The Legend X 88 is the only ski within Dynastar’s Legend collection that uses metal and comes in with an 88 mm waist width. One look at the ski within Dynastar’s line suggests it’s going to be a relatively powerful, aggressive all mountain ski. Dynastar’s Legend skis are designed to blend the realms of freeride and all mountain skiing. They use a 5 point sidecut (also referred to as early taper) and fairly significant rocker in the tips and tails. While most of the Legend skis are relatively light, the Legend X 88 and its 2 titanal laminates is more concerned with power and stability than achieving a light weight. Our testers put it to the test over two days at Stowe Mountain Resort and each of them had a positive reaction to the ski and the performance derived from the combination of their 5 point sidecut, maneuverable shape, and burly construction. All of our testers were on the 173 cm length.
Rory Burke described the Legend X 88 as a “frontside carver” despite its 88 mm waist width. A ski with two sheets of metal generally has impressive amounts of torsional stiffness and edge grip, which Rory definitely found in this ski. However, he also gave it 5 out of 5 for both quickness and playfulness, a nod to the effect that 5 point sidecut has on a ski. Because the effective edge is relatively short compared to the full length of the ski it’s relatively easy to pivot and throw side to side despite the two sheets of metal. He thought it was a “great ski to take out and lay some tracks.”
David Wolfgang was also impressed by the skis ability to carve a turn on firm snow and also found the turn initiation to be very smooth thanks to the 5 point sidecut design. He referred to it as “very fast turn initiation” and expanded on his thoughts by adding that you can just “lay it on edge and it dives into the turn.” David also found the ski to feel very light on his feet despite the two sheets of metal. We think maneuverability is often confused with a light overall weight, which could definitely explain David’s reaction as he did mention that it felt “heavy to carry, but light on your feet.”
James Stewart had a blast on the Legend X 88 as well. He was impressed by the dampness of the ski and its versatility and ability to excel in a wide range of conditions. He commented that they felt “amazingly damp” thanks to the two sheets of metal. He described the skis as being “smooth and stable in a pretty versatile shape.” Smooth and stable is a perfect way of describing a ski with metal and clearly that’s something that James really enjoys as he went as far as saying that the Legend X 88 has a “better on snow feel than most anything I’ve skied today.”
David Marryat gave the Legend X 88 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and versatility, with quickness and maneuverability both getting a 4. His overall impression score? 5. David described the Legend X 88 as “an awesome east coast choice.” He felt that the skis had “excellent versatility and edge hold. It handled corn, crud, and hardpack very well.” We think David really hit the nail on the head with his reaction to the ski. It does have an impressive ability to do a bit of everything, while still being a pretty gosh darn powerful ski to carve a turn on. We think it’s a great choice for relatively aggressive skiers who want a ski that will hold up to high speed skiing, but is versatile and maneuverable enough that you won’t feel held back when venturing into more variable terrain.
“Grip and rip!!! A definite try if you haven’t been on a Dynastar in a while.” -David Marryat
