gear reviews

Gear Review | Dynafit Youngstar Set

Ski touring equipment for the next generation.

02/20/2025

With the Dynafit Youngstar touring ski set, the renowned brand with the snow leopard has closed a gap in the ski touring market: a lightweight set specially designed for children that makes the joy of ski touring accessible to the youngest members of the family.

First impression and the importance of a lightweight set

Four years ago, my son Emil, then aged 6, stood on touring skis for the first time. At that time, the choice for children was quite limited or actually non-existent. We inevitably opted for a downhill-orientated children's ski, combined with the relatively heavy Hagan Z02 frame binding. The consequence? After his first season, Emil was rather sceptical as to whether he wanted to skin up the mountain again the following year. So for the following years, we preferred to stay in various ski resorts with fixed bindings under our feet and I went on tours without him again.

With the Youngstar set from Dynafit, which we were allowed to scrutinise this winter, we took a second attempt and lo and behold, the enthusiasm of the youngstar is back. The Dynafit Youngstar touring ski set is a complete package that is specially tailored to the needs of children and teenagers. It includes the Youngstar touring ski, the ST Rotation Lite 7 binding and custom-fit skins. On top of this, the Youngstar boot is the perfect boot for the set. Dynafit thus offers a well thought-out solution to make the entry into ski touring as easy and comfortable as possible for young athletes. The Youngstar set has been tested over several tours - both on the piste and off-piste and in different snow conditions.

Ski: Light, versatile and good-natured

As I'm writing the test report for the junior rider who was allowed to test the material, terms such as "flex" or "forgiving riding style" had to be explained and discussed from time to time along the way in order to elicit a qualified opinion from Emil that went beyond "really good" or "fits".

We started the current season in the classic way on the piste. The construction is specially tailored to the low weight and needs of young skiers, which was immediately noticed by the carrier when carrying the equipment from the car to the lift. Thanks to the solid poplar wood core, the ski offers a good balance between smoothness and dynamism. A phrase that Emil described more with the words "runs mega well".

After some initial scepticism as to whether the pin binding would really hold (more details below), we went full throttle. Almost like on a classic piste ski, we went downhill at breakneck speed on the mostly hard and sometimes icy Black Forest pistes. Even small kickers were gladly taken and lo and behold: everything went smoothly without any false releases.

Emil has found the setup to be really good and enjoys the new ease of ski touring!

Max Elias

Flumserberg

Emil

It was exciting to see how quickly he got to grips with the new ski. The equipment is often to blame for the not-so-smooth start to the new season. That wasn't the case this time. This is probably due, among other things, to the noticeably soft flex, which makes it easier to control the skis and ensures a more forgiving skiing behaviour.

With a centre width of 79 mm and a tip rocker profile, the ski offers solid float even in deep snow and facilitates turn initiation. The continuous poplar wood core ensures a low weight, which makes the ascent easier and at the same time improves manoeuvrability in powder. The ABS sidewalls ensure optimum power transmission, allowing the ski to perform reliably both on the piste and off-piste. From my youngster's point of view, the Youngstar is an excellent choice for young ski tourers who want to gain their first experience in deep snow.

Binding: safety and ease of use

After a short period of familiarisation, Emil actually got to grips with the binding quite well. Of course, he had to try out a few times how to get into the pins properly. It was all the more surprising for him that these two small pins could hold him securely in the binding. But once he had seen that my pin binding held my 86 kilos, his scepticism was quickly dispelled. The ST Rotation Lite 7 binding included in the set has been specially developed by Dynafit for children and teenagers. It is based on the lightweight low-tech system and combines the experience of adult bindings in terms of safety with easy handling.

The rotational toe pieces of the binding compensate for impacts on the ski and binding during dynamic descents and minimise the risk of unintentional early release. This should significantly increase safety.

The main reason why children should not ride with a binding for adults is certainly the possibility of setting a low Z-value. The ST Rotation Lite 7 can be set to DIN values between 2.5 and 7, which is specially optimised for the low weight of children. The Dynafit binding quickly won Emil over with its high level of comfort. Thanks in particular to the three different walking modes, which can be quickly adjusted with the ski pole, the ascent was not effortless, but comfortable. Adjusting the climbing aids was intuitive for him.

The binding proved to be robust and reliable, but showed a slight weakness when getting out of the binding during the test. The boot only comes out of the rear pins with a bit of skill. This works much better with other pin bindings. Emil got on really well with the binding in "walking mode". The binding is definitely fun and is by far the biggest gain in comfort compared to the Hagan frame binding that Emil knew.

In addition to the ST Rotation Lite 7, Dynafit also offers the Youngstar binding. The latter is a few grams lighter and has a release value of 2-5.

Skins: simple and reliable

The custom-fit skins in the Youngstar set were quick and easy to fit. After a brief introduction, Emil was able to attach the skins on his own, simply remove them again and store them well in the skin bag provided. Emil's conclusion: "The skins are great, they don't slip off even in steep sections." This was also a little dig at my slightly older skins, which I occasionally slipped backwards a little on the tours. The skins offered reliable grip on a wide range of snow conditions - from damp slushy snow to hard frozen surfaces. And even after several tours, the skins showed no significant signs of wear.

Boots: Comfortable and robust

With the Youngstar Boot, Dynafit is launching the first fully-fledged touring ski boot especially for children and teenagers. This boot promises a combination of low weight, high functionality and child-friendly comfort - and has shown in the test that it fulfils these requirements.

Emil particularly praised the comfort: "They don't pinch anywhere and stay nice and warm." Even after longer tours, there were no pressure points or blisters - an important point for ski tourers. Another highlight is the grippy outsole, which offers good grip even on icy or slippery passages. This not only makes tours easier on the ascent, but also provides safety during breaks or short walks.

The weight of the boot has a particularly positive effect on the ascent, as it facilitates movement and saves energy. The fastening system is designed in such a way that it can also be easily operated by children with little grip strength. Switching between walking and downhill mode is particularly intuitive and quick.

The Youngstar boot offers a shaft rotation of 60 degrees and a flexible tongue that enables a natural walking movement. As a result, the boot is neither restrictive nor cumbersome on the ascent.

Emil on his Youngstar Set-up.

Max Elias

Flumserberg

Emil

On the descent, the Youngstar boot then offers a very solid performance. Despite its low weight, the boot guarantees sufficient stability both on the piste and off-piste. At just under 40 kilos, Emil was unable to push the boot to its limits on the descent. The boot might be a little too soft for heavier skiers.

Dynafit advertises the shoe's thermal insulation: feet should stay warm even in frosty temperatures. With one exception, this is certainly true. At -10 degrees and queuing at the lift, the insulation was briefly at its limit.

The Dynafit Youngstar Boot is an excellently designed touring ski boot for children and teenagers that offers both comfort and performance. With its intuitive handling, low weight and high level of comfort, it is a clear recommendation for young touring skiers.

Conclusion

The low overall weight of the set was a particularly positive feature, which noticeably relieved Emil, especially on the ascent, compared to the heavy set from back then with the frame binding. The Dynafit Youngstar touring ski set impresses with its well thought-out concept, which is specially tailored to children. The combination of lightweight skis, functional bindings, good skins and comfortable boots makes it easy for young ski tourers to get into the sport.

A very positive aspect is that the often-mentioned low weight makes longer ascents easier, which increases children's motivation. The ski is versatile and stable, both on the piste and off-piste. The binding could be improved in detail - especially when getting out of downhill mode - but overall it remains a solid choice.

For families who want to introduce children to ski touring, the Youngstar set offers real added value and is a clear recommendation.

Advantages & disadvantages

+ very easy to control

+ very good weight

+ Intuitive operation, even for children

+ Successful overall concept

- Binding could release the shoe a little better

Information

Price for skis: 349,- Euro

Price for binding: 510,- Euro

Price for skins: 120,- Euro

Price for the set 750,- Euro

Price for boot: 450,- Euro

Ski

	120	130	140	150	160
Weight	1643 g	1743 g	1863 g	1993 g	2133 g
Sidecut top	106 mm	108 mm	111 mm	113 mm	115 mm
Sidecut middle	77 mm	78 mm	79 mm	80 mm	81 mm
Sidecut bottom	91 mm	93 mm	96 mm	98 mm	101 mm
Radius A	11.5 m	12.5 m	13 m	14 m	15 m
Tip Rocker	190 mm	220 mm	240 mm	260 mm	280 mm
Tail Rocker	50 mm	55 mm	60 mm	65 mm	70 mm

Boot

Sizes: 21.5 - 22.5 - 23.5- 24.5 - 25.5 - 26.5
Weight: 930 g (for size 24.5)
Flex: Child-friendly tuning for stability and manoeuvrability
Shaft rotation: 60 degrees
Quick Step-In Insert: For easy step-in into pin bindings
Material: Robust and lightweight materials, made in Montebelluna, Italy

Skins

Length 120 120 130 140 150 160

Weight 152 g 163 g 174 g 185 g 196 g 185 g 196 g

Here is the link to the Dynafit website with further information. Here you can purchase the set from our partner shop Sport-Conrad.

The entire set was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer. You can find out how we test in our test statement.

Dynafit Youngstar skis with bindings and skins.

Photo gallery

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