2021 Dynastar M-Pro 99
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Ski Stats

Sidecut 127/99/117
Radius 20m @ 178cm
Lengths 162,170,178,186
Weight 1900g @ 178cm
MSRP $800
FIND
Power Score:

Finesse Score:

3
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The new M-Pro series is the first new freeride series from Dynastar that isn’t a spinoff of the Cham models it rolled out nearly a decade ago. Eventually the Cham name was dropped in favor of Legend, but aside from a damping system in the forebody, the essentials of the design remained the same. The M-Pro series bids au revoir to all that. The M-Pro 99 is tapered and rockered at both ends, but neither the baseline nor sidecut is copied from the Cham/Legend playbook. Titanal has been re-introduced, although not in full sheets. Instead, the Rocket Frame insert is concentrated in the tail and underfoot, with a thin sliver extending towards the tip. The net effect is a forebody that is ready to give in any direction married to a tail that is built to hold its course. Dynastar knows that skiers don’t buy a 99mm-waisted ski to cruise groomers; they get one in hopes of never seeing a groomer again. The M-Pro 99’s shallow sidecut and square tail design signal a directional ski that will plane evenly through tracked-up pow. One way to think of the M-Pro 99 is as Powder ski shrunk to everyday dimensions, with a more supportive tail that will make a crisper arc on hardpack. As long as the snow has a bit of give to it, M-Pro 99 handles easily and responsively.
The new M-Pro series is the first new freeride series from Dynastar that isn’t a spinoff of the Cham models the French brand rolled out nearly a decade ago. The original Cham collection included both metal and non-metal versions, but over time the Titanal models were trimmed from the line. A few seasons ago the Cham name was dropped in favor of Legend, but aside from a damping system in the forebody, the essentials of the design remained the same.

The M-Pro series bids au revoir to all that. Sure, the M-Pro 99 is tapered and rockered at both ends, but neither the baseline nor sidecut is copied from the Cham/Legend playbook. Titanal has been re-introduced, although not in full sheets. Instead, the Rocket Frame insert is concentrated in the tail and underfoot, with a thin sliver extending towards the tip. The net effect is a forebody that is ready to give in any direction married to a tail that is built to hold its course.

Many, if not all, models in the All-Mountain West genre bill themselves as “50/50” skis, meaning they are equally adept on hard, groomed snow and soft, irregular crud. But Dynastar knows that skiers don’t buy a 99mm-waisted ski to cruise groomers; they get one in hopes of never seeing a groomer again.

So the M-Pro 99 is clearly more of a 70/30 stick, with the 70% falling on the off-trail side of the ledger. The shallow sidecut and square tail design signal a directional ski that will plane evenly through tracked-up pow. Note the mere 10mm difference between tip width and tail, and less than 30mm delta from tip to waist. The only other place you’ll find sidecuts as straight as this is among the behemoths in the Powder platoon. One way to think of the M-Pro 99 is as Powder ski shrunk to everyday dimensions, with a more supportive tail that will make a crisper arc on hardpack.

While there’s no doubt the M-Pro 99 would rather face a powder field than a race course, it’s able to ride a quiet edge on hard snow in part because it uses a hybrid core, with poplar down the middle and PU down the sides. As long as the top layer of snow has some give to it, M-Pro 99 handles easily and responsively. Its bias towards longer turns and their attendant higher speeds tilts its suitability to advanced skiers, but other aspects of its design favor Finesse skiers who aren’t likely to overload the tip.

Because the M-Pro 99 simplifies off-trail skiing without surrendering the edge hold needed to carve on groomers, we award it a Silver Skier Selection.