DPS Pagoda Tour 106 Ski

If you find yourself skinning up the approach to a popular powder-lapping spot with the hopes of scoring a few pre-dawn turns before the masses track things out, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the folks you pass in the skintrack were on their way to a day of heli-served runs at Thompson Pass, or riding lifts at Niseko. Uber-wide, rockered powder ski designs have taken over the North American backcountry -- from Smuggler's Notch to Jones Pass, Shuksan Arm to Mt. Tallac -- and our collective idea of an everyday ski has quickly swung toward the fat and surfy end of the spectrum. For the "wide-is-right" skier who can't imagine going smaller than 100 millimeters underfoot, but also wants to put in more vert before sunup than their similarly-engorged brethren, DPS's Pagoda 106 is a hard-snow tool in the guise of a face-shots-everyday pontoon. Basing the ski around the new foam core common to their Pagoda line, DPS took their liberally-wide, but conservatively rockered Wailer 106 shape and gave it an even damper, more stable ride with the same easy-turning feel, and secure edge hold on hard snow for those moments when you find yourself jump-turning your way down a chalky north face. Best of all, at under 1500g for the 179cm length, the Pagoda Tour 106 won't have you begging for a mechanical up-lift after a thousand meters of hooting and hollering.

• Pagoda skis took the most cherished characteristics of the Tour1 and Alchemist/Pure3 lines to create a smooth-skiing, and happily-charging setup.
• Ash and paulownia stringers lead to a light ski on the ascent, uber-damp feel in variable conditions, and a lovely experience in powder.
• Aerospace-grade foam gives impressive damping qualities while keeping the ski light weight.
• Textured polyamide topsheet keeps snow and ice off the top of your ski so you can constantly admire the simple, yet elegant artistic design.
• World Cup race-grade base material makes for quick skis on the downhill, and goes well with DPS's Phantom 2.0 treatment.
• The Chassis Two (C2) rocker-camber profile is built to maximize the combination of the flex pattern and sidecut, creating an ultra-smooth skiing experience.