Two visible features give the best of the Mindbenders, headlined by the 108 Ti, their signature look and associated behavior, Titanal Y-Beam and PowerWall. Ti Y-Beam is, as the name suggests, a slingshot-shaped yoke of Titanal that fortifies the tail and perimeter of the forebody. PowerWall elevates the midsection to amplify pressure over the camber pocket and direct more force to the edge. The tapered tip is allowed to distort as it shoulders its way ahead in tracked-up crud without affecting the tranquil ride behind it.
The Mindbender 108 Ti tries to win the war against crud by caressing it instead of crushing it. To execute a truly tight radius turn requires overruling its roughly 30m-sidecut radius and foot swiveling a flat ski, a move the Mindbender 108Ti has down pat.
It takes only one section of uncut powder to realize that this unsullied canvas is where the Mindbender 108Ti would prefer to display its artistry. Remarkably, its soft, rockered forebody allows the 108Ti to conform to gnarly bumps as if they were only a minor inconvenience. Because it isn’t torsionally rigid throughout, the Mindbender 108Ti doesn’t feel as wide as it measures. In soft snow it feels comfortable enough to be an everyday ski, but that’s asking a lot of a ski that likes powder as much as you do.
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.
Tester: Megan Dingman
The Dynastar M-Pro 99 W is one of those skis I’m stoked to have in my quiver. Deceivingly light, Dynastar’s new hybrid core construction creates a platform that feels incredibly smooth and intuitive, is playful yet responsive, and allows you to produce incredible rebound and energy. Needless to say, it charges. It’s this rare combination that makes this ski a perfect daily driver, and hands-down my go-to ski for all types of conditions and terrain. Whether ripping groomers or skiing tight trees this ski fully gassed, quick edge-to-edge, and very predictable. I felt extremely confident when laying the ski over and getting my hip on the ground, plowing through chunder fields, or skiing light powder. The 20m radius hooks up easily and allows you to create the turn you want. Not to mention the sleek graphic: the M-Pro 99 W catches one’s eye. Pair it with Look’s new gold Pivot 15 and you have yourself a head turner. Overall, this ski delivers a smooth, easy, powerful ride that I would highly recommend to anyone who is looking to buy a new ski that looks as good as it rides.
Tester: Pauline Astruc
The M-PRO 90 W is an all-new woman’s freeride ski that we launched as part of Dynastar’s new M-Line collection. We’ve introduced the ski in three sizes (154, 162, and 170cm) with sidecuts specifically adapted to each size to better address the size specific needs of every type of female skier. Featuring a directional freeride shape, this is a ski that really bridges the freeride/all-mountain segments and offers fast and precise performance for advanced to expert women skiers.
We are fortunate to have our home at the foot of Mt. Blanc in Chamonix. The access to every variety of terrain and snow condition allows us to gain a strong understanding of a ski’s strengths and weaknesses. Even with a freeride ski we will generally begin development on piste as this is where every little imperfection can be felt. For the M-Pro 90 W I began on a mid-steep slope with northern exposure, slowly rolling the ski from edge to edge and then progressing on later runs until I was really skiing fast. My initial impression was that I was on a slalom ski. The instant engagement and quickness edge to edge was amazing. Later, when moving into mixed snow conditions, the combination of our Hybrid Core construction and Rocket Frame Ti insert allowed me to continue pressing the gas with a level of confidence I hadn’t really experienced before. Quick and nimble, yet strong and damp. Really the perfect combination for a fun, confident everyday ski that’s not overly demanding yet delivers strong performance and pure all-mountain versatility.
Most veteran testers who try the ultralight Head Kore 99 for the first time carry with them a hint of suspicion. You can tell in the hand that they’re lighter than the typical wood-and-metal make-up usually found at the top of this popular genre. Will a noticeably lighter ski like the Kore 99 measure up to the standard set by powerful skis like the Bonafide 97, MX98, M5 Mantra and Enforcer 100?
Because any competent tester will be focused on trying to find a flaw that derives from the Kore 99’s lightness, the first run on this ski feels experimental, sort of like a first dance with a new partner. Somewhere during the second run you realize it can do whatever you can do. You stop focusing on its differentness and gain a deeper appreciation of how well it mimics the performance envelope of this hotly competitive category’s perennial all-stars.
Not only do the Kore 99’s Power properties meet the highest standard for edge grip and stability at speed, its lower mass means it takes less effort to ski, forestalling fatigue and lengthening the ski day.
Unlike some of its burlier bros in the All-Mountain West genre, the Kore 99 feels quick to the edge and reactive off it. “It did not feel like a 99mm width,’ notes Bob’s Theron Lee. “It felt much narrower.”
