Backcountry ski gear

[vilen13]

Well… my binding broke while touring today . Luckily it happened on the uphill and somehow my husband can hacked it together for me to ski down.
Because my current BC ski ( G3 findr) is super short. Redrill-ing it is not ideal.
Long story short… i might need another BC skis.
My husband is a huge fan of DPS. I was comparing between DPS pagoda, kaizen, and wailer 100.
Anybody has any thoughts on them? Or something completely different to suggest?

also not sure if I should post here or in ski gear thread

 

[echo_VT]

I have the DPS Zelda and the spouse had the wailer but now uses the pagoda. They’re great backcountry skis. Sorry about the binding! What a bummer…
If this is the first time you’re redrilling I’d go with it and see how it goes first. While it’s not ideal it can be done.

 

[HuntersEmma57]

I stand alone in despising Wailers. The short tail was a big shift for me. Half my friends here love DPS's for both backcountry and alpine.
I'm a huge fan of Voilé's line and think they deserve a look. The V6 is popular for backcountry. I'm over-the-moon with the light yet stable and counfoundingly still playful Supercharger. Voilé has been a big name in backcountry for years.
The folks in their SLC HQ are wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful. They also sell bindings.

 

[vilen13]

I have the DPS Zelda and the spouse had the wailer but now uses the pagoda. They’re great backcountry skis. Sorry about the binding! What a bummer…
If this is the first time you’re redrilling I’d go with it and see how it goes first. While it’s not ideal it can be done.

What he was saying is that since it is a short board 153, he’ll have to move the binding further back and it will be tail heavy . I am getting it fix now but getting ready just incase .
I don’t think zelda is not around anymore ya? Does he notice any diff between wailer vs pagoda?

 

[echo_VT]

Correct the Zelda is the generation before I think it was stopped in 2020 or so.

He really likes the pagoda. It took some adjustment as it is a different ski — but now it’s his preferred ski. The wailer that he has is the older version and it now serves as rock skis for early and late season. There’s also an old K2 koomba and a hagan for laps.

several people I know who ski DPS also updated their quiver for the pagoda and they all like them.

At some point I will replace the older Zelda’s with either the 100 or 105 DPS tour skis. The bindings that they sell (effectively ATK15 and such) are excellent. I use the DPS branded bindings on my current set up (movement skis) and they’re great.

the selling point for the DPS ski is that it’s a classic shape that gives the feel of the resort ski. Super Reliable. Takes instruction instantly. Great construction.

he had tried the 4frnt skis but they’re more suited for skiers who don’t ski that classic shape. Almost like you ski them from the back which I associate more with terrain park skiing.

 

[beane]

MH has pagoda and is very happy with them. I have Zag Ubac 102 and they’ve been v good (nothing to compare to but I like them a lot)

 

[vilen13]

I stand alone in despising Wailers. The short tail was a big shift for me. Half my friends here love DPS's for both backcountry and alpine.
I'm a huge fan of Voilé's line and think they deserve a look. The V6 is popular for backcountry. I'm over-the-moon with the light yet stable and counfoundingly still playful Supercharger. Voilé has been a big name in backcountry for years.
The folks in their SLC HQ are wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful. They also sell bindings.

voile v6 is 96 width? I am kinda thinking to get 100

 

[HuntersEmma57]

voile v6 is 96 width? I am kinda thinking to get 100

Sounds like you're really dialing in on what you want and have gotten lotsa great feedback! I laud you for being true to yourself.

So many ski reviews are written by pros to sell a dreams so getting advice from regular skiers is great, but all of us have our own sets of preferences, body types, strengths, and experiences.

I'm a solid-built human (5'5" 160) and both prefer and can drive a big ski. My daily ski is a 173cm Voilé Supercharger at 106 underfoot. I ski primarily off piste. Yet every time I go shorter or narrower because of of what someone else(s) think(s), I regret it.

I just wasted $750 on some Blizzard Black Pearls (98 underfoot) because, I guess in part, I want to be open to new things. So I over-ride my own judgment. I now force myself to ski them on groomer days because I think I should love them. It's kinda like an arranged marriage. They're fine for some, but often require a LOT of tolerance and adjustment.

An example of when I was true to myself: Spouse and I were on an all-day sidecountry combined catskiing trip on a glorious bottomless powder day. It was my first (of only 2 ever) catskiing trips. And I was the only woman in this group of 6 + 2 guides. One of the guys, a patroller, could not stop from repeatedly telling me I was "probably" on too big of a ski and explaining in different ways why they were too big.
For the record, I was on my Big Dogs - Voilé V8 (183 cm 143-114-124). Yeah, they're Big. So was the terrain.
Finally, I took him aside and asked if he thought I was holding up the group or causing concerns.
He answered, "No, no, not at all! You're doing great!"
"Well, then I guess I must've picked the right ski for today and while I appreciate your concern, it does appear misplaced."
He nodded, sheepishly smiled, and let it go. And I kept up all day.

So go bigger, go smaller, go with what brings you confidence and makes you smile. Above all, just GO!

 

[vilen13]

Totally true! I've gone thru that when I was looking for my resort skis!
I vaguely know what i'm looking for and the style of skiing I'm gonna be doing.
And I'll definitely demo a bunch before I decide which one .
I read a lot of review but hard to know if I like it or not until I ski them haha.

I'm fairly new to skiing so I don't know what options are there generally.
I know I probably want 100 since I don't think I can handle fatter skis . I need fairly forgiving ski and easy to manuver. 163 will be the length I prefer if possible.

I don't ski hard or fast, a super cautious slow skier is my style of skiing so I don't need an aggressive ski.

Sounds like you're really dialing in on what you want and have gotten lotsa great feedback! I laud you for being true to yourself.

So many ski reviews are written by pros to sell a dreams so getting advice from regular skiers is great, but all of us have our own sets of preferences, body types, strengths, and experiences.

I'm a solid-built human (5'5" 160) and both prefer and can drive a big ski. My daily ski is a 173cm Voilé Supercharger at 106 underfoot. I ski primarily off piste. Yet every time I go shorter or narrower because of of what someone else(s) think(s), I regret it.

I just wasted $750 on some Blizzard Black Pearls (98 underfoot) because, I guess in part, I want to be open to new things. So I over-ride my own judgment. I now force myself to ski them on groomer days because I think I should love them. It's kinda like an arranged marriage. They're fine for some, but often require a LOT of tolerance and adjustment.

An example of when I was true to myself: Spouse and I were on an all-day sidecountry combined catskiing trip on a glorious bottomless powder day. It was my first (of only 2 ever) catskiing trips. And I was the only woman in this group of 6 + 2 guides. One of the guys, a patroller, could not stop from repeatedly telling me I was "probably" on too big of a ski and explaining in different ways why they were too big.
For the record, I was on my Big Dogs - Voilé V8 (183 cm 143-114-124). Yeah, they're Big. So was the terrain.
Finally, I took him aside and asked if he thought I was holding up the group or causing concerns.
He answered, "No, no, not at all! You're doing great!"
"Well, then I guess I must've picked the right ski for today and while I appreciate your concern, it does appear misplaced."
He nodded, sheepishly smiled, and let it go. And I kept up all day.

So go bigger, go smaller, go with what brings you confidence and makes you smile. Above all, just GO!

 

[HuntersEmma57]

Totally true! I've gone thru that when I was looking for my resort skis!
I vaguely know what i'm looking for and the style of skiing I'm gonna be doing.
And I'll definitely demo a bunch before I decide which one .
I read a lot of review but hard to know if I like it or not until I ski them haha.

I'm fairly new to skiing so I don't know what options are there generally.
I know I probably want 100 since I don't think I can handle fatter skis . I need fairly forgiving ski and easy to manuver. 163 will be the length I prefer if possible.

I don't ski hard or fast, a super cautious slow skier is my style of skiing so I don't need an aggressive ski.

The options do seem almost endless. My husband says that in today's market, there really are no bad skis, just different flavors. You know a lot of what you're looking for!
One of the factors for me that set me up for the kind of ski that suits me is turning radius. I like to take a lot of short turns so a short turning radius suits me very well.
Consider taking your description above to a ski shop or demo event that has many types of skis and talk to them, too. They could at least narrow down the choices. 163 does sound like a good length for an intermediate skier and an intermediate ski is generally soft enough to initiate turns easily. You already sense that going too stiff (advanced/expert ski) would be uncomfortable. I'm a bit surprised you're backcountry skiing already. Snow conditions are often quite changeable (windswept, sun-baked) so your skill level may be higher than you think. The longer ski length will help with stability through that changing snow.

 

[beane]

Totally true! I've gone thru that when I was looking for my resort skis!
I vaguely know what i'm looking for and the style of skiing I'm gonna be doing.
And I'll definitely demo a bunch before I decide which one .
I read a lot of review but hard to know if I like it or not until I ski them haha.

I'm fairly new to skiing so I don't know what options are there generally.
I know I probably want 100 since I don't think I can handle fatter skis . I need fairly forgiving ski and easy to manuver. 163 will be the length I prefer if possible.

I don't ski hard or fast, a super cautious slow skier is my style of skiing so I don't need an aggressive ski.

I don't know where you're located but there will be a backcountry demo day at Alpine Meadows tomorrow..

Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo Event | Alpenglow Sports

The Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo Event is the largest backcountry ski and splitboard demo in the country. Join us January 6, 2024 at 9AM for our annual event at Alpine Meadows.

alpenglowsports.com

 

[vilen13]

My backcountry downhill skill is not pretty haha . I just like being out there too much so I kinda thrown my self out even that my ski level is not high yet. I think i started going out there on my 2nd year skiing? LOL

I'm super comfortable going uphill since my background is climbing . Downhill is my weakness. Some trip is. more surviving downhill for me but I'll take it as experience :D

Also I'm mostly doing like 25 degree and lower so they are pretty mellow tour. The biggest tour I had was Mount St Helen and hut trip in Canada .

The options do seem almost endless. My husband says that in today's market, there really are no bad skis, just different flavors. You know a lot of what you're looking for!
One of the factors for me that set me up for the kind of ski that suits me is turning radius. I like to take a lot of short turns so a short turning radius suits me very well.
Consider taking your description above to a ski shop or demo event that has many types of skis and talk to them, too. They could at least narrow down the choices. 163 does sound like a good length for an intermediate skier and an intermediate ski is generally soft enough to initiate turns easily. You already sense that going too stiff (advanced/expert ski) would be uncomfortable. I'm a bit surprised you're backcountry skiing already. Snow conditions are often quite changeable (windswept, sun-baked) so your skill level may be higher than you think. The longer ski length will help with stability through that changing snow.

 

[vilen13]

Yes! I'm planning to go there. Altho I also might go backcountry tomorrow so I'll see if i can swing both !

I don't know where you're located but there will be a backcountry demo day at Alpine Meadows tomorrow..

Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo Event | Alpenglow Sports

The Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo Event is the largest backcountry ski and splitboard demo in the country. Join us January 6, 2024 at 9AM for our annual event at Alpine Meadows.

alpenglowsports.com