Blizzard Magnum 8.1 IQ Max

I spent a full day on the 2010 Blizzard 8.1 Magnum IQ Max as well as a full day on 2010 Dynastar Legend Sultan 80, 172 cm. Both have similar dimensions, and to me, feel very similar even though they have different construction.  These were my favorite 2 skis that I tried at a local demo day along with several others, and thanks to the local Blizzard and Dynastar factory reps, had the privilege to spend an additional  full day on each of these skis. It was late season spring conditions, very soft, when I tried these skis.  I absolutely loved both of these skis and found them to definitely improve my performance. Unlike many people reviewing the new skis, whether in magazines or blogs, I'm unfortunately not a level 9 skier. I'm 46, and I skied 30 days this past season - that's twice as much as the total days I've skied in the past 45 years.  For someone who is a solid intermediate, but desperately wanting to be considered 'expert' (if only in my mind), I found both of these skis to be very stable, easy to engage, and frankly, quite forgiving. The Legends were a little softer, and slightly more forgiving.  I felt as if I could drive these from the back seat or sitting on the hood. The Magnums were also forgiving, and I felt  - a little more 'precise'.  In the bumps I felt that I could place these skis on edge, precisely where I wanted to.  Both have great stability at speed, and compared to my 'intermediate' level crap skis, I found myself comfortable skiing twice as fast as I normally did - still not fast compared to you level 9's out there. I would strongly recommend either of these skis to an intermediate skier looking for game improvement. I'm planning to plunk down the cash to buy a pair for this next season - most likely I'll get the Blizzard 8.1's, but would be happy with either. Neither of these skis are 'inexpensive'. For someone like me to release my death grip on my hard earned cash - says something about these skis - they're definitely worth the price.  They'll improve your performance and help you enjoy your days on the mountain much more. And this is from someone so cheap that I'll drive 200 miles (and spend $25 in gas) just to save $5 on a purchase. Who knows, by this time next year on these new skis, maybe I can believe that I can be an 'expert' skier.