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Kastle TX99 Alpine Touring Ski
The Kastle TX99 is built for tourers whose best days are storm days and who still intend to skin for them. A 99 mm waist under a 135 mm shovel gives the TX99 the surface area to stay on top of new snow, and Kastle's Ultralight Twin Core, a paulownia core with thin poplar layers added for torsional stiffness, holds the ski together at that width. At 1,400 g per ski (167 cm) the TX99 is light for a 99 mm touring ski, with radii from 14.8 m at 167 cm to 20.9 m at 188 cm for longer, more open arcs.
Is This the Right Ski for You?
CCBB Ski Ratings
CCBB Ski Profile
Why We Like It
- A 135 mm shovel over a 99 mm waist is a lot of surface area for a ski that weighs 1,400 g per ski at 167 cm, which is the whole argument for the TX99.
- Kastle adds thin poplar layers to the paulownia core on the TX99 rather than reusing the TX88 and TX94 layup, because a 99 mm ski needs more torsional stiffness across its width.
- Radii from 14.8 m at 167 cm to 20.9 m at 188 cm suit the open terrain a 99 mm ski gets used on, rather than fighting the width with a short sidecut.
- The Hollowtech Evo hollow-chamber tip pulls mass out of the shovel, which matters most on the widest ski in a line where the tip is the heaviest part.
Best Uses
- Storm days and soft snow touring where float sets the tone
- Freeride touring on bigger, more open descents
- Powder laps close to the trailhead where efficiency matters less
- One-ski quivers for skiers whose season is snow-rich
- Open bowls and longer arcs at 181 cm or 188 cm
Ski Specialist's Advice
The Kastle TX99 comes in 167, 174, 181 and 188 cm, and the radius runs 14.8 m, 16.5 m, 18.8 m and 20.9 m across those lengths. A 99 mm ski gets skied in open terrain more often than in trees, so we lean toward the middle and upper end of that run rather than sizing down. Weight goes 1,400 g per ski at 167 cm, 1,460 g at 174 cm, 1,530 g at 181 cm and 1,590 g at 188 cm, a 190 g spread, so a longer size costs less on the skin track than most skiers expect.
The TX99 ships flat with no plate mounted and Kastle does not specify a reinforcing plate, so pin-tech touring bindings, hybrid bindings, or a standard alpine binding all mount to it. Kastle marks a recommended line and does not publish an offset from center, so we mount to the factory line unless you ask for something else. Match the binding to your boot sole norm rather than to the ski. Brakes, if fitted, need to clear the 99 mm waist, which means 100 mm brakes.
The 118 mm tail sets skin width, not the 99 mm waist, so the TX99 runs a 120 mm stock skin trimmed to shape and Kastle offers a Pro Skin cut for it. That is the same stock width the TX88 and TX94 use, which is worth knowing if you rotate skins across skis in the line. The shovel and tail are hook free, so a standard tip loop and a wrap-style tail clip are the right hardware.
Technical Specifications Full spec table · Click to expand
Shape and Sizing
- Dimensions
- 135-99-118 mm (all lengths)
- Turn Radius
- 14.8 m (167 cm), 16.5 m (174 cm), 18.8 m (181 cm), 20.9 m (188 cm)
- Lengths
- 167, 174, 181, 188 cm
- Weight
- 1,400 g per ski (167 cm), 1,460 g per ski (174 cm), 1,530 g per ski (181 cm), 1,590 g per ski (188 cm)
- Rocker Profile
- Directional touring rocker, low camber, hook free shovel and hook free tail
- Item Number
- AT9925
Construction and Use
- Core
- Ultralight Twin Core, a paulownia core with thin poplar layers, in 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 118 mm tail
- Recommended Use
- Freeride touring and soft snow
- Warranty
- 2 years from date of purchase, handled through the selling retailer
Compare the Kastle TX99
TX99 vs. Kastle TX94
The Kastle TX94 runs 130-94-116 mm at 1,290 g per ski (163 cm) against the TX99 at 135-99-118 mm and 1,400 g per ski (167 cm), and the TX94 uses a paulownia woodcore without the poplar layers the TX99 adds. Snow-rich seasons and soft-snow priorities point to the TX99, and all-round efficiency points to the TX94.
Shop Kastle TX94 skisTX99 vs. Kastle TX107
The Kastle TX107 is the dedicated deep-snow ski in the line at 107 mm underfoot and 1,450 g per ski (171 cm), across three lengths from 171 cm to 185 cm. The TX99 stays more useful when a storm underdelivers and the snow turns variable, while the TX107 is the better tool when the forecast holds.
Shop Kastle TX107 skisTX99 vs. Kastle TX88
The Kastle TX88 is the opposite end of the line at 125-88-112 mm and 1,120 g per ski (151 cm), with a 10.2 m radius at 151 cm against the TX99 at 14.8 m at 167 cm. Skiers who tour for spring descents and vertical take the TX88, and skiers who tour for powder take the TX99.
Shop Kastle TX88 skis