We’ve been saying since their inception that Dynastar’s flagship Cham models behave better without metal laminates than with, and given the construction found in the Cham 2.0 series, Dynastar seems to agree.
Cham 2.0 addresses another critique we had about the first series, that the pitch of their front rocker was too radical, creating a break in the ski’s connection with the snow, particularly on hard snow that doesn’t rise to meet the shovel as powder does. The front rocker line has now been smoothed out and a dab of rocker has been added to Dynastar’s signature pintail rearbody. The effect is a more even sensation of snow contact, which should appeal to a broader range of expert skiers without alienating the brand’s core customers.
The Cham performance profile hasn’t changed with generation 2.0: the five-point sidecut with camber underfoot creates skis with a penchant for tight turns trapped inside big bodies with the float and smear properties of a fat ski. Everything about the 3-model (97, 107, 117) collection begs, “Please! Take us off-trail!”
When corn or corduroy is more likely to be the terrain du jour, Dynastar has thoughtfully overhauled their Speed family of race skis. The brand’s race reputation was built on torsionally stiff, power-hungry skis, but the major changes for 2016 create skis that are lighter and able to twist slightly and selectively along their length to improve edge contact.
Among the tweaks for 2016, the new FIS-compliant Omeglass Pro and street legal Course Pro use lightweight Paulownia in their slightly rockered tips. More significantly, a series of slits machined into the forebody dubbed “Lateral Flex” tunes the torsional rigidity so the ski follows terrain more fluidly.
Dynastar will woo the women’s market with two new series. The Cham W 2.0 97 and 107 capitalize on the reduced weight and mellower front rocker of the 2.0 design to make these off-trail chargers easier to ride. Women who spend more time on-trail have two new options, the Glory 89 and Glory 84. While they echo the positioning and performance of the returning Powertrack 89 and 84 men’s models, they are women-specific and made in their own molds. Stance and mounting position are adapted to the sidecut and baseline to optimize performance for a woman’s lower center of gravity.
Overall, Dynastar’s 2016 collection is slimmer (redundant models are gone), trimmer (ditto many metal laminates) and lighter (more Paulownia). Taking weight reduction construction to an extreme, Dynastar has built an ultralight version of the Cham 2.0 97 out of carbon for its Touring collection. Weighing in at a mere 2800g per pair, the Mythic marries two major trends: super-light backcountry skis and versatile off-piste footprints.