Twenty years ago Dynastar produced a signature ski for Jeremy Nobis – then regarded as the game-changing big mountain skier of his generation – called the Inspired. It had to be a built with the solidity of a race ski to handle the G’s Nobis could generate on a 50-degree pitch. Its 117-89-110 sidecut didn’t have a tapered tip or rockered baseline, and it was designed in a slow-twitch 27m-radius shape that could get Nobis down a 2,000-vertical foot couloir in 30 seconds.
By the time the first Legend line came out in 2004, Nobis’ name had moved over to the Super Nobis, which in turn was renamed the Legend Pro Rider. No one had any doubt whose legendary descents Dynastar was referring to.
The point behind this oblique introduction to the Legend X 106 is that the Legends of today aren’t made for the Jeremy Nobises of this world. Instead of being stiffer than the norm, the Legend X 106 gets its silky ride by deliberately softening the forebody so it will conform to irregular terrain when driven at recreational speeds. What makes the modern Legend X 106 more malleable than its ancestors is a 3-piece sidewall called Powerdrive.
Developed for its Speed Zone race skis – albeit with a different mix of materials – Powerdrive breaks up the bond between the laminates in the core and the rigid outer sidewall. Under impact, the interior sheets of fiberglass are able to move relative to the laminated Paulownia core to absorb impact, keeping the forebody on the snow. Without heavy Titanal laminates to cast a cloud over its inherently peppy personality, the Legend X 106 feels quicker to the edge than the norm among Big Mountain models.
“The dampness of this ski is nicely blended with a quick edge engagement,” writes the very veteran tester Bob Gleason from Boot Doctors in Telluride. “The turn shape is round with a strong finish. When flattened it scrubs smoothly. The forebody absorbs variation in snow like flubber.”
An unapologetic fan of off-trail conditions, the Legend X 106 isn’t so specialized it can’t handle a few forays on the groom. It feelings about prepared slopes are similar to the sentiments of tourists to New York City: a great place to visit, but they wouldn’t want to live there.
BTW, if you’re still pining for the return of a hard-charging Big Mountain model from the House of Rossignol, there’s a Rossi Black Ops 118 ($800) you might want to check out. For the rest of you who consume your big mountain descents in smaller bites, the Legend X 106 exudes the ease that has made it a returning Silver Skier Selection.
