Dynastar Sixth Sense Slicer, 181cm
by Dawgcatching
Introduction
This ski is new for 2011. No metal, 98mm underfoot, quite a bit of sidecut, slight camber underfoot, rockered tip and tail, fairly soft at the tip and tail, and more stout underfoot with regards to flex.
- Length/size Tested: 181cm
- Location of review: Mt. Bachelor
- Runs Taken: 3 to 4 including one bump run
- Demo or Own: Demoed, but own the ski
- Other skis/boots/product tested/own: Pretty much everything out there.
Conditions
Hardpack, some slushy spring-like corn, no new snow, some firm windpack, cordouroy groomers, one bump run per ski. Plenty of off-piste, challenging snow to deal with, just what a 98mm ski was designed for.
About Me
- Age: 33
- Height/Weight: 5 foot 9, 155lbs
- Average days on snow: 30-50 days/year
- Years Skiing: 23
- Aggressiveness: aggressive all-mountain, like to ski fast, enjoy all terrain, especially off-piste skiing and bumps; groomers are fun too.
Review
I had skied this in 175cm, and felt it was a very quick, nimble ski, great in bumps, but could be overpowered at higher speed skiing, mainly due to the very soft tail. I felt like the 175cm would be an awesome small hill or small space off-piste and bump ski, when the skier didn’t need big iron skis for ripping at high speeds. Those who liked more of a tighter, slalom style turn will really like this ski. The 181cm skied quite a bit differently, and was more along the lines of a bigger feel to a do-it-all ski, or "western 1-ski quiver".
First off, this ski was extremely damp: easily the most damp of the 3. It was smooth, grounded, with no surprises. Not much energy, but it stayed glued to the snow and was quite stable. On groomers, it was a great carver. Easy to initiate, not grabby at the tip, smooth when run flat, powerful on edge, and had a nice, predictable release. Speed limit was quite high. Stability was along the lines of the others. As with many rocker designs, it felt more locked in on edge, and less comfortable being run flat in terms of stability; it was a fun carver, and had plenty of edge hold on this day, although I could see it being less than ideal for Eastern ice.
In bumps, the Slicer was a bit easier to handle than Blizzard's The One, but not quite as quick as the Fischer Watea, which was lightning fast for such a wide ski. The tip bent up easily, it had a large sweet spot, and no tail kick. Above average in the bumps. Once off-piste, in the trees and other tight spaces, I found the Slicer to be extremely predictable: it turned exactly how I wanted, where I wanted, and didn’t want to run away from me. This ski was very forgiving, easy to initiate, and ate up rough terrain. The smoothness was really an asset here, in rough, not great quality snow. I then took it up onto Summit, and hit some sun-baked and wind-blown pitches. In that sun-baked, sloppy snow, the Slicer was really at home: smooth, easy, great float in the heavy soft snow, released without effort, and just wanted to dance down the fall line. This ski is pretty mellow in character: if you are a skier who really likes to put power into the ski and load up the front of the boot, you would be better served by the other 2 skis. The Slicer is more reserved for a middle of the boot style, not driving the ski too hard, staying neutral and fluid, and letting the ski eat up the terrain and do the work.
Conclusions
Overall, this felt like a true 50/50 ski: it was solid as a carver, at least average there, was compliant in soft snow, very solid in bumps, and had no weaknesses that I could see, aside from being a bit too relaxing for some tastes, which isn’t a real weakness. Just as many people want a predicable, relaxing all-mountain ski that is a true jack-of-all-trades.
Feedback from customers has also been great on this ski: we have sent it out several times and heard nothing but positives upon return. One guy wanted to buy his demo pair after keeping it for 5 days.
