When Dynastar launched the original Cham series several seasons ago, they were among the first major brands to make widespread use of a 5-point sidecut. This design feature, now commonplace among all-mountain models, effectively relieves the tip and tail from turn management duties, shortening the overall contact area with the snow.

When they revised the design last year with Cham 2.0, they both flattened out the rockered baseline so it was less extreme and removed the metal laminates that also seemed to inhibit the Cham 1.0 shovel from blending in with the rest of the chassis even when flexed and pressured. While we’re sure there are some hard chargers out there who lament the passing of the metal laminates, for most skiers the Cham 2.0 97 is much more user-friendly.

One thing that hasn’t changed about the Cham is the shape, which houses a turn-on-a-dime slalom-turn skill set inside a longer frame that assists flotation without inhibiting pivoting. This allows the Cham 2.0 97 to smudge a turn in a tight couloir or gallop headlong down the fall line with equal facility. The way its pintail rearbody is tucked in, the Cham can be counted on to readily release the turn to avoid any awkward hang-ups.

Aside from the obvious benefits of weight reduction, removing the metal from Cham 1.0 also allows version 2.0 to feel more supple along its entire length as well as torsionally. The resulting sensation is of a ski that feels less fat as the skier rolls edge to edge on groomers, without losing a single square centimeter of surface area that assists flotation off trail.

With a dual personality that adapts to the terrain under attack, the Cham 2.0 97 has all the attributes of a well-balanced all-mountain ski.