[The test results for the Cham 2.0 107 are from 2016; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.]

 When Dynastar introduced the original Cham series several seasons ago, the metal-laden, top-shelf models where heavily rockered along a 5-point sidecut. While our crew didn’t join the stampede of praise for the metal models, we found a lot to like about the non-metal Cham 107 High Mountain. The transformation to Cham 2.0 last season only enhanced our appreciation for our favorite Cham ever.

Throughout their long sibling rivalry, Dynastar has always tried to out-burly its big brother brand Rossignol. La guerre éternelle continued into the era of fat skis, with Rossi’s softer-is-better approach, embodied in the Soul 7, pummeling the first generation of Chams. (In honor of The Greatest, let’s call this the rope-a-dope tactic to sales success.)

The lower rocker profile of Cham 2.0, which brings more ski into snow contact sooner, was a pure improvement, a product tweak without a downside. As applied to the Cham 2.0 107, it means a greater connection to earth without losing the ability to swivel out of trouble. As Bobby from Powder House pens, containing his enthusiasm considering his 98/100 score, the “Cham 2.0 107 is attached to the ground.”

This may sound like faint praise, but Bobby knows that many Big Mountain models are so intent on swiveling and surfing that the small platform they work from feels connected by a base layer of ball bearings. That sounds easy until you try to tame it.

Still a 5-point sidecut ski, the Cham 2.0 107 has slalom quicks when pressured, as though a point guard were operating inside a power forward’s body. It strikes just the right balance needed to make a wide, off-trail ski behave as if it were inherently nimble.