The simplest way to characterize the new M-Free 99 from Dynastar is it’s a narrow Powder ski, a genre that’s otherwise populated by models over 113mm underfoot, compared to this M-Free’s 99mm. In groomed conditions, its tip and tail have nothing to do except dangle above the snow surface, waiting to be called into action. Considering how loose its extremities are, it’s cool, calm and collected underfoot, moving edge to edge in medium-radius turns without drawing attention to the fact that the tip and tail are on sabbatical.
Size selection is always important; with the M-Free 99, it’s critical. The 178cm length isn’t just a scaled-down 186cm, as each length goes through its own development process. To support the strong, fall-line crud skier who is the M-Free 99’s most probable partner, the 186cm length is a must, as it provides a longer, more stable mid-section to distribute a big boy’s pressure and liberate his aggressive instincts. Listen to the testimony of two strong, attacking testers from Bobo’s, Sawyer and the aptly nicknamed Big John Hume.
Sawyer, who devours terrain in 50-meter swaths, says, “The amount of tip and tail rocker make this a forgiving ski that still holds an edge through king-size turns yet it’s easy to shut it down and stay controlled.” Big John also liked the M-Free 99’s supple flex pattern, admiring its “soft, round flex tip-to-tail, making this a perfect one-ski quiver for the park rider wannabe.” The Realskiers scoring system doesn’t grade fitness for Pipe & Park shenanigans, so we’ll take Big John’s word for it. His perspective brings to light an aptitude for air that may come to define its core audience.
But even aerialists have to come back to earth, which the M-Free 99 would prefer to be soft, as one would expect, given its Powder-ski lineage. A smear-stick at a plodding pace, it’s capacity for edging seems to pick up the more it’s aimed downhill. “It carves well at higher speeds, not at lower speeds,” confirms Bobo’s top ski tuner, Theron Lee. “It’s easy to ski because its turned-up tail allows the edge to release easily. A fun, drifting ski that you can play with; more playful that its big brother (M-Free 108).” Note that Theron was riding a 178cm, not the 186cm.
The key to the M-Free 99’s calm center section is its hybrid core, a roughly 50/50 mix of PU on the sides and poplar in the middle. A touch of Titanal underfoot helps stabilize the mildly cambered mid-section, but it’s the dampness and sheering action in the hybrid core that’s responsible for its overall feel for the snow. Its behavior in powder, its natural element, is primarily dictated by the shape of its twin-tip baseline. The turned-up tail opens up a world of multi-axis take-offs and landings that are the special province of the young, flexible and fearless.
While the M-Free 99 performs better than expected on firmer snow, don’t lose sight of its DNA: the M-Free series is an unabashed off-trail collection. Its headliner, the M-Free 118, is the epitome of the pure Powder ski, and the M-Free 99 didn’t fall far from the tree. If you like the notion of a Powder-specific baseline in an everyday-ski width, the M-Free 99 is right up your alley.
