2022 Dynastar M-Free 108

The 2022 Dynastar M-Free 108 returns unchanged for this year, much to the delight of the skiers who found the 108 to be sublimely playful, floaty, and smeary, all while remaining stable and sturdy. Count this author as one of those skiers, as the 108 is about as cool as it gets in the fresh and soft snow, and a whole lot of that is directly due to the shape, construction, and profile. As one of the more heavily rockered ~108’s out there, the M-Free feels like it bounces through the snow, and with an 18-meter turn radius in the 182, that feeling should not be dismissed—it's a pretty short turner, much thanks due to the shorter effective edge. While this may seem like it’ll make the ski unstable on anything less than fresh powder, the construction of the ski takes care of that issue. Dynastar uses their Hybrid wood core in the 108, consisting of a central chord of poplar wood surrounded by their polyurethane (PU) material which is akin to the plastic found in a 120-flex alpine ski boot. This blend of wood and PU does make the ski feel and behave a lot burlier than the flex and rocker profile suggest, and that’s a testament to the designers and builders of these great powder skis. They’re not particularly light, and that helps with the stability and hard-charging capabilities as well.

Bob St.Pierre skied the 182, and while it worked well, he did find it to be on the short side for him, and at 6’2 220, he’d prefer to be on the 192, especially for a ski that’s meant to be used in softer snow and wider spaces. He scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for flotation, playfulness, forgiveness, and overall impression. Lower scores of 3 out of 5 for torsional stiffness and edge hold are not surprising, but the rest of his scores were 4’s and that’s a good thing for a ski this wide. A 4 for quickness and maneuverability definitely stands out, as there aren’t many 108’s that feel like this ski. “We actually got a good day mid-season to test this ski, and had about six inches of snow to play in. I expected them to perform admirably, but I was more than impressed with their flotation and ease of use in the powder. I actually don’t think I’ve had as good of an initial reaction to a playful powder ski as I did with these 108’s. From start to finish, this is a great ski with a ton of benefits for skiers who find themselves in soft snow more often than not. Whatever they’re doing with that Hybrid core really works, and I’m as impressed with it in this ski as I am with it in the narrower M-Pro 90. The PU material just really works well in a ski, and this 108 is no exception.”

Reuben Jalbert also skied the 182 and found the sizing to be to his liking. His top scores of 5’s out of 5 were given for flotation and overall impression, with 4’s running the rest of the way with the exception of a lone 3 for torsional stiffness. With those scores, Reuben definitely has this ski pegged as a playful, forgiving, and fun-loving ski that is very much at home in the fresh powder and softer snow. Reuben calls the M-Free 108 “Such an awesome ski! These things were sturdy and damp, yet playful and swingy. I had no problem maneuvering the big spring bumps, then letting these things rip on the flatter terrain. They're incredibly stable for how playful they felt. Great for free-ride rippers that want something to stomp, smear, and shred any and all terrain. If I lived on the west coast, these would most likely be my every day ski.” And for the east, for snowy conditions, I’d wager that Reuben wouldn’t be too upset to get a pair of these either.

It’s great to see these skis back again for 2022, allowing another generation of skiers the opportunity and privilege to hop on these 108’s and have a ton of fun in the soft stuff. While on the heavier side, they have the shape and profile to make them supremely maneuverable and fun to ski without losing the sturdiness and stability that is needed for hard-charging through adverse conditions and terrain.