2018 Dynastar Speedzone 12 Ti Skis

The Dynastar Speedzone 12 Ti is a high end carving ski designed to blend precision with a smooth, fluid feel. The Speedzone 12 Ti uses one sheet of full length titanal metal to help increase dampness and vibration dampening, which when combined with the poplar wood core gives the ski a very solid, stable feel. It uses slight early rise in the tip that makes turn initiation incredibly smooth allowing you to tip the ski on edge and let it take you into a carving turn. Dynastar’s Powerdrive construction gives the ski an almost instinctual ability to adapt to different conditions and terrain. It helps keep consistent edge contact with the snow, which is another reason why Dynastar consistently describes the ski as being “smooth”. It all sounds good on paper, but what did our testers think?

Steve Brown described the ski as a “Ripper!” and gave it 5 out of 5 for stability, quickness, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. He tested the 182 cm length and was very impressed by the ski’s ability to make a powerful carving turn, but also noted that it feels less serious and more enjoyable than a full on race ski. He commented that the Dynastar Speedzone 12 is “as close to a fun ‘GS’ turn as you can get.” He thought they did “great on piste”, but unlike some frontside carving skis had the ability to “bust crud” as well.

Benny Wax was on the 174 cm length and was most impressed by the easy turn initiation and the skis stable feel. He commented that “turn initiation was easy and simple”, which is quite a compliment and quite the accomplishment for such a high performing, relatively powerful ski. Even though turn initiation is easy, it still rips. Benny thought it had great edge grip and stability and described them as “providing a secure feeling on firm snow.” The skis ability to retain consistent edge contact thanks to the Powerdrive technology is really noticeable when skiing over variable conditions, which we had at times during our test days.

Kris Demello’s size called for the 182 cm length and he thought the Speedzone 12 Ti handled high speeds very well. After all, you can’t exactly name a ski the Speedzone if it falls apart when you’re skiing fast. According to Kris, “this ski wants to go fast. It’s so stable when flying down the groomers.” It truly is an impressively stable, damp, and quiet ski, something that was echoed among our testers. Kris did have some advice for who he thinks the ski is best for; “great for the skier with race style.” Because it has a relatively narrow 72 mm waist width and does draw a lot of influence from race skis it’s best suited for skiers with that style. More freeride-oriented, playful skiers will want to move into a wider ski like the Legend X 88, for example.

Marcus Shakun also tested the 182 cm ski and gave the Speedzone 12 Ti 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. He dubbed the ski a “frontside driver” and went on to explain that he thought the ski had “great edge hold and control throughout the turn.” This sense of control can again be attributed by the skis ability to retain consistent edge contact. It doesn’t bounce around and really never feels unstable even at high speeds. Marcus thought this was also due to the fact that the ski has a “damp shovel and a stiffer tail that helps hold the turn.” The damp-feeling shovel is where the consistent edge contact starts. The ski almost feels like it has shock absorbers in the tip, then completes a turn with the power of a race ski. Marcus had a nice quote giving some advice as to who he thinks the Speedzone 12 Ti is best for, and we’ll leave you with it:

“Great for advanced to expert skiers who like making medium to long radius turns and find themselves on more frontside, groomed trails than not.”