Dynafit Denali Ski

is this ski (168 cm) effective edge is 105 cm (168-43-20) ? I am 5'6" and 165 lb, just wondering is this length works for me (I think the 176 cm maybe too long for me)? I am a intermediate skier and most of time on piste touring and some time off piste. also I am thinking about the Cho Oyu 166 cm, but don't know which one is better in my case. Please advise.

What length would you recommend for a 5'9"/152lb intermediate skier? I am looking for a a ski with a better floatation than my current Nanga Parbat, for backcountry soft and variable snow. Thanks!

Not much to add except to confirm this is the best float to weight ski I use. Compares well on hard pack as well. Skied US east, west, Europe and it is likely as big in the 184 as I need. It's less chattery than Movement Vertex, has a useful rocker to beat that skis initiation in soft snow, and holds better on hard than Trab Stelvio. Works well with TLT5&6, but prefers the stiffer TLT6. No complaints and would use on all but the tightest couloirs.

I have a pair of 193 Denali's which I used for the Urner Traverse this spring. I am 185cm and 105Kg skiing the ubiquitous Scarpa Maestrale with Plum Guides, no brakes. This setup comes in at 3784g which is lighter than my old Trab Stelvio's 185's with the same binding. This is a very versatile ski in all conditions. Whilst training for this tour I spent a few days on east coast boilerplate and on the tour we had everything from late afternoon soup to perfect powder and everything in between. It ski's short as you would expect from the rocker, the underfoot camber and sidecut give you perfectly good hard snow performance and the combination of its surface area and rocker give you great soft snow characteristics. It is a carbon ski so it is a bit chattery but that is the price you pay for the light weight which is great on the uphill. The Pomoco skins were excellent and I managed to stick with skins when several of my mates were putting on ski crampons. The tip is quite wide so in the average euro skin track it catches a bit but you just need to find a split boarder or an American to follow and you will be fine. If breaking trail the rocker really helps and the 100mm underfoot wasn't a problem when side-hilling. Overall I give this 5 stars it is a great all round touring ski which is very versatile on the downhill too.

Will 100mm crampons fit these ok?

Would like to but a pair of these but I'm really unable to decide on the length. I have a pair of 187cm 2012 Manaslus that I love and cannot decide between the 184 or 193 Denalis. They'll be used for a fair bit of technical ski mountaineering as well as some touring - but happier to use the Manaslus for the latter. Just how short do these ski? Is it worth saving that bit of weight and having something that's a bit more manoeuvrable or will the 184s be a bit squirrely? I'm 6'4''.

Overall: Five Stars for an excellent ratio of surface area to weight, with the float that would be expected from its wide rockered tip, and unexpectedly strong firm-snow performance given its nearly triple-digit waist and nearly unbelievable weight.

Background on product familiarity: So far I have skied on the 2014-15 version in a 168cm for a little over 24,000 earned vertical of backcountry powder plus about half a day of lift-served in various conditions. Mounted with ISMF-prohibited combination of Dynafit Speed Superlite toes and Plum Race 165 heels (mainly for reasons of random expediency, as I have nothing against SSL heels or Plum Race toes). So far for boots I’ve used Dynafit EVO for backcountry and Dynafit TLT5 Performance (stock Velcro strap replaced with elastic version for extra responsiveness) for resort and sidecountry. Closest ski I have previously used is probably the original-generation Dynafit Manaslu (169cm, 92mm with rockered tip but traditional tail).

First, the first impressions out of the box: With its notched tip, shovel width extension, radically slimmed-down final ~3cm of tail, and thinner cross sections in the tip and tail, the Denali makes quite the first impression. Then again, it’s pretty much just a wider version of the Cho Oyu and Nanga Parbat that debuted last season, and that have been joined this season by price point redesigns of the Manaslu and Seven Summits.

Mounting will have you worrying about dulling your drill bit and depleting your drill battery, but you certainly won’t have to worry about stripped screw holes or bindings pull-outs: the wider 4.1mm drill bit rec is serious, just as serious as the massive metal binding retention plate lurking somewhere in the ski innards. (And unlike some other light skis, the profile is of normal thickness, so no need to compromise retention by filing down screw lengths.)

In my 168cm length, the 97mm waist works with a 100mm Dynafit ski crampon.

Second impressions, in use: I hesitate to latch onto a marketing campaign theme, but the IFMGA endorsement makes sense for this ski. Unlike many skis with waist widths around the century mark, the Denali copes well with all sorts of firm surfaces often encountered in a true ski mountaineering context, as opposed to the pleasantly soft snow that is the typical goal of backcountry skiing. Even skiing resort groomers was so much fun that I sometimes delayed skiing steep ungroomed terrain and venturing into the untracked backcountry powder – my only “complaint” is that at true GS speeds (i.e., what non-racers call SuperG speed) if I then encountered some uneven snow, I noticed lots of tip flapping.

And unlike many competing wide skis, the Denanli rocker seems to be optimized to enhance float through unconsolidated nastiness while still allowing a normal length selection and without any strange complications for rocker versus sidecut placement. All this for a weight penalty of, well, actually, the Denali is probably lighter than the overwhelmingly vast majority of skis marketed for and used in the backcountry, regardless of width.

Third impressions, for long-term durability: I can’t pass judgment on that yet given my usage, but I haven’t heard of any durability issues with the identically constructed Cho Oyu or Nanga Parbat. Plus the tips and tails don’t skimp on metal reinforcement.