2023 DYNASTAR M-PRO 85 SKI REVIEW

If you’re a regular here at SkiEssentials.com, you probably have picked up on our fondness for the Dynastar M-Pro and M-Free collections. We’ve talked about it quite a bit, but we think the latest offerings from Dynastar are easily some of the best skis they���ve produced in the past couple decades. While some skier found their match in the previous Legend collection, we think the M-Pro skis are just objectively better. More technology, more refinement, and a better skiing experience. Maybe you read our review of the M-Pro 99, and if you did, you’ll be familiar with its unique shaping and construction. I like to describe it as a reverse mullet ski. Party in the front, business in the back.

Anyways, when we got the new line of skis, specifically the M-Pro 99 and 90, the 84, despite sharing the M-Pro name, was actually just a Legend 84 with a different graphic. Not like we’re trying to point fingers or anything; things like that happen all the time in this industry, but it at least raised the question whether we’d see the same, or similar changes brought to the 84.

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Fast forward two years and, yes, we did get similar changes! Those changes come in the form of a new ski, the M-Pro 85. It’s not exactly the same as the 90 and 99 build, but it follows the same recipe, and not to jump ahead too much, but it’s incredibly fun to ski. Before we get caught up in performance, let’s talk about those changes. From a construction perspective, we get the new Hybrid Poplar/PU wood core. It might not seem like much of a change, as the 84 also had a poplar core, but by adding that polyurethane, it provides quite a bit more vibration damping and effectively smooths out the ride quite a bit. If you recall, the 90 and 99 also get a uniquely shaped sheet of metal called Rocket Frame. It’s pointy in the forebody of the ski, stopping before the rocker starts, then wider through the tail of the ski and actually extends further towards the tail than the tip. Why is it called Rocket Frame? Well, it’s shaped like a rocket. If you can picture the Saturn V, you’re on the right track. The M-Pro 85 also gets Rocket Frame, but instead of titanal, it’s made from fiberglass. That’s an interesting concept to me just from a manufacturing perspective. Seems like it would be harder to achieve such a perfect shape out of fiberglass, compared to just using a CNC machine to cut it out of metal, but hey, I don’t make skis. The idea behind using fiberglass is it will provide a lighter ski and a softer flex pattern, making it easier to achieve a responsive, rewarding feel. If you recall, the 90 and 99 are quite stiff and really intended for accomplished advanced and expert skis. The 85 should, in theory, be more accessible while providing similar benefits.

Then there’s the shape, which follows the same trend as the 90 and 99. It’s a similar shape to the outgoing 84 too, but there are some differences. We get long tip rocker, especially long for a ski in this width range. That rocker is paired with really smooth, progressive early taper. It almost looks like the ski is just straight through about 20 cm of the forebody. It’s not, but it definitely has more of a pointy, elongated, javelin shape than most skis on the market right now. In the tail, it’s completely different. There’s not much rocker back there, and there’s practically extended sidecut right through the end of the ski. There is a little bit of rounding, but not enough to call it early taper in my opinion. That’s where the party in the front, business in the back idea comes from. Reverse mullet. Now if we were to compare similar lengths of the 84 and new 85, let’s say the 177 and 176 respectively, we see some subtle differences in sidecut dimensions and resulting radius. The 84 was 122/84/105 mm with a 17 m turn radius. The 85 is 120/85/110. Not a big difference, but you can see how the updated tip shape is straighter and a 5 mm increase in the tail is fairly significant. The resulting turn radius drops to 16 m in the 176 cm length.

So how do they feel? We described the M-Pro 90 and 99 as “real skiers’ skis,” and the M-Pro 85 falls under that description as well, but it’s easier to ski. What the heck does that mean? A lot of skis on the market want to pull you into a turn with wider tips that are specifically designed to hook up and pull you across the fall line. Because the tip of the M-Pro 85 is very straight and has longer rocker than most, it’s not going to pull you into a turn. That might sound like a negative, but it’s not, it’s just a different feel. It really allows you, the skier, to control how and when you want to make a turn. It puts you in control, rather than feeling like you’re along for the ride on a ski that has a mind of its own. A lot of skiers will enjoy that. Slopes get crowded, snow gets variable; it’s nice to be able to make the turns you want to make rather than trying to navigate a runaway train through downtown Manhattan.

The tip shape also helps a ton in softer snow conditions. 85 mm isn’t particularly wide, and 120 mm in the tip certainly isn’t wide, yet because of the long rocker and taper, it’s never catchy and really cuts through the snow nicely. That allows you to venture into a variety of different terrain and conditions, enjoying everything the mountain has to offer. Again, a real skier’s ski. Now, while we had similar conversations about the 90 and 99, we also had to mention how stiff they are. Especially in the tail, they are very stiff skis. So, although the tip shape was forgiving and gave you a ton of control, the 90 and 99 do require a reasonably strong skier to get the most out of them. Let’s start with groomers as we assess the differences. If you’re entering a carving turn, the 90 and 99 require you to really stand on them and push to bend the ski into a shorter arc, or to generate lateral acceleration out of a turn. It’s very rewarding when you do it, but it’s also pretty tiring for a smaller skier such as myself (this is Jeff, I’m about 160 lbs). Don’t get me wrong, I love the 90 and 99, but I also acknowledge they’re not ideal for less aggressive skiers because of the demanding flex pattern. This 85, on the other hand, has a noticeable softer hand flex, and feels softer when you ski it too. That allows you to get the same rewarding feel at much slower speeds and with less skier input. Of course, because the tail is shaped the same, it will still make a nice clean finish to each turn, it just feels easier.

When you take it off-piste, the softer flex pattern also makes it a lot more user-friendly. On the 90 and 99, there needs to be some active unweighting of the tail to get it to swing around behind you. That’s still somewhat true on the 85, but it’s not nearly as demanding. The softer-flexing tail lets the ski pivot around you without feeling as locked in as the 90 and 99. That’ll certainly make it easier for skiers who prefer moderate speeds and more deliberate movements. There’s a reason why we don’t all ski on long straight skis anymore, and it’s a similar conversation here. Having a lot of stiff ski behind you can be challenging, and although the 90 and 99 are legions different than those long straight skis, it’s at least an appropriate analogy, even if it is an exaggeration.

Last thing I want to talk about is the width of this ski. Skis in the mid-80s are extremely versatile, as is the M-Pro 85. Narrow enough that they’re quick edge to edge and reel responsive when linking carves. Wide enough that you can ski them in moguls, trees, and other off-piste terrain without them feeling catchy or nervous. Despite that, there’s not much excitement about skis in this width range. I’m not sure what we need to do to change that, but it feels like something that should be changed. Please join me in attempting to convince the world of skiers there’s a lot to like about this category. The more people that ski stuff like the M-Pro 85, the quicker the word will spread that they’re a lot of fun and certainly deserving of your attention.

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Written by Jeff Neagle on 06/16/22