Ski Review: Dynastar Altitrail Vertical Light

I skied on my brand new Dynastar Vertical Lights for the first time today. If you don't feel like reading the rest the summary is that they are amazing! Alpine Tourers say that the most important factor in ski selection is weight. Well I think this is just nonsense. The only reason you walk up all those thousands of metres for all those countless hours is to enjoy the few seconds of exhilarating descent. Therefore, the ski must be all about the downhill and weigh less than you do.

These skis cut through anything. I adapted to them after just one day of downhill skiing. By the end of the day I was bouncing down huge moguls and attempting the same steeps I would on my Rossignol Bandits. I think that says a lot for how natural these skis feel.

I was sorely tempted by the fat powder version of these skis but I have to say I'm not noticing any problems with float in the limited powder I've found so far. My plan is to keep these for a year and then move to the Altitrail Powder.


But nevertheless they have proved themselves to be excellent on crust, brilliant on ice, and amazingly good fun on bumps. They are so easy to turn in crusty wet off piste that's hardened and been rained on. Go Dynastar! So far I think these are an excellent way to get started with Randonee.