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The Scores (out of 10)
- Crud Performance: 8
- Responsiveness: 9
- Stability at Speed: 7
- Flotation: 5
- Playfulness: 8
- Forgiveness: 8
- Versatility: 9
- Quickness: 9
The Specs
- Price: $999
- Lengths: 154, 162, 170
- Dimensions: 129-93-115
- Radius: 13.2
- Weight: 1,215g (162cm)
- Level: Advanced, Expert
In a Nutshell
- Pros: Responsiveness, Versatility
- Cons: Floatation, Playfulness
Light and reliable, the K盲stle TX93W is a solid choice for long backcountry missions and impressed us with its quickness in tight trees and chutes. The TX93 W heads into a new season without any major updates, a testament to the age-old saying, 鈥渋f it ain鈥檛 broke, don鈥檛 fix it.鈥 The women鈥檚 line features a 93mm and 87mm waist options (clearly designed for cruising uphill at a solid clip), and a 103mm is the fattest in the bunch on the unisex side of the TX line.
Related: Eight ways to use ski straps in the backcountry.
With a springy paulownia core wound with carbon and fiberglass that makes for a solid and stable ski with plenty of energy, the TX93W is equally at home in the steeps as it is slarving its way through creamy spring corn. It鈥檚 an ideal daily driver for weight-conscious backcountry skiers looking to explore the far reaches of a range but are still searching for real performance when precision counts on the descent. In anything but deep snow or PNW mank, testers agreed this was a tough one to beat for intermediate to advanced skiers looking to go far.
鈥淚f you’re tackling long missions with lots of vert, you’ll forget you have a ski on,鈥 said tester Jordan Garrett, who鈥檚 no stranger to long slogs in the Colorado backcountry. 鈥淲hen you need to throw in a jump turn in an icy chute, the perfect amount of camber underfoot will have you feeling confident. Definitely not your sometimes-flimsy touring ski that can’t pack a punch.鈥
K盲stle鈥檚 signature Hollowtech tip and a short 13.2 meter turning radius responds quickly while weaving through tight trees and narrow couloirs, with a low swing weight that鈥檚 forgiving and easy to maneuver even when your legs are trashed at the end of the day. 鈥淎fter skiing through 2,000 feet of trees and bumps, the legs were burning and I felt a little lazy,鈥 said Garrett. 鈥淭his ski didn’t punish me for relaxing a bit, which I appreciated.鈥 The softer tips eliminate any sort of hooky feel that light and stiff skis often have, making it easy to push through turns without feeling locked in.
Read more:聽Learn How the K盲stle TX93W Stacked Up Against the Competition
While the damp and stable feel won testers over for its trustworthy characteristics in challenging terrain, this may not be the ski for you if your style is on the more playful side. Despite its lightweight and softer tips, it鈥檚 still a K盲stle ski, which means it鈥檚 stiff and directional. Another drawback to this backcountry ski is float; although the 129mm shovel and early rise tip does its best in soft snow (and suits the low-density storms you find in the Rockies just fine), it isn鈥檛 an ideal everyday ski for anywhere that sees significant snowfall. If you live in the PNW or Jackson Hole, keep this one on reserve until springtime.
聽is a freelance ski journalist based in Jackson, Wyoming with work featured in聽SKI Magazine, Powder Magazine, Freeskier, Teton Gravity Research, and聽Ascent Backcountry Snow Journal. She spends winters backcountry skiing in Grand Teton National Park and riding lifts at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, with the occasional trip to the Alps (for the food, obviously). While she鈥檚 been in ski boots since she learned to walk, Lily has been professionally writing about skiing, gear, and all things outdoors for the past seven years. In addition to an all-consuming addiction to powder skiing mixed with heavy doses of Type II fun, Lily takes snacking seriously, and when she鈥檚 not writing or sliding on snow, she鈥檚 likely deep into a baking project in her tiny kitchen. She is the co-author of聽, a collection of dirtbag-friendly recipes inspired by life in a mountain town.