When it comes to ski mountaineering and alpinism, if the Europeans are doing it, it won't be long before the rest of the skimo world is doing the exact same thing. For many years, the Euros have been zipping up and down their glaciers and peaks in funny Lycra suits, drinking good coffee and eating even better cheese, perfecting the art of the skimo ski. The Speed 76 ski from Dynafit is for folks who love to ski in steep and technical terrain, and who rack up thousands of feet before work on a weekday. Packed with lightweight tech that the good folks at Dynafit have mastered, the Speed 76 has all the nifty tricks you'll need for a full season (probably a few seasons, actually) of fun, aggressive skiing. Besides, if the Europeans are doing it, it must be cool, right? The answer is "yes, if it's yellow".
- With each length of the ski hovering around a kilogram, the Speed 76 is high powered in general, but especially for the weight.
- Tip dampening and stability provided by the 3D Tech tip, which absorbs vibrations when you have to throw on the brakes in hard, icy conditions.
- Dynafit provides a consistent and reliable shaping of the ski with their Single Radius to guarantee enjoyable turns for the life of the ski.
- 3D Tech thins out the tip and tail of the ski, while underfoot in the mounting area the ski remains standard thickness, reducing weight and and improving handling.
- Full Micro Sidewall runs the whole length of the ski, keeping weight and thickness of the ski low while still providing the strength and power transmission that a full sidewall offers.
- Metal tip and tail skin attachment points provide a reliable fixation of skin to ski, and protect the soft parts of the ski when you forget to close to roof rack on your Subaru and they fly off halfway down the block.
Specifications | |
Lengths (cm) | 158, 167, 176 |
Weight |
1020g [158] 1090g [167] 1150g [176] |
Weight (pair) | 2040g [158] 2180g [167] 2300g [176] |
|
112-75-99 [158] 113-76-100 [167] 114-77-101 [176] |
Turn |
15.0m [158] 17.0m [167] 18.5m [176] |
Skin |
Dynafit Speedskin fix |
Specs Verified | Yes |
Design | |
|
3D tip, slight rocker, camber underfoot |
|
Single radius sidecut |
|
Full micro sidewall with carbon-glass fiber and aluminium |
|
Paulwonia Speed Core |
Skimo Co Says | |
Usage | Speed touring, steep skiing |
Notes | Replaces the Broad Peak ski |
Bottom Line | Reliable companion for mountain missions |
Compare to other Low-fat Skis |
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Questions & Reviews
To compare, the Atomic Backland UL 78 will have some subtle differences. The Horizon tech tip and tip rocker will be better in deeper snow, and feel a little stiffer under foot. Finally, the Transalp is a much poppier and zippier ski with middling stiffness. Each of these skis have different lengths available but I would go for a ski around 170cm!
We got a lot of snow during Oct '21 in Utah, and I skied these at Alta on a creamy (later, refrozen) groomer, 2" of graupel on supportable crust, and down chalky moguls in Main Chute.
My impression was that these skis are a backcountry version of a frontside carving ski. The effective edge is very long, and I was skiing a longer ski than I've ever skied in the BC, so at speed, I had a ton of stability. Skiing down the cream corn groomer, this let me ski faster and with more confidence than I'd ever skied the run before. On the supportable crust w/ a bit of fresh snow on top, I felt the same way - big, long radius carves with the confidence to ski faster than I normally do. On hand flex, I find these skis to be on the stiffer side, and I think that contributed to the performance on shallow snow.
I don't think I've skied enough different skis to say for sure if these skis are particularly damp. I would say, though, that I'm surprised to read now that the skis are 1150g - I think they do ski heavier than that!
The other aspect I liked about the ski was the stiff tail. Whenever I got a bit backseat, the tail was very supportive and pushed me back into a centered stance. This was evident when carving and also making windshield wiper turns down the main chute moguls. Better downhill ability would compensate, but for some of us...
I'm giving this ski 4 stars because I don't think it's a very versatile ski. The ski's main quality is its long effective edge, and it doesn't have a lot of tip rocker. That, plus the width, means that I don't have a lot of confidence that it would hold up well in deep snow. The Backland 78s counter this with the HRZN tip, which really does do a great job of keeping the ski above powder, and I was able to ski that in some really deep snow last year. I have less confidence that that would be as enjoyable on this ski. Indeed, in Main Chute, sometimes I would land in a pile of soft sluff, and turning out of those piles felt much "heavier"; the ski was much more comfortable on the chalk than in the sluff. Also, I thought turn initiation was a bit challenging sometimes and definitely lent itself to longer radius turns, which is not my preference.
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