Ah, the wonders of the Fall. Cooling temperatures, refreshing crisp breezes, new ski movie releases, and huge gear tent sales. Skiing equipment does not get any cheaper than the pre-season Fall Tent Sales. Excellent deals were spotted in the Lincoln, NH area this afternoon including Rogers’ and Sport Thoma’s annual tent sales in Lincoln and North Lincoln. Rogers’ tent sale is located across the street from their well designed new building. No longer a claustrophobic old building, Rogers is now a three floor spacious warehouse full of the latest in winter sports gear.

Prices for last season’s skis were particularly low under the tent next to the new building but cheap skis from last season were also located upstairs. Examples include used Dynastar Legend 8000s for $400 mounted with demo bindings, Legend 8800 unmounted for $400, and last season’s Legend 8000s for $400. All fantastic prices for one of my favorite ski lines. If I did not already have 2.5 pairs of the 8000, I would have taken a pair of their hands!

Get out there and buy some cheap gear from last season while you can!

On March 21st, I visited Stowe, VT and experienced a long desired demo with the Volkl Mantra (177cm). Sporting a Radius of 20.3 and a sidecut of 130/94/113, the Mantra is billed as ideal one ski quiver for those that enjoy front side and back side skiing. My opinion is that the Mantra compromises too much to be an East Coast quiver of one. Ironically, I found the ski was more akin to a wider Supersport in having excellent carving ability while lacking in the powder and tight turns required of East Coast tree skiers.

Prefacing my full review are my personal preferences, physical specifications, current quiver, and testing conditions. I stand tall at 6’1″ and tip the scales at 210 pounds. My build is athletic but not bulky and despite my size I prefer finesse to power although I am an ex-college racer that at one time preferred brute force. My favorite terrain includes all natural snow terrain but most specifically New England tree and glade skiing with a preference towards powder. I have the ability to carve serious arcs when powder is scarce and I can bash bumps with the best of them. My current ski quiver includes the Dynastar Legend 8000, Dynastar Intuitiv Big, and Volkl P50 Motion. Testing conditions included a bit of everything including groomers, wind blown hard pack, bumps, soft natural snow, powder, trees, etc.

I really wanted to like this ski. It is one helluva ski. It really is. And even though it was not the right ski for me, I recognized instantly the skis’ power and prowess. It is an interesting feeling being both amazed yet disinterested in a ski at the same time.

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I have a confession to make: I am a gear junkie. During the past three years, I have acquired six pairs of skis, two pairs of boots, two pairs of poles, and numerous other skiing related items. Something happened that altered my perceptions about ski gear from maximizing gear lifespan and utilizing a one ski quiver to requiring differing gear for changing conditions and demands. I decided that money no longer mattered in regards to experiencing awesome turns produced by the right equipment in varying conditions.

New technologies and changing sidecuts originally got me started down the road of the gear junkie. The late 1990s into the early 2000’s saw some incredible improvements in skiing equipment. Within six years, I had upgraded skis three times with each new ski producing dramatically increased performance. By the third ski, I knew I was on the road to a new ski purchase every other year.

Increasing ability and skill level further drove my gear needs. As I began diving into glades, trees, natural snow, and thin cover situations, my skis began taking a beating. A ski I purchased for the 2003-2004 ski season lasted only two years before having a blown out sideway, chipped edges, a bent tip, and numerous core shots. The need for a dedicated rock ski became painfully apparent recently when I brought the pair of skis into a shop. The tech said he would not put the ski through the machine for fear of destroying the stone grinder.

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Taking over where the much raved about Intuitiv Series left off, Dynastar’s Legend Series was introduced during the 2004-2005 ski season to much fan fare. The Legend 8000 filled in the gap between the previous year’s Intuitiv 74 (equated to the Legend 4800) and the Nobis Inspired/Inspired Big (unchanged except the top sheet in the Legend 8800). The Super Nobis continues on as the Legend Pro Rider topping out the line.

The specs for the Dynastar 8000 include a 116/79/102 sidecut and a 20m radius on the 178mm length weighing in at a respectable 3530g. The wood core ski retains a decent weight due to the Autodrive SD cap structure which gives the ski some great action while retaining a solid feel under foot, but reduces the durability compared to a full sidewall such as in the Legend Pro Rider. The Legend 8000 returns for the 2005-2006 ski season with no major changes with the exception of moving the boot center mark 1.5cm’s (I recommend mounting in the 2004-2005 position as the new mountain point does not serve the ski well).

Before detailing my review further beyond the specs of the ski, it is important to preface my experiences with details regarding how I ski, where I ski, and what I enjoy in a ski. Too often people have a bad experience on a ski and simply say the ski is not good, when what they mean to say is that the ski is not a good fit for them. That said, any review detailing ski performance without details and background information on the person writing the review is not worth the keyboard it was typed on.

Weighing in at 220 pounds and standing six feet and one inch tall, I am a heavier than average skier that can bully lighter construction skis. My previous skis include a Rossi 9x 9.9,Volkl P40 Platinum, and Volkl P50 Motion with the P50 Motion with my preferences being towards the Volkls and especially the P50. I have a racing background but have since gotten off the groomers and look towards the woods and narrow lines of New England woods for my turns. I can always bust out the P50 for some groomer action, but I live for natural snow, tight turns, and lots of them.

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