Dynastar Speedzone 14

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Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Vailsteve » Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:25 pm

Anybody else skiing this ski? I purchased mine from HSS a few months ago and just started skiing it a few weeks ago. Historically I have been a big Stockli fan, but the Speedzone is slowly but surely becoming my favorite front side ski. I understand some people like it and some don’t.

I will admit it has taken me a solid week of skiing to begin to appreciate it. My sense is that this is not a good beginner PMTS ski— i feel it is quite stiff compared to my Stockli Laser CX or the SC; you really need to ski this ski. But, the more you tip it on edge, the more you CA and CB, the more it grips and it just slices thru the groomers—even the chopped stuff we have had all week. (Yes I know, I know...what do you think PMTS movement were designed and developed to do? Duh...)

Tomorrow I have a day off and am taking it to the back to see how well it will do in the bumps...maybe Dragon’s Teeth or Jade Glade type runs.

Anyway just looking for comments and feedback....but I think I am REALLY going to like this ski.
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Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby jbotti » Sat Mar 16, 2019 9:08 am

Moved
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby blackthorn » Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:37 am

I purchased Speed Zone 12 for the 2018 southern hemisphere season. Love the ski.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Jjmdane » Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:12 pm

What length did you get and do you think it skis true to size? What aspect of the ski did you have to get used to?
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Vailsteve » Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:34 pm

Hi jbotti

I purchased the 174 length, which is just about perfect for me at 5’10”, 175 pounds. And yes I feeel like it skis true to size. There is no rocker that I can see...if there is, it is really small.

As to what I had to get used to, I will repeat what alluded to earlier—it is a stiff ski... to me. If I were Harald or Heluva or Geiffda, they would more than likely laugh at me and my sense of what a stiff ski really is. In fairness, I have been skiing my Hart Pulse ski the most this season— LOVE this ski as it goes anywhere. Today we had 4-6 inches of awesome powder and that ski just slices right through it. The Pulse is also a no metal version so it is softer with a great flex pattern.

My first day on the Speedzone was at A Basin. I could not get it to bend into an arc at all, Completely lost it once...sliding a dozen feet feet first. Not a good look!! And it is important to note that I truly am the proverbial non-athletic nerd engineer. I NEVER “get” anything athletic right on the first try— and learning to ski at 55 years of age, well... I have to go back to the very basics.

So stationary tipping drills. Edge hops. Stationary Foot pullback. Lift and tip. And lift and tip some more. Bunny slope for 4 hours one morning. Basically Book one Page one.

But after a week of skiing the Speedzone, things began to click. Or maybe another way to say this is I began to trust the PMTS movements and that the ski would respond the way I wanted it to. Like I said earlier, I think you have to ski this ski with very precise PMTS movements — and speed really helps this ski come alive.

I LOVE the feeling of arcing a turn...the power release drill is one of my all time favorites. The Speedzone hooks up and doesn’t let go until YOU release the ski. And it brushes a carve just as sweetly.

Bottomline, the Speedzone just rips the groomers—and not too shabby in the crud. The confidence I have in my movements and the ski’s edge hold lets me ski at “get your pass pulled speeds” when the light and snow (and traffic!) are good.

I did not like it as much in the steeper bumps....the Pulse is easier for me at my limited skill level.

In so many athletic endeavors, confidence is critically important...confidence/trust in your ability/movements and confidence/trust in your equipment. The Speedzone 14 gives me that.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Basil j » Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:53 am

I bought the speed zone 14 ti as an upgrade to my beloved Speed course ti. Love both of them. The 14 is a 174cm but I feel skis as long as my Speed course in a 177cm. Both have race plates, both Look bindings. I love Dynastar skis . I demoed the 12 and really liked it, but wanted the additional leverage I am used to with a plate on my Speed courses so I went with the 14 and am very happy with it. Responds to tipping movements very well. At 200lbs, it does not feel stiff to me at all. Great hard snow ski.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby SquawHarber » Sun May 19, 2019 10:30 pm

I have it - the 14 Pro in a 174. I'm 5-9 and a chubby 185 lbs (really need to drop 10-15), pretty good skier.
I've been meaning to get a true "PMTS" ski for about 10 years - gosh, what took me so long!
I love it - there are days when I'm skiing it when I think being on anything else (i.e. "midfat" type skis) would be a crime.
As long as the snow is hard, it's incredibly versatile all over the mountain - bumps, steeps, etc.
In crud, not so much. It really helps to have a little more width. For any powder, I"m a fan of wider skis, but that's for another discussion!
I unfortunately haven't tried the Head Supershapes, so I'm not qualified to make comparisons there.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Basil j » Mon Mar 09, 2020 11:49 am

I recently gave my 16 year old racer my 174's and she absolutely loves them .I upgraded to the 182cm and I think it will be more in line with my 177cm speed course TI. With the tip rocker it is very close in running length. After a few days on the 174cm , I felt they actually ran a little short compared to the speed course ti in a 177cm.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Basil j » Sun Mar 15, 2020 5:35 pm

Finally got out on the 182's today on Morning hardpack. It never got over 28D today, so the real test was how was this going to perform compared to the 174cm. It took a couple of runs to get used to the feel of the ski, as it feels less substantial than the speed zone, but after a few long cruisers, I found the 182cm to be very capable at short and long turns with pretty decent edge hold, I skied the factory tune, so I even though it was okay, I am confident the grip will be better with a 1d base bevel and 3d side bevel set up. Responds very well to tipping movements. Good fun ski, I hope to use a bit more this year before they close everything down.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby andy2667 » Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:48 am

I am also using the SpeedZone 14 pro but I think it has been discontinued. Now only speedzone 12 are available.
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Re: Dynastar Speedzone 14

Postby Basil j » Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:20 am

Got this ski finally set up with a good tune 1D base, 3D side and I am really happy with the performance you ca get out of this set up. Edge hold is outstanding, the ski is smooth as silk. I find myself holding turns just a second longer than usual because it is so smooth and it has a very smooth rebound at the end of the turn, so you can feel the energy build up, but you don't really get launched out of turn like a full on race ski. 182cm is no issue at all, and I actually like it better than my shorter Speed zone for skiing groomers, bumps and hard snow.
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