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 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.
• 3rd Rail Technology is a stringer made of sidewall material that lessens vibration and increases durability.
• Full-length sidewalls are durable and constructed in part with algae.

Update 2022/23: Algal sidewalls and 3rd Rail technology were incorporated into the ski, resulting in less of an environmental footprint while increasing performance, durability, and most importantly, fun. DPS also updated the topsheet design.