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 – made from a vertical stack of TPU, Paulownia and ABS – 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 shearing action serves as a shock absorber that also unlocks the forebody so it flows over terrain instead of pinging off it.

It’s the easy-bowing action of the forebody that allows the Legend X 106 to follow terrain instead of fight it. “The forebody absorbs variation in snow like Flubber,” notes Boot Doctors Bob Gleason. It dips into the troughs between today’s contorted moguls and its tucked-in tail won’t get hung up on the back end. Because of its 5-point sidecut and double-rocker baseline, the Legend X 106 skis shorter than it measures, although its short turns tend to slarve more than carve. It’s bliss is soft snow in whatever consistency is being served, which it prefers to digest in medium-radius turns that hew close to the fall line.

The Legend name conjures images of Jeremy Nobis and big, burly skis, and indeed Dynastar makes a Proto Factory version in a 189cm (145/118/135) for their team athletes and nostalgia buffs who remember the Nobis, but the Legend X 106 isn’t about blowing up terrain in huge, GS arcs but rolling gently over it in small bites. “Great all-mountain, all-condition ski,” says California Ski Company’s Paul Jacobs. “Handled crud, powder and glazed ice with equal facility. Very smooth transition from carving to drift!”

For the way it sinks into a mellow, fluid, turn no matter how clumpy the conditions, we again award the Legend X 106 a Silver Skier Selection.