Update: After confirmations from various sources these two skis are in fact the same.
For a longer time now I have been suspecting a little “marketing scam” that might be being played with the ski mountaineering racing community. Two companies with well known names might be presenting the same ski but covered in two different top design sheets.
Dynafit is the Name in ski mountaineering (and ski touring) manufacturing industry, whereas, Crazy Idea is more known for its niche market approach in the sport of skimo racing. Both companies present skimo racing skis in their repertoire, however, I wonder how genuine these skis really are.
Some facts to compare
Without even comparing the model names (DNA Race and DNA Race) the similarities are pretty obvious.
Dynafit DNA Race:
Length: 161 cm
Side cut: 96-65-78
Radius: 24.5 m
Weight: 710 g
» See the ski here – Dynafit website
Crazy Idea DNA Race:
Length: 161 cm
Side cut: 95-64-78
Radius: 24.5 m
Weight: 710 g
» See the ski here – PDF doc
Except the side cut all other parameters match exactly. And even with the side cuts, I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually were identical.
But for “marketing purposes” companies (or one of them) decided to skew the numbers by a millimeter to create an impression that we are choosing between two different models. Who knows?
Also, after inspecting the specs (Dynafit website and the above PDF) the structure or the materials used in the built of both skis appear to be at least similar if not the same. But again, the specs can be written in so many ways and angles that “if you don’t really know you will never know”.
“Conspiracy theory” assumptions
Based on what I know, Crazy Idea had its skis out on the market first, now for about 2 or 3 years. And I don’t think they changed them significantly since then.
On their website, Crazy Idea, offers to customize the design of your skis for 30.00 Euros if you buy a pair. Therefore, they must be able to print out a different top sheet quite easily.
This leads me to quite a “serious discovery” because while inspecting my friend’s almost brand new Dynafit DNAs skis last Saturday he pointed out that the the top sheet is easily scratched on the top edges (rounded sides) of the skis.
After a closer look I could clearly see that the top sheet is only a vinyl-like layer that, with some patience, you would be able to peel off from the place where the ski was scratched. (I will ask for detailed photos of the scratches.)
Some questions to ask
Is Dynafit just printing a different design sheet over Crazy Idea skis? Or is it the other way around?
Has anyone been a little suspicious about these two skis like me?
What is your opinion on these striking similarities?
Most likely both companies will stand the ground that each ski was genuinely developed after years of testing, and I hope they are.
But if the ski industry is following the (outdoor) clothing industry example then I wouldn’t be surprised if there is even an absolutely different original manufacturer for these skis, and big companies are only slapping their designs over a pair of light sticks. Who knows?
The images and the PDF file were downloaded from the Dynafit and Crazy Idea websites.
Stano says
Hi aviator,
Thanks for your input.
Info in this article is based on comparing available facts and an “educated” guess. Then people in the comments here seems to “fuel” that guess. Officially, companies are not confirming nor denying anything.
Also, seems it’s some time between your comment and the article (and this comment) it is possible that the skis changed somewhat.
aviator says
the dynafits have the dynafit logo under the ski, the crazy obviously not
and the weight is different, the dynafit real world is ~780g and the crazy is 730g +4% maximum?
so they can’t be 100% identical?
Stano says
Yes Bruce, I got the confirmation about this in Europe, however, not as totally official, only what racers knew.
Besides, Dynafit is somewhat loosing the market quite fast (at least the speedy one which is huge in Europe) and with this they are not making it easier since the DNAs weren’t exactly known for durability.
Bruce says
Hey Stano I was speaking with Andree today and randomly we were talking about this same topic. Crazy idea actually sold the copy right for the skis to Dynafit so they could mafacture them with out having to make the design.
So yes they are the exact same ski…
Amy says
Stan;
years ago my friend Jungle Jim Hunter, the first crazy canuck downhill ace, told me about “deck skis”. Its the practice of a manufacturer putting a different top sheet on an inferior ski and selling it as if it was the better ski. I was incredulous and couldn’t believe that ski companies would do this. Apparently they sell these deck skis to outlets like SportCheck. It’s totally buyer beware. It should be illegal, but apparently it’s not.
Stano says
Thanks for the info Reiner and congrats on a good race too. The time lost on first guys is actually not too much, especially considering that you raced right out of the plane 🙂
I will see how my Dynastars will be holding up once I’ll start skiing them. But I will only race the carbon model and train on my other beloved Dynastars to make them last longer.
Reiner says
Also it seems that ski trab has the market for all the top racers not only because they ski better but because they are way more durable. All these new carbon skis have problems with the edges blowing out really easy because of how they are designed. The top sheet peeling off is the least of our worries!
I also heard that Dynastar was bought out by rosiginal and will no loger be making race skis.
Reiner says
Hey Stano I was speaking with Andree today and randomly we were talking about this same topic. Crazy idea actually sold the copy right for the skis to Dynafit so they could mafacture them with out having to make the design.
So yes they are the exact same ski…
Jonathan Shefftz says
I suspect that part of the explanation is the well-known fact that the number of companies actually producing skis is far (far) less than the number of companies marketing skis. And often seemingly arch rivals are actually producing skis for one another. Plus some relatively obscure companies that market skis in their own name make the skis for more well-known brands. So if company ABC has already been producing a ski for Company Y, and now Company Z comes along and wants a ski that is pretty much what Company Y has already been marketing all these years…
steve says
Stan;
years ago my friend Jungle Jim Hunter, the first crazy canuck downhill ace, told me about “deck skis”. Its the practice of a manufacturer putting a different top sheet on an inferior ski and selling it as if it was the better ski. I was incredulous and couldn’t believe that ski companies would do this. Apparently they sell these deck skis to outlets like SportCheck. It’s totally buyer beware. It should be illegal, but apparently it’s not.
Stano says
Jonathan, unfortunately there is no prize for testing these skis 😉 unless of course Dynafit or Crazy Idea would donate something…but maybe in the future.
I am off to Europe for some racing tomorrow and should meet there people that have experience with at least one of these. Also once there, I am planning on asking a Dynafit representative the most direct question: “Are they the same skis?”
We’ll see :).
Jonathan Shefftz says
Do I win the prize for being the first one to volunteer for testing [donated] pairs of both skis?
Simon says
Yes it appears to be the case. It was an observation made on this austrian site a while back
http://stefanwidauer.at/component/content/article/1/538-ski-200910