Rossi Z9 vs. Dynastar Legend 4800

[Edd]

I bought the Dynastars last year and fell in love with them; huge step up from these old Volant death sticks I'd been on for years.

Now I look around at what I'd get next and the Z9 gets raves. I sense they'd be a step up ability-wise but I'm not sure. I'm definitely ready to go up but has anyone skied both and noticed a big difference? I've considered the Legend 8000 but I've seen a number of comments claiming they're similar to the 4800 and some folks even prefer the 4800s.

 

[riverc0il]

4800s are nothing like the 8000. i absolutely hated the 4800 when i tried them. i found them not lively and rather dull to ski, just a pair of dead sticks. probably decent for an intermediate or upper intermediate looking to learn to ski natural snow. but for an advanced or expert skier, not so much. the 4800 did nothing for me yet i swear by my 8000s. i recommend trying the 8000 if you are looking for something a step up from the 4800s. i think some lighter weight skiers actually have better luck with the 4800s, so that may be the case. be careful when listening to other people's comments on skis as ability and body differences can contribute to radically different opinions on the same ski from people you might think are comperable. i am no exception, i make these comments as an expert skier that loves natural snow, tree skiing, and powder and am 6'1" at 210 lbs. your mileage may vary, as usual, which is why demoing is best. i can not compare to teh Z9.

 

[snowmonster]

Bought a pair of Rossi Z9's at the end of last winter. Been on them for about 4 days this season (mostly) on groomed runs. My immediate goal at the beginning of the season was to smooth out my carves and these are great skis for that purpose. Great ski for turning out medium to long GS-type turns. Did some short slalom type turns on them too and the skis are pretty ok doing that too. Some folks commented that the Z9's were "squirrely" or too "turny" at speed. Tried bombing down some runs last week to see how squirelly these skis were and didn't get that impression. Pretty stable. Haven't really tried them on bumps yet. Did have some disastrous bump runs on my first day this year and that was a disaster more attributable to my lack of technique (and rustiness) rather than the skis characteristics so I can't comment if the Z9's are good on the bumps.

Overall, I'm very happy with the skis. Great carving ski and stable enough for the speeds I ski at. I'm about 5'6", 160 lbs, ski on the 162 cms and fall in the upper intermediate (but, hopefully at the end of the month, advanced) category. Hope that helps.

 

[Greg]

4800s are nothing like the 8000. i absolutely hated the 4800 when i tried them. i found them not lively and rather dull to ski, just a pair of dead sticks. probably decent for an intermediate or upper intermediate looking to learn to ski natural snow. but for an advanced or expert skier, not so much. the 4800 did nothing for me yet i swear by my 8000s. i recommend trying the 8000 if you are looking for something a step up from the 4800s. i think some lighter weight skiers actually have better luck with the 4800s, so that may be the case. be careful when listening to other people's comments on skis as ability and body differences can contribute to radically different opinions on the same ski from people you might think are comperable. i am no exception, i make these comments as an expert skier that loves natural snow, tree skiing, and powder and am 6'1" at 210 lbs. your mileage may vary, as usual, which is why demoing is best. i can not compare to teh Z9.

Haven't skied the Legend 8000, but I did demo the 4800. I would agree that it's not lively at all, but what it lacked in rebound it made up for in stability. I still would like to ride an 8000 someday. If it has the stability of the 4800 with a bit more pop, it must be a great ski.

Moving to Gear...

 

[NYDrew]

For starters, Dynastar and Rossignol are the same company (much like Dodge and Chrysler) although they wont be so fast to admit it. There is always the possibility that they are the same ski but I doubt that due to the fact that the Z9 used to be the flagship model for rossi.

I have not skied on the legends but I have skied on dynastars. I currently own 2005-2006 Z9's and I absolutely love them for all terrain. I can make them shred a nastar course or tear through glades and bumps. Slice the ice or float (kinda) in powder. They are also build well to take abuse.

you know the answer though..demo demo demo