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Kastle TX88 Alpine Touring Ski
The Kastle TX88 is built for skiers who measure a day in vertical gained and still want to arc the descent. At 1,120 g per ski (151 cm) the TX88 is the lightest ski in the Kastle TX touring line, and a paulownia wood core, a fast-growing low-density hardwood, wrapped in carbon and glass fiber keeps it stiff in torsion at that weight. An 88 mm waist and a 10.2 m radius at 151 cm make the TX88 quick edge to edge on firm spring snow, and the five-length run from 151 cm to 183 cm covers small skiers through tall ones.
Is This the Right Ski for You?
CCBB Ski Ratings
CCBB Ski Profile
Why We Like It
- At 1,120 g per ski (151 cm) rising to 1,365 g per ski (183 cm), the TX88 is the lightest ski Kastle builds in the TX touring line, and it stays under 1,400 g per ski at every length.
- A 10.2 m radius at 151 cm is short for a touring ski, which is what makes the TX88 quick to pivot in a couloir and easy to steer on a traverse.
- The five-length run from 151 cm to 183 cm is wider than most touring skis offer, so the TX88 fits skiers who normally fall between sizes.
- An Armoclad sidewall, a hardened sidewall material carried out to the edge, gives a light ski a durable edge interface where thin construction usually suffers.
Best Uses
- Ski mountaineering and objective-driven days with technical descents
- Spring corn and firm morning snow where edge grip beats surface area
- Long vertical days and multi-day traverses
- Couloirs and tight terrain at 151 cm or 159 cm
- Fast-and-light pin-tech setups where every gram is counted
Ski Specialist's Advice
The Kastle TX88 has the widest length run in the line, 151, 159, 167, 175 and 183 cm, so there is a real size for most skiers rather than a compromise. Radius tracks length closely here, from 10.2 m at 151 cm to 17.4 m at 183 cm, which means the same ski can feel like a pivot-happy mountaineering tool or a directional touring ski depending on the number you pick. We tend to size the TX88 shorter than a resort ski, because an 88 mm waist gives up float and a shorter length is easier to manage on a firm sidehill.
Weight runs 1,120 g per ski at 151 cm, 1,180 g at 159 cm, 1,240 g at 167 cm, 1,300 g at 175 cm and 1,365 g at 183 cm. That is 245 g of spread across the run, so the length choice matters more on the TX88 than on the wider TX skis. The TX88 ships flat with no plate mounted and Kastle does not specify a reinforcing plate, so pin-tech touring bindings are the natural pairing and the mount goes to the factory line unless you ask otherwise. Match the binding to your boot sole norm rather than to the ski.
Size skins off the 112 mm tail rather than the 88 mm waist, which puts the TX88 on a 120 mm stock width trimmed to shape. Kastle offers a Pro Skin cut for the TX88 if you want the factory match. Both shovel and tail are hook free, so a standard tip loop seats normally and a tail clip attaches to the tail rather than dropping into a notch. Brake width, if your binding carries brakes, needs to clear 88 mm, so 90 mm brakes are the size to order.
Technical Specifications Full spec table · Click to expand
Shape and Sizing
- Dimensions
- 125-88-112 mm (all lengths)
- Turn Radius
- 10.2 m (151 cm), 11.9 m (159 cm), 13.6 m (167 cm), 15.5 m (175 cm), 17.4 m (183 cm)
- Lengths
- 151, 159, 167, 175, 183 cm
- Weight
- 1,120 g per ski (151 cm), 1,180 g per ski (159 cm), 1,240 g per ski (167 cm), 1,300 g per ski (175 cm), 1,365 g per ski (183 cm)
- Rocker Profile
- Directional touring rocker, low camber, hook free shovel and hook free tail
- Item Number
- AT8825
Construction and Use
- Core
- Paulownia wood core with a carbon and glass fiber wound core
- Construction
- Armoclad sidewall, Hollowtech Evo hollow-chamber tip
- Binding Base
- Flat, no plate mounted
- Skin Fit
- 120 mm stock width off the 112 mm tail
- Recommended Use
- Ski mountaineering and all-round touring
- Warranty
- 2 years from date of purchase, handled through the selling retailer
Compare the Kastle TX88
TX88 vs. Kastle TX94
The Kastle TX94 runs 130-94-116 mm and 1,290 g per ski (163 cm) against the TX88 at 125-88-112 mm and 1,120 g per ski (151 cm). Skiers who want one ski across all conditions take the TX94 for the extra 6 mm underfoot, and skiers whose season is spring snow and technical descents take the TX88 for the lighter weight and tighter radius.
Shop Kastle TX94 skisTX88 vs. Kastle TX99
The Kastle TX99 is the soft-snow end of the line at 135-99-118 mm and 1,400 g per ski (167 cm), with poplar layers added to the paulownia core for torsional stiffness at that width. The TX99 and the TX88 sit at opposite ends of the same line, and the choice comes down to whether your season is powder days or firm ascents.
Shop Kastle TX99 skisTX88 vs. Kastle Biafo 88
The Kastle Biafo 88 is the Terra line version of the TX88, sharing the 125-88-112 mm shape and the same weights at matching lengths, in a shorter three-length run of 151, 159 and 167 cm. Skiers who need 175 cm or 183 cm take the TX88, and the Biafo 88 covers the same ski in the shorter sizes with the Terra graphics.
Shop Kastle Biafo 88 skis