The Ultimate Nontraditional Ski for Traditional Skiers
Pros: Versatility, float, weight, responsiveness
Cons: Tips will flap on firmer snow if the edge is not engaged
After I received my DPS Wailer 112RPs in mid January, they quickly became my daily driver this season. I'd estimate that I have 25 days on them so far.
My first days on the 112RPs came during Juneuary, when it stopped snowing for six weeks. I probably wouldn't have taken them out much if they hadn't been new toys. They took about two runs to get used to the fact that, despite being unconventionally shaped skis, with a fairly long and rockered tip and tail, and minimal sidecut underfoot, they performed best when skied with strong conventional technique: On edge, weight on the balls of the feet. Once I made that adjustment, the tips stopped flapping and gripped the groomers like no rockered 112mm ski had any business doing.
In theory, one of the major benefits of a rockered or reverse cambered ski is that the ski can be built stiffer without causing it to submarine in soft snow. The 112RP is the poster child for that theory. They're not uncomfortably longitudinally stiff, to be sure, but their torsional rigidity gives them edge hold that would be commendable on skis an inch narrower.
By mid to late February, it started snowing again, and I finally got powder days on the 112 RPs. They gave up a slight bit of float to my 195 Praxis Powders, but the added versatility and lighter weight meant that I didn't ski the Praxis more than two runs over the rest of the season. In mid-season, I brought out my 190 Moment Rubies -- my prior year's daily driver -- to see whether I thought there might be any condition in which I might use them over the 112 RPs, but was unable find one.
I had been afraid that the short rated turn radius would lead to hookiness in powder, per Shane McConkey's "Mental Floss" screed. Those fears proved unfounded. The only weakness I found was straightlining hardpack with a flat or flatish aspect, but once I would put them on edge, the tips would stop flapping and engage.
Bottom line: Admittedly, this was the season that kept snowing in the Sierra, but on all but the firmest days, these came out of the locker first thing in the morning and didn't go back until my boots came off. I was so confident in them that on my kids' race days, I regularly took them to mountains I didn't know without checking conditions first. They're that good. You owe yourself to try them.
EDIT: Per sullywacker's wise request, some additional data. The tested 112RPs are the 190cm 2011 model, mounted with 4FRNT-branded 13-DIN Tyrolia demo bindings, positioned with the midsole in its recommended location. I'm 6'1 (and I'm tons of fun, and I dress to a "T"), weigh 205 pounds, and like long walks on the beach.
