Dynafit New And Improved – Part 2 – Dy.N.A. Race Boot

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

Dynafit has several new 09/10 boots. My favorite of the lot is their new race shoe, the Dy.N.A. (Which we’ll tend to keyboard as “DNA” to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome). The other super interesting boot they’re touting is the Titan, a freeride PU touring boot that’s even stiffer than the ZZeus but is said to tour with good cuff articulation and very little weight. First, DNA, which I got my hands on and photographed while at the Dynafit FAM in Garmisch a few days ago.

Backcountry Skiing

Dynafit Dy.N.A. ski mountaineering race boot. Amazingly light with no mods. Breathable liner. Special articulation system. We want a pair.

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Beef Cakes and Tongues – Backcountry Ski Boots

by Dave Downing
written by Dave Downing

"Gram Counter." "Race Weenie." "Hey, wait for me!" "Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!!!" These are all common phrases heard by those of the AT set who still use boots with a tongue design.

Despite this year’s excitement about overlap construction ski boots, the standard in AT boots is still a tongue-construction design. From ultra-light race rigs to super-stiff boots rivaling any other shoe, this boot design yields the largest, most diverse selection to choose from. More, they tend to be light, and if you actually use your boots for core backcountry events such as sleeping in a tent, you can get a tongue boot on in the morning without giving your partner a hematoma from your wild kicks.

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Dynafit ZZeus Boot Fit & Performance

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

Okay holiday shoppers, time for a reality check. Just how stiff is the ZZeus? How light? How is the fit? And the question we always ask here at WildSnow HQ, can she ski?

Dynafit ZZeus AT boot.

Dynafit ZZeus AT boot.

Before getting into the details, let me fire off a PSA. Be it known that if you’re walking into a shop and spending a wad of Franklins on AT boots, YOU MUST evaluate fit by molding them to your feet if the boots have thermo liners (as the ZZeus does). If your shop does not do this as a matter of course, they’re demonstrating excretory negligence and you should go somewhere else. And if you’re too lazy to ask for sample molding to be done, you’ll not find out what boot REALLY feels and fits the best. So get those things on the blower for 10 minutes, then decide. And don’t believe any stories about how “molding ruins the boots for the next guy…” You’re the guy. You deserve the service.

(Edit for concerned retailers: The above should be expected by the customer within reason. I’m not saying a person can walk into a shop and expect you to mold liners for every boot they’re interested in. You’d do the sample molding after the choices are narrowed down, and at your discretion after you feel the person is a legit customer and not a tire kicker looking for what size boots they should buy online. And if you can sell boots without provisional liner molding, more power to you.)

Back to ZZeus fit and performance review…

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08/09 Dynafit ZZero 4 CTF Unboxed

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

“Green Machine” will again be the main boot in my quiver (with a variety of beef boots and minimalist shoes to round out the spectrum — to be blogged later). This year’s ZZero is virtually the same ski touring boot as last season’s, and still offers perhaps the best power to weight ratio in the business. Only change we could detect for this year is the use of a stiff plastic for the reinforcement cap on top of tongue, rather than carbon fiber. Check ’em out:

Breaking with the Dynafit Green Machines.

Breaking trail this past Saturday with the Green Machines. Trip Report for Aspen area? Thin snowpack at around 10,000 feet but enough for some uphilling cardio and a bit of backcountry exploration.

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Dynafit ZZero 4 — Peter’s Take

by Peter Kelley
written by Peter Kelley

My old red and grey Dynafit Aero backcountry skiing boots are wide and basically a bathtub fit. I’ve had to pad and extensively custom fit them for my long narrow feet. The 30 mondo sole measures 344 mm in length. Also, the Aeros are HEAVY. In my size they’re 11 lbs per pair, including my orthotics and thermo liners.

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Comparo — BD Method and Factor Ski Boots

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

You guys asked for it. Here goes. We tear these plasti-toys down to the skel like Darwin dissecting a new species of monkey. What is the real difference? What’s marketing hype?

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