DPS Skis

Cassiar T95 Alpine Touring Ski

In ski construction, "light" has traditionally been a synonym for "cheap," "entry-level," or "backcountry," but DPS never saw it that way. From the beginning, the company focused on making its skis light, not as an end unto itself but because cutting weight meant increasing quickness, boosting playfulness, and taking agility to the next level, no matter where or how you ski. The focus on weight was never meant to be construed as a focus on touring, but plenty of folks took it that way, even though classics like the Wailer, Lotus, and Cassiar were designed to be ridden in-bounds as much as out.

While all those skis can totally hold their own in the backcountry, DPS is switching things up a bit with its new Tour1 construction, which is focused on cutting weight specifically to increase touring performance, not just to make better all-around skis. The Cassiar 95 Tour1 Ski is the smallest new model in the family, with a 95mm width perfect for long tours or springtime conditions and a new layup and core that keeps things ridiculously light without sacrificing downhill awesomeness. Tour1 construction layers a high-tech prepreg carbon-fiber and laminate onto an ultralight balsa wood core to maintain a damp, aggressive feel  and powerful edging while shaving ounces from DPS' classic Pure3 construction.

DPS makes its frontside skis with sidewall construction, which provides good torsional stiffness but adds weight, but built the Cassiar Tour1 with a full cap to keep things lighter. Made of textured polyamide, the cap is designed to shed snow, too, so you don't end up hauling five extra pounds of pow up with you. Plenty of traditional camber underfoot keeps you solid at speed and able to plow through variable snow, while an early-rise tip smooths out bumpy spots and helps you float through some boot-top pow. The backcountry can be boney, too, so DPS finished the Cassiar with fast and tough World Cup bases and steel edges hardened to 48 Rockwell, so rocks won't spell disaster.