Dynastar is taking aim at some big competition with the Legend X 96. They’ve always held pretty firm in the belief that an all-mountain ski doesn’t have to have a ton of metal in it, it just has to ski well. Not everyone wants a race ski on steroids, so the Legend X 96 was born. Featuring tip and tail rocker and a five-point sidecut, the Legend X 96 can tackle a wide variety of terrain in a diverse set of snow conditions. With a wood core, the X 96 is light, snappy, and stable. It has easy to turn tips and tails, and as such, can be maneuvered quite easily. Our testers focused on the strengths of nimbleness and solidity in their takes on the X 96.
Benny Wax picked up on the friendly turning nature of the X 96 right away. He scored the skis 4 out of 5 for flotation, stability and forgiveness. These grades have the making for a great soft-snow ski. Skiing the 178 cm length, Benny noticed that the skis “turned early with great float in forebody.” That’s an eloquent way of complimenting the five point sidecut of the X 96. The widest part of the tip is closer to the center of the skis, so making that turn initiate is super easy. Benny’s high marks for forgiveness, flotation, and stability are all hallmarks of a well-designed all-mountain ski.
Jason Krupsky skied the 186 cm length and gave top marks for stability, forgiveness, and versatility. He thought that they felt a bit short, but that played into his high scores for quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. He called the X 96 a “great all around ski. Very stable at speed but nimble enough for short radius turns (especially for an 18m radius ski). Should be wide enough especially in the shovel for powder skiing, but with a 96 mm underfoot width, it skis well on groomed slopes.” This is some very nice feedback from Jason regarding the ease of turning, the potential for float, and the groomer performance. All of this adds up to a really solid, strong performing all-mountain ski for advanced and expert skiers alike.
Skiing the 178 cm length, Justin Perry gave high scores for flotation, playfulness, and versatility. He’s admittedly not a fan of the 5-point sidecut, but that didn’t diminish his overall feeling towards the skis. “These skis ski, that’s for sure, even though I’ve never really enjoyed the shorter turn radius. This ski is very quick regardless of speed, and given that shorter turn radius, would be dope in the woods.” Fair enough, Justin! And given the fact that the shorter radius does perform well in the woods, we’d go so far as to say that he might actually like the short turn, whether he knows it or not.
Michael Rooney skied the 186 and loved the stable and solid nature of the skis. “Even in wet and sticky snow, the X 96 holds its line. The X 96 is a good, solid ski you can relax on or push hard. It is good on both steeps and flats.” Michael definitely has a good handle and grasp on the performance characteristics of the X 96.
All-mountain skiers who are looking for a controllable and versatile ski will find a little slice of heaven with the Dynastar Legend X 96. With its five-point sidecut and short turn radius, you’ll be able to dictate the turn shape and duration easily and with minimal effort. As a result, you’ll find yourself skiing more challenging terrain and having more fun than you ever have before.
