Test 2020: DPS Wailer 100 Alchemist RP
BEST FOR: Anyone who loves tight turns in the bumps, trees and groomers.
LENGTHS: 171, 179, 184, 189
DIMENSIONS: 133/100/118
RADIUS: 15@184
SUGGESTED RETAIL: $1399
OTHER MODELS: Wailer 112, Wailer 100 RP
It’s not just an eye-catcher! Where a lot of skis we tested veer toward expert-focused power, the Wailer 100 was all about friendly manoeuvrability. The core is a sandwich of aspen and layers of carbon, which makes the ski light on the foot. Add healthy tip and tail rocker, a tapered sidecut and a 15m radius, and this ski likes to swivel. In tight trees, cavernous moguls and technical steeps it diced, sliced and, most impressively, carved with ease. It turned so quickly nostalgic Josh Cunningham compared it to a Snowblade. While Wyatt Funk said it was “easy to manoeuvre in the bumps.” What we weren’t expecting was how much fun it was on groomers. “Surprisingly stable at moderate speeds,” noted Ski Canada’s instructor editor Nigel Harrison. DPS added dampening agents to specific spots in the ski to replace the usual twitchy feel of a carbon ski with a predictable stability. It’s not a ski to rail groomers on, but everybody from big experts to pole bean 14-year-olds had a smile on their faces when they handed this one back. Each model is available in two constructions, and there’s a women’s Yvette version.
