excels in untracked snow, the Kastle BMX 105 could be a good choice. The deflection we experienced in the shovels when dealing with harsher conditions does place it at a level or two below other more firm-snow oriented big-mountain chargers, but I think that many skiers could be happy with the stability of the Kastle BMX 105, and the ski’s softer shovels likely contribute to its excellent performance in powder and soft-snow conditions.

Note: 2017-2018 BMX 105 & 105 HP

For the 17/18 season, Kastle is tweaking the BMX 105, and it will now have a Silver Fir and Beech wood core that is supposed to make the ski damper. If that’s true, we think that would be a good thing, and we hope to be able to weigh in on the 17/18 edition, as well as the “HP” (High Performance) edition of the BMX 105 that has an additional two sheets of metal.

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