WildSnow spy shot from next season catalog. Graphene Ultra is the lightest ski ever produced. Available now. Click to enlarge.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Boulder, Colorado USA (March 31, 2015) – Dynafit North American announces a groundbreaking campaign to not only sell the most versatile and lightest weight ski ever made — Graphene Ultra — but to completely change the ski equipment public relations landscape by taking a global view of when they release products to retail, going forward.An industry insider shared this embargoed image from upcoming Italian marketing campaign. Skimo racer Allegria Moretti is also a model. She signed on with Dynafit just a few days ago to spearhead the Graphene Ultra campaign.
“We examined metrics from emerging markets such as Chile, averaged with Australia and Switzerland,” said Bryce Ward, CEO of Dynafit North American. “The result at first startled us, but we soon realized that releasing ski products into retail needs to be done in spring, rather than in the fall — basically, we found there are a lot more skiers in South America than we ever thought possible — and Swiss skiers in particular are going all seasons.”
The debut product for Dynafit’s new retail strategy is the Graphene Ultra ski. This amazing, nearly miraculous technological marvel was developed in conjunction with U.S. Special Forces winter warfare specialists, assisted by materials science engineers at DARPA. Capping the design process, the skis were tested by UIAGM guides worldwide, with a final evaluation round performed by Killian Jornet and two other Worldcup skimo racers, the names of whom are being kept private for security reasons.
“The Graphene Ultra skimo freeride touring ski was developed to serve the growing market for recreational alpine ski touring in the European and U.S. markets,” said Ward. “The design priorities were ease of use and adjustability, compatibility with a wide variety of skier types (skimo racers as well as sponsored freeride athletes), along with excellent uphill and downhill performance at a low weight that heretofore is unheard of in the industry.”
The Graphene Ultra is manufactured using a top secret process, kept under tight wraps by Dynafit (and their ski maker Folsom Customs) for a development period of fully six years. The ski will be sold in one length, 176 centimeters, with an area marked off at the tail where certified shop technicians (only available at Dynafit Competency Centers) can cut the ski to length with a special diamond toothed hacksaw. Corresponding boot locations marks are provided, depending on what ski length is ultimately chosen.
“We found that with new materials and processes the archaic method of manufacturing skis with multiple expensive molds, for different lengths, was completely unnecessary,” said Ward. “By using nearly 100% various carbon materials, this ski is so strong we’re working on a promotional video that shows it being used as a pry bar to remove earthquake debris during a live rescue in Valparaiso, Chile.”
Lightweight strength is indeed the big story of the Graphene Ultra ski. Dynafit engineers studied the arcane weight charts at WildSnow.com and realized they could make a ski that literally “went off the chart” in terms of mass. To that end, Graphene Ultra weighs an astonishing 410 grams for the 176 cm length, at a profile of 125/99/111. This is less than 1/3 the weight of any similar sized ski on the current market.
“The amazing lightness of the Graphene Ultra is accomplished in many ways, but two things stand out,” said Ward. “First, as the name indicates we did use a large amount of graphene, a form of carbon that’s so strong a nail supporting the weight of an elephant can’t penetrate a layer only two molecules thick. But secondly, and perhaps even more revolutionary, is we’ve eliminated steel edges. Yes, you heard that right. The edges themselves are a mix of carbon fiber and diamond dust we’ve found holds an edge nearly as well as steel, yet weighs nearly nothing in comparison.”
The benefits of Graphene Ultra go beyond weight and strength. The ski has a black topskin that absorbs and retains nearly 86% of available solar energy, in turn gradually releasing warmth to act as a “snow reduction system,” that prevents heavy topskin ice from forming in nearly all conditions. Patented Dynafit climbing skin mounts are included at tip and tail, along with HDPE base material that exceeds Ptex in strength by approximately 46%, and never needs waxing.
The Graphene Ultra ski is shipping now. MSRP $1,600 USD.
APRIL FOOLS
Leon Sendmuller is a reporter for the Aspen Daily Cryer and specializes in ski related issues. He is personal friends with nearly everyone in Cinch Creek as well as having been employed as a cabin boy on the Unlimited yacht. When asked if he liked is former job as an Aspen Powder Tours guide better than being a cabin boy, he said “cabin boy, for sure, the tips were better.”
