Review: Stockli SR 95/Dynastar Legend X 96

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Review: Stockli SR 95/Dynastar Legend X 96

Postby jbotti » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:33 pm

I tested both the Stockli SR 95 and the Dynastar Legend X 96 this past week in Montana.

First the Stockli. Skied these in the 184 length. Decent ski and if I didn’t have RNR’s (Head Rock n Rolls) I might like it. I don’t love the tip profile with a little more rocker than I like but it’s not terrible and not nearly as much as many skis today. At first I had a little trouble getting the amount of tip pressure I wanted but then I figured it out and they arced quite nicely. TR is not quite as tight as the RNR but close. Ski is bendable but a little stiffer than the RNR (it has metal and the RNR does not) and because of the metal is feels a little more solid on groomed snow than the RNR. It will not bend as well as the RNR and I was skiing wider arcs on it. Skied some fresh pow beautifully and I think the ski shines here (maybe better than the RNR but who cares cause this stuff is easy to ski). In harder/ more difficult skied out stuff (crud and chop) it was reasonably nimble and easy to brush and It was fine through the bumps I was skiing (not huge but definitely bumps). I am pretty sure that it’s flat camber from near the boot toe to the tip. Because of this the ski is less responsive to tipping than the RNR and because I tip to turn it was just less nimble. This is the problem with the new school designs and this is a combo (some flat camber with camber). In the end if it’s all I could get I would ski it and be fine but I bet I would ski the Monster 88 instead which is full camber with no tip or tail rocker (and I doubt I will ever buy this ski (the SR 95)). The other place the ski shines is in wider GS turns at speed. It’s quite solid and busts through chop quite well and feels stable doing it. But again I like to make turns and skiing at terminal velocity using slalom like turns. The skis does not shine doing this although it’s possible. Again If I didn’t have the RNR’s I would rather ski the Monster 88 than this.

I skied the Dynastar X 96 today in the 186cm length. It’s not really happening (at least for me). Great in pow and as a pow specific ski, quite fun. But it sucks on groomers, again no tip and its really designed to pivot. You have to work to keep the skis from pivoting when they are tipped to any significant angle. Bending the ski is impossible because there is no tip. I was on the 186 and it felt like I had 2-3 inches beyond my toes before the rocker started. In bumps in crud its fine but it wants to pivot and again you can’t bend it. So for soft snow only could be fun but you will never love it on the groomers heading back to the lift. For good PMTS skiers that tip first and try to avoid pivoting and are bending skis on and off-piste it pretty much sucks.

Bear in mind that it’s a different ski than the Legend X 88 that HSS carries and loves. Our shop does not carry the 88 so I could not try it.

I did enjoy reading Geoffda’s post on what skis he owns and what he skis where. Great lesson for everyone in that high level PMTS skiers ski pow, chop, crud and bumps on slalom carvers. After reading it I was doing off piste laps on the Elan SLX (a ski the Max skis everywhere and loves) and after getting used to the shorter length off piste it really was a blast. For the dedicated PMTS skier/student the goal for all should be to be able to easily ski everything on a slalom carver (and once there can choose to ski something different).

For those looking for the RNR replacement I would say get a Dynastar X 88 or a Monster 88 (that Max and I love but it’s probably for more advanced PMTS skiers).

And BTW, I looked through a lot of websites looking for what the ski companies are making. The full camber ski in the mid-80s to 100 or so under foot without tip or tail rocker is disappearing. Besides the Head Monster series the only other skis I could find like this were the Rossi Experience line and some Volkl’s (which I am sure still have the worst flex pattern on the planet). And Rossi added significant tip rocker to the Experience skis for next year (they were at our mountain with demos on Saturday).
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
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Re: Review: Stockli SR 95/Dynastar Legend X 96

Postby CO_Steve » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:28 pm

jbotti wrote:I did enjoy reading Geoffda’s post on what skis he owns and what he skis where. Great lesson for everyone in that high level PMTS skiers ski pow, chop, crud and bumps on slalom carvers. After reading it I was doing off piste laps on the Elan SLX (a ski the Max skis everywhere and loves) and after getting used to the shorter length off piste it really was a blast. For the dedicated PMTS skier/student the goal for all should be to be able to easily ski everything on a slalom carver (and once there can choose to ski something different).



I think everyone should give this a try. I've been skiing my Speedzone 12ti every powder day and never wanted for anything else. A couple of years ago we had about 8" at Keystone. I had a pair of Stockli Rotor 76 on the rack that I intended to grab. Unfortunately for me they are just about the same color as my wife's Stockli Laser SLs in 160 so I ended up with them instead. When I got to the mountain and saw my mistake I was lucky that my wife's boot is only one size smaller than mine. A quick adjustment and I was off to ski the pow. Now I generally don't ski 160 in anything and at 66 underfoot the SL might not seem like the best choice but I had a great time on them. The powder bumps we so much fun on such a short ski. You do need to manage fore aft carefully.
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