For this winter season, Dynafit provided me with the Dynafit Sphinx touring ski as a women's model for testing. It was delivered with matching skins and the Dynafit Radical 2.0 in the rental version. The Dynafit Sphinx is more or less the "sister" of the Dynafit Meteorite, but was built a little lighter and softer especially for women.
Tester & Test conditions
At 177 cm tall, I weigh 64 kg. My ski boot is a Lange freeride boot with a walking function. I can be found on the slopes at the start of the season to warm up a little. As soon as the first snow falls, however, I like to take every conceivable option and from February onwards I can do 1-3 ski tours a week. These are usually between 800 and 1500 meters in altitude. I don't feel particularly at home in narrow, steep gullies and I would describe my skiing style as technically solid but rather defensive. What's important to me with a ski is that it's not just good for running uphill, but that it's also fun on the descent.
From piste to short off-piste runs to long day tours - I was able to test all of this on around 14 days. The snow conditions were similar. There was already the first spring snow, broken slush, rutted, bumpy slopes and many beautiful days with powder up to, say, 30 cm of fresh snow. Thanks to the season with very little snow, the Dynafit has not yet experienced the fattest powder.
First impression
With 97 mm under the binding, the ski looks narrower than it actually is. In the design (purple) you can immediately recognize the women's version. When you first touch, feel and bend the ski, it makes a solid and stable impression. For a freetourer, it seems a little heavy in my hands - but this is probably due to the rental binding fitted.
