DPS Pagoda Tour 112RP Skis

Here's the ski in all its understated glory. I have them paired up with Dynafit radical bindings, making for a light-weight, high-power, deep-powder set-up. Yeehaw. 

DPS is a small manufacturer based in Salt Lake City. They are known for their innovation and ski shapes—that can look like no other ski on the market. The Pagoda construction replaces the Alchemist version, featured in another pair of skis we reviewed a few months back, the Alchemist 100RP2 (which turned out to be my fave ski of the 20/21 season). Like the Tour1's before them, the Pagoda Tours are best for the dedicated ski tourer. The Tour1 may have been a little too light, hence the Pagoda Tour's slightly heavier numbers and more substantial ski feel. 

Front and back. Cool grey colour with a yellow nod to wailer heritage. In the larger sizes, the paddletech aspect of the ski shaping—wherein the widest part of the ski resides where the DPS logo is on the front of the ski below—is more pronounced than in smaller lengths.
Note the squared off tails, here, too. Though I love the RP shape featured in the Pagoda Tour 112RP ski, I have never been a fan of the rounded, rockered tails. Though they contribute majorly to the slarvey feel of the ski, they can be a pain if you want to jam your skis into the snow, and skin tail cams also tend to slide off rounded tails. 

You can see one of the new features in the Pagoda Tour line-up, here. The thin metal piece embedded in the tail makes the ski stronger and less likely to delam if you like to jam your tails into the snow. 

Note that the tip and tail rocker has been throttled back from the early wailer days when people referred to them as banana skis. The official rocker number is 45%, that explains why the effective edge comes in at 55%. I am 6'2", weigh 175lbs and ski a 184cm length in every DPS ski I have tested. Because of the rocker and effective edge, the Pagoda Tour RPs, ski a lot shorter than they look. 

Note the one-piece sidewall shown here. Many skis in this weight class are a capped construction—Pagoda Tour designers went for the side wall to help the ski's stiffness. The Tour1 construction features a cap approach which may have contributed to its occasional skittish feel. Look below for the camber, also. I can't find it published in any DPS material, but I'd call theirs a half-camber. Just the way I like it. 

These pics below are self-explanatory. One feature that is easy to spot it the textured topsheet—a proven way to shed snow when the sun beats down. 

Take a gander at the construction, here. Like other skis in the Pagoda line, the tour features a full carbon laminate. What makes the tour different is its inclusion of aerospace grade foam.

• All-new full carbon laminate
• Paulownia/ash core
• Polymide topsheet
• Aerospace ghrade foam

• World cup race bases
• Narrow profile Rockwell 48 edges
• Full cap textured polymide top

These skis deliver as promised. Though I appreciated the Tour1 construction from a couple years back, I found that the skis were a little skittery. I could manage to get down anything, but hardpack wasn't much fun. With the new Pagoda Tour construction, DPS has created something a little beefier that will work well in a wider range of conditions than did it's Tour 1 predecessor.  

The 112 waist makes this version of the Pagoda Tour particularly happy in deep powder where flotation is needed. I am an older, fairly conservative skier who puts a premium on lightweight. I mentioned that the binding on these were Dynafit Radicals. My go-to boots with these skis are the Scarpa F1 LTs, I also reviewed this season. All that to say, my set-up is lightweight, yet robust. It seems like ski/boot manufacturers are finally figuring out the light/strong sweet spot, and the Pagoda Tours are proof of this.

I can wax-on about the skis' RP shape, too. I was at a local touring spot and someone I met on the uptrack referred to my planks as "dad skis" because they made skiing so easy and made skiers look so good.  I concur... the RP shape with its 15m turn radius and surfy, intuitive feel makes skiing fun. I don't need anything too stiff for the way down and the skis make skiing exhilarating and entertaining. Who could ask for anything more? 

As a continuously innovative company, I think DPS skis are generally progressing and getting better. Their Tour1 model from a few seasons back was awesome, but a little squirrely. The Pagoda Tours—with the addition of a full carbon laminate— address this issue and are now viable with a wider range of conditions. Don't get me wrong, the Pagoda Tour 112 are a dream on big backcountry touring powder days. It's just that now, they can hold their own on hardpack and light ice too.