The Legend X 96 is a brand new ski for 2018 and is part of a brand new collection from Dynastar. These skis have been designed to blend the all mountain and freeride categories. The Legend X 96 is the second widest ski in the category and is extremely versatile thanks to its 96 mm waist width, 5 point sidecut seen in all the Legend skis, and its construction made up of a light wood core, carbon fiber, and titanal. Dynastar’s skis are designed with “Powerdrive” technology, a range of core profiles that are designed to offer specific flex and feel for specific applications. The Legend series uses the “Powerdrive Free” core, which offers full length shock-absorption and superb versatility. While Dynastar recommends this ski for “off trail” use, we think it has solid ability around the entire mountain, including groomed slopes.
Joe Cutts thought the ski had excellent maneuverability and playfulness thanks to its relative light weight and early tapered tips and tails (5 point sidecut). He commented that they are “among the more playful types in the category, but there’s some beef there too.” Joe was benefiting from the added stability of the carbon, and although they’re lightweight, they’re certainly no slouch. He also felt that the Legend X 96 was impressively balanced. Joe is a big guy and a relatively powerful skier. He was skiing a 178 cm ski, and probably would’ve been better off on the 186 cm, but he used this as an example in his reaction to the ski: “Really well balanced. I was able to ski the 178 cm without feeling like there was a big loss of stability.” Joe also thought the ski was very predictable and relatively quiet, commenting that they were “very well behaved whether I was pushing hard or laying back.”
Steve Sulin and Bob St. Pierre both skied the 178 cm and both focused on the ski’s maneuverability and quickness. There are other skis within the Legend collection that use heavier materials, but the Legend X 96 uses construction that is meant to be light and quick. Steve Sulin went as far as saying it’s “not a large turner”, which we can understand as the ski has a relatively small 17 m radius and is quite light. It prefers to make short, quick, energetic turns. Bob St. Pierre agreed that this is where the Legend X 96 really shines, saying “the key is to take these 5 point skis into the woods.” While you certainly don’t have to ski them in the woods, they really do perform incredibly well there. Skiers that like skiing tight trees should definitely consider picking up a pair of Legend X 96 skis.
Mike Anglin had a great response to the ski. While it wasn’t his favorite of the test, he did give it a high score for overall impression and we think his response does a great job summarizing the ski and who it’s going to be best for. Mike may have been better off on a longer ski himself as he too tested the 178 cm length. Mike said, “I really loved the first three dimensions of the 5 (point sidecut). They initiated great and loved to arc a turn, but lacked the pop in the tail I was looking for. Loved different turn shapes and loved the corn bumps. Intermediates to experts can all enjoy it.” Because of the rockered and early tapered tail shape and the fact that the ski does not use metal you’re not going to get explosive energy out of the tail of the ski. If you’re looking for something that really rockets you out of a turn and into the next you should look for something with less early taper and less tail rocker. That being said, the 5 point sidecut and maneuverability of the Legend X 96 make it an absolute dream in tight terrain where you have to make quick adjustments and also makes it much more approachable for less aggressive skiers.
