Dynastar Legend 8000 System Skis

Jim's says: While I have reviewed this ski fairly extensively over the last few years, the Dynastar Legend 8000 model deserves yet another update. The normal lifespan of a ski model these days is 2 years and maybe three years at most. Few skis can stand the test of time and trends for more than that, yet the Legend 8K is now 5 .5 years into it's lifespan. Why??............This ski is one of the great "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" stories of the ski business. The Legend 8000 is one of those few models that can truly please an Expert, yet is not too much for an aggressive intermediate.

There was a sidecut upgrade last year that added a bit of width to the tip. This added a little quickness to turn initiation and tightened up the turn radius a bit but did not give the ski so much shape that it detracted from the ski's basic character. The 8000 still has a fairly moderate sidecut combined with a simple wood/metal lay-up. The balance of flex, dampening, and shape make this one of the more versatile skis in our 70/30 category. Within the category, the Legend 8000 does not have the best edge grip nor is it the best in softer or deeper snow. The balance of those characteristics however, is pretty close to ideal. The grip is close to the stiff, built up, "wide carvers" yet the torsional stiffness is not so high that the Dynastar 8000 is overly demanding in rough and mixed snow conditions. I think that the 178 is the best all around length for the average sized expert. An intermediate or a lighter expert (say 150-160 lbs or so) might choose the 172. The Dynastar Legend 8000 is also possibly the best in moguls in this ski category. Given that the 70/30 category is our most popular, this is a ski that should continue as a category leader for some time to come.

The Legend 8000 is sold either as a flat ski (no binding rail) or as a system with an integrated binding. Given the high quality and performance of the LOOK/Dynastar P-12 binding, it is no surprise that the system is far more popular.