Ye Olde (Newe) Dnya 8000

Greetings. I saw snow last weekend at Hunter in NY!! There was at least an inch on the ground everywhere. Woo HOo!!! I know it's not called Hunter any longer, btw.

I've decided to get a pair of Dynstar 8000 instead of the Contact 10. More all mountainability and I'm too lazy/cheap/stupid to build a functional quiver. Question: Has anyone skied the newe and improved 8000 with the different layup and extra 1 cm of width with amazingly ugly graphics featuring the huge Olde English font style. Seriously, possible contender for ugliest ski ever, certainly of the season. Dynastar needs a new head of graphics design.

In what way does it feel different? Stiffer seems like it have a little higher speed limit but then maybe not as easy to snap turn in the trees.

You can find last year's for a couple hundred less than this year's. I'd say in the big scheme of how much skiing costs, that price difference is inconsequential. I just want the the better of the two. After all, sometimes the newest and improved is only the newest. Thanks All. This forum is GR8 !!

It isnt?????

I don't know how they ski but I agree they're UGLY. A few years ago they made two colors of the 8000 and I thought both looked better than average. Since then they look like the graphics were designed by some 14 year old Goth in a Jr. High art department.

Why do you buy 8000 and not 8800?

I have the 05-06 (nice orange graphics) 165's, and bought some 06-07 (not-so-nice goth graphics) in 172. Freaking world of difference. The 06-07 was uber large compared to the earlier model. I wanted a slightly longer turn radius, but got a whole different beast.

To be honest, all the stuff I loved about the 165's was gone - no sparkle no pop, but could handle stupid speed without problem. As I'm a Dynastar junkie, they exchanged me for some Contact 11's for hardpack days.

Oh Grook - If he was looking between a Contact 11 and an 8k, chances are he's doing Eastern and / or groomers where the 8.8k isn't as effective. (I've got them too)

Eastern = ? (other than the Eastern part of the USA.)

The '08 version has a 4mm wider tip and therefore a somewhat deeper sidecut. This is noticeable but not dramatic and the flat version feels pretty similar to me. The Fluid rail version has a nearly flat stance vs. say a flat ski with a PX binding, which would make the ramp about 6mm. To me, this makes the new ski feel more balanced and neutral. Not a big thing but noticeable and a better feel to me. The 8K is a classic within it's category and I think the '08 is the best version.

SJ

Yes. This site is primarily about US and Canada fyi.

Good assessment on the art department, Steve. They must live down the hall from you. But hey, if you're lookin' at your skis your going to be laying on the snow with them pretty soon so I guess the appearance is kind of irrelevant. Besides, when's the last time you heard a sweet snow honey say "ooo, pretty skis, dude, wanna buy me a drink?" Anyway, my wife, who is a much better skier than me, would bean me with a ski pole, or just laugh at me or both.

8000 and not 8800? I want a little tighter/quicker turn than I think the 8800 will give me. At this point my skiing consists of a couple of trips to the Rockies every winter. Haven't skied here in the East for about 5 years. The reality is that I will be on groomers. Sometimes it's with a group and some people want to spend time there. But really, every run I'm on the blues at some point if not just to get back to the lift. I want something a little more cruise oriented for that than my AC4s. I love those skis but man, they want me to work it work it work it. They do reward in spades but they don't let up either. I love the blacks, though I'm sure my form would seem pathetic to those of you who ski a lot. The 8000 seems like it's a pretty good bump ski, not the greatest maybe, but pretty good. So that will help. And I love exploring places and especially being in the trees. It's just so damned peaceful it's almost magic. And when I'm in the trees I want to know that my skis will turn NOW if I need them too. I'm concerned the 8800 won't initiate quite fast enough, at least at my skill level. Seems like the big advant to the 8800 over the 8000 is powder, deeper powder. I wish/hope to see more of it, but only going a couple of times a year means that, unfortunately, I don't get much time in the deeeeeper fresh stuff. Only in my dreams.

Sierra Jim, thanks for the info and perspective. I had though Dynastar had just widened the whole ski by the same amount so the sidecut remained the same. I also didn't know there are two version, Flat and Fluid Rail, if I understand you correctly. Go to Epicski and learn!

Also I'd be remiss for not thanking Snofun for the brief history of the 8000. Most interesting because many of the rave reviews and descriptions of versatility of the 8000 are for older models. I didn't realize they'd changed so much. Confounding.