Powerdrive is Dynastar’s name for a 3-piece sidewall which functions as a unique damping system. Stacked on edge alongside the core, it consists of a soft inner layer, a hard center section and a dynamic outer wall. Any time a viscoelastic material, like that used in the inner piece of Powerdrive, is bonded to Titanal (center part), the resulting element will act as a natural shock absorber, so the forebody of the Intense 12, where the Powerdrive feature resides, should stay nice and quiet on hard snow.
Only available in a 189cm length, the Proto Factory performs like a Technical ski in a fat suit. Despite its bulbous girth, it readily responds to its pilot’s carving intentions, getting into the turn as soon as its rockered and tapered tip permits. The midsection of its 5-point sidecut is powerful, energetic and totally trustworthy. Ready to break into a smear or cut into a carve on a moment’s notice, the Proto Factory is a decathlete of off-trail skiing.
Dynastar’s Legend X 106 bears a family resemblance to the Cham 2.0 107 that preceded it. Its tip and tail rocker, 5-point sidecut and relatively skinny tail are all traits of the Cham clan, but it’s the new addition to the gene pool, Powerdrive, that elevates the Legend X 106 above its ancestors. Powerdrive is a 3-piece sidewall that extends into the core in the forebody. The TPU section closest to the core isn’t bonded to it, allowing the laminates in the Legend X 106’s sandwich construction to shear, or move relative to one another. The easy-bowing action of the forebody allows the Legend X 106 to follow terrain instead of fight it.
The attributes of All-Mountain West skis can be plotted along two axes: the Power/Finesse spectrum and the On-trail/Off-trail scale. The Dynastar Legend X 96 lives in the Finesse/Off-trail quadrant. The Legend X 96’s signature feature, Powerdrive, works differently from most shock-damping methods, by loosening the link between the outer sidewall and the central laminates. Powerdrive breaks the sidewall into three parts, which allows the main structural layers to sheer more easily, absorbing rough terrain the ski would otherwise bounce off. Because it manages to be damp without resorting to two sheets of Titanal, the Legend X 96 keeps the weight off and the stability up.
