Opinions? 2023 Armada Declivity 92 Ti vs. Dynastar M-Pro 90 Open

[MattD]

In the market for new skis for East Coast all-mountain skiing. Did a bunch of demos over a week of skiing a few weeks back. Unfortunately, these 2 skis were NOT ones I was able to get on. Looking over the reviews on this site and elsewhere, it seems like these might have a lot of good points for consideration for me. 170 lbs., more finesse than power skier. Primary use will be Smuggler's Notch, VT, with a few days at other VT resorts. Will not likely keep a multi-pair quiver, so looking for as close to a 1-ski quiver as possible, knowing that means compromises. I am not looking for a primary groomer ski, but will have to be able to handle hardpack groomers for some of the time. I really enjoy glades, bumps and other ungroomed terrain, so looking for something that shines there without suffering brutally on groomers/hardpack. Anyone skis these two who can pitch in with impressions?

 

[DocGKR]

The M-Pro 90 I had was not ideal on groomers. Might go with something like the Salomon Stance 90, Rossi Experience 86Ti, Stockli AR, Liberty Evolv 84, or others of that ilk.

 

[MattD]

Thanks. Not looking for a ski with a definite frontside/carver bias, nor one farther on the power side than finesse side of the spectrum. Something more balanced in terrain preference with more finesse properties suits me better right now.

Anyone have impressions on the 2 I mentioned?

 

[GregK]

The Armada Declivity 92Ti would definitely be the better carver over the very tapered and more soft snow oriented M-Pro 90.

Saw your other posts on here and saw you liked the K2 Mindbender 90C. The Declivity 92Ti is a very comparable ski to the Mindbender 89T that I’m sure you’d love.

The Mindbender 89Ti has a very similar shape and flex to the 90C but with the metal adds a bit of weight(not much though) and a more solid feel on edge with it’s increased torsional rigidity over the 90C.

I’d say you’d love either the Declivity 92Ti or K2 MB 89ti and get whichever one you can get cheaper. The K2 seems to be cheaper online combined with the fact you’ve already tried it sibling and liked it, the K2 89Ti is the no brainer!

 

[MattD]

sooo we are stuck in class 0.2 land ish? it seems

throttle = no chance

Have you watched the @SkiEssentials reviews of these skis? I know at the very least they have an extensive review of the QST 92, which I ultimately bought.

The Armada Declivity 92Ti would definitely be the better carver over the very tapered and more soft snow oriented M-Pro 90.

Saw your other posts on here and saw you liked the K2 Mindbender 90C. The Declivity 92Ti is a very comparable ski to the Mindbender 89T that I’m sure you’d love.

The Mindbender 89Ti has a very similar shape and flex to the 90C but with the metal adds a bit of weight(not much though) and a more solid feel on edge with it’s increased torsional rigidity over the 90C.

I’d say you’d love either the Declivity 92Ti or K2 MB 89ti and get whichever one you can get cheaper. The K2 seems to be cheaper online combined with the fact you’ve already tried it sibling and liked it, the K2 89Ti is the no brainer!

Thanks for the great reply. Context for my 90C comments ... it was the 2nd ski out of 7 I demo'd that week. I went in with a bias thinking they would be way too much of a noodle. They surprised me in that they were more capable and versatile than expected. As the week went on and I tried other skis, I was not longing to be back on them. They did surprise me because of my preconceived notions, but ultimately were a bit too soft and did not have any "ear-to-ear smile" factor for me.

 

[GregK]

Thanks for the great reply. Context for my 90C comments ... it was the 2nd ski out of 7 I demo'd that week. I went in with a bias thinking they would be way too much of a noodle. They surprised me in that they were more capable and versatile than expected. As the week went on and I tried other skis, I was not longing to be back on them. They did surprise me because of my preconceived notions, but ultimately were a bit too soft and did not have any "ear-to-ear smile" factor for me.

The K2 89Ti will be a similar shape but a more substantial ski than the 90C. The Armada 92Ti is again a similar shape but a bit stiffer again underfoot than the K2 models. Still very fun and playful with great edge grip when needed. Maybe try and get out on the Armada 92Ti as it might be your goldilocks ski.

 

[MattD]

The K2 89Ti will be a similar shape but a more substantial ski than the 90C. The Armada 92Ti is again a similar shape but a bit stiffer again underfoot than the K2 models. Still very fun and playful with great edge grip when needed. Maybe try and get out on the Armada 92Ti as it might be your goldilocks ski.

I will try to get on the Declivity, but unlikely to happen. It's 80 degrees here and Hilton Head trips are more likely than Vermont!
After really thinking about my demo experiences and trying to extrapolate (always dangerous!) to everything I am reading, another ski that hit my radar is the Nordica Unleashed 98. Not sure why I missed this one, but have not read a bad review yet ... especially for relatively lighter finnesse guys like me who don't want an Enforcer.