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On women's skis
- Thread starter ski diva
- Start date
Abbi
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Not as though you were at risk of me getting my boots into your bindings!!
marzNC
Angel Diva
DPS is unlikely to show up with skis at a New England demo day. Only time I remember them giving in a try was when the Uschi first came out. Even if they did, would probably not bring the wider models. The reason Phantom is taking so long to be accepted in the northeast is that even ski shop employees are often unaware of how popular DPS skis are out west. But you could ask Proctor in Nashua, which has DPS demo skis.
My go to brand when getting demo skis for powder days at Alta has been DPS for a while. But by March, the demo skis at Alta Ski Shop are usually sold out (marked down a little after every rental). That's why I like to demo in order to know what other powder skis work well for me.
You can find DPS skis at the consignment shops in SLC and Ogden easily. I got to go on a tour of the DPS factory in SLC last season. They are making all the high end skis there now. Better control of quality and faster development cycles for new designs.
MissySki
Angel Diva
I didn’t know that Proctor demoed them, I’ll have to inquire. I saw some for sale when I was there recently, but nothing overly wide. I’ll also have to see if they are available for demo when I’m out west this season.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Even though I've been at the Alta Demo Day in early April quite a few times in the last decade, I think I've only been able to check out powder skis in actual powder a couple times. When I get lucky and catch a powder storm, if I decide to rent wide skis, I usually change skis in order to test at least two pairs. Easy to change at lunch at Alta. At Bridger last winter I changed out at lunch, and also did a couple runs at the end of the afternoon. Even as a "personal demo day" it wasn't ideal because of the lengths available, which were either a bit too long or a bit too short. Still I learned a lot.
elemmac
Angel Diva
Out of curiosity, I just searched for who even carries them as a brand. And looks like their store locator calls out what stores carry demos...https://www.dpsskis.com/dealer-locator
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
If you really know what you want check this out..... Think you would get 25% off if you can get a coupon
https://www.sierra.com/s~dps-skis/
https://www.sierra.com/s~dps-skis/
MissySki
Angel Diva
Ah perfect, I’ll take a look thanks!! Funny, Ski Monster where I was yesterday is listed as carrying skis (not demos). I didn’t even get to see what they had for all of their skis because I was so focused on boots. Will have to look next time I’m there.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If the Alchemist version is available and it's about the same price, get it vs. the Foundation.
MissySki
Angel Diva
I need to read up on them all, I don’t know much about them at all. Will be fun to find to demo!
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Why? What's different?
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Alchemist is slightly different construction. They have a slightly smoother, more "refined" feel to them.
elemmac
Angel Diva
I was curious on the same so I took to the all-knowing Google....See Pages 5 and 14 for a description of each construction.
Looks like they have a different type of wood core, Alchemist with aspen, and Foundation with the more-mainstream poplar/bamboo combo. The Alchemist has a full sheet of carbon, which would give it that smoother, more "refined" feel that contesstant mentioned. The Foundation has a fiberglass sheet, with a carbon stringer. Carbon dampens vibrations better than fiberglass and is a bit stiffer of a material. Then using a soft wood (aspen) over hardwood (poplar/bamboo), will give the ski a different feel. Overall, poplar/bamboo/fiberglass are much cheaper materials than aspen/carbon...which definitely reflects on the price.
Keep in mind the link I posted, is for the 19/20 catalog...looks like they've changes some constructions based on their wording. So I'm not sure how much has been carried over from previous seasons.
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Welllllll, maybe.
The Alchemist is carbon, which is lighter and more poppy. The Foundation is a balance of a few kinds of wood but has the same shape but its damper and had a completely different feel than the Alchemist. Most of the time I prefer the Alchemist version of DPS' skis, but there are a few that the Foundation build is a tad smoother
marzNC
Angel Diva
DPS has evolved into three constructions: Foundation, Tour, and Alchemist. The Yvette 112 comes in all three, but the Yvette 100 only comes in Foundation and Alchemist. My favorite, the Nina 99, only comes in the Tour construction now. The Nina 99 Hybrid/Pure models were around 2012-16, but the Pure didn't come in a length short enough for me. I spent a day on the 2018 Nina 99 Alchemist in April 2017 in powder at Alta and liked it better than the Hybrid Nina 99. Guess "more damp" is a good feature for me.
Although this Powder 7 review from 2018 is about the men's models, it includes a useful description of the three constructions.
Although this Powder 7 review from 2018 is about the men's models, it includes a useful description of the three constructions.
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
DPS Changed the shape on some of their skis for the 19-20 season, but the construction stayed the same.
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If you're near Stowe, Pinnacle, the shop associated with Ski Essentials, may have DPS Demos.
Pretty much. Any changes in construction are slight, but they did change the shape.
I like the tip initiation on the new version a bit better.
When you get out this way again, I'd be happy to set you up on two different types of construction.
We have 4 Women specific DPS, Uschi 82, Uschi 94, Yvette 100, (all Foundation) and a Zelda 106 Alchemist. We also have 3 different lengths in the Alchemist Trainer 79, which are flipping fun in bumps!
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
They did that because they have the W Kore series now.
Same with Nordica with the Astral 88 going away now that they have the Santa Ana 88.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I need to get on more of them for sure.
I liked the Alchemist in the Yvette 100 better, SLIGHTLY better. Enough that if they cost the same on discount, I'd get that one.
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Generally the Alchemist is twice the price.I need to get on more of them for sure.
I owned the Yvette 112 Pure back when the carbon version was called Pure instead of Alchemist. I really liked that ski but I think I like the Zelda 106 better, but then I'm finding myself liking narrower skis in general.
