Thread: Help me chose a ski, DPS GM Gear or Prior?

Am looking for a light 100mm waisted ski with some tip rocker for touring and steeps. Want something more fun in deeper snow than my current touring ski (movement couloir) doesnt need to be too big as i have a big pow ski and i want good edge hold on steep hard snow and good in variable conditions.

Have found three skis i like the look of, the DPS wailer 99 pure, the PM Gear bro 179 and the Prior Husume XTC. Im based in Chamonix and other than DPS i wont be able to test the other skis. Can any one offer me some usefull comparisons? What would people recomend as the best ski mountaineering ski?

Thanks for any help, Ben.

GM all the way! Don't let that government bailout scare you.

I mean PM not GM!

Ben,

Check these 183 Bros ...
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...95-Praxis-Pows

Can't help you with any of the above skis but this review http://www.skitheory.blogspot.com/20...99-review.html
sounds like what you're looking for. I own a DPS Wailer 105 that has very mellow tip rocker that I really like but that is all I can add besides above review. Do believe linked reviewer is sponsored by DPS so ymmv, but he's seems like the real deal, judging by his trip reports.

Thanks but if i go for the bro it will be the new 179 with carbon, they say 1583g per ski and im going to mount plum race 165s on what ever i get for a super light set up so that 183 with dukes will weigh a lot more than i was planning on.

Just sold the last pair of 179s. Got a pair of blems left.

Splat how much are those blems?

Drop me a pm.

A few mm wider than 100 - but take a serious look at the Praxis BC. Great ski. Crazy good pricing with any of the widely known 10% off coupons applied to the sale price..

The Praxis do look good another ski to consider....

Shame about the bro 179 if was thinking of taking a punt on them from good reviews. When would more be available?

Also whats wrong with the blems?

Originally Posted by Benbriggs

Also whats wrong with the blems?

They have a blem.

Make sure to look at turning radius before buying.

An option to consider?

Voile Vector 180cm 121/96/110 3200g? r=23m, rocker: 35cm up front 18cm in back

DPS Wailer 99 184cm 121/99/111 3400g? r=18m, rocker: 23cm up front 13cm in back

I bought a pair of used Voile Chargers as a poor man's alternative to the DPS 112rp. It looks like the Vector could be a viable alternative to the Wailer 99. Voile also makes a Vector BC with fish scales under foot, which looks like it would be nice for long approaches.

just a quick note, the 184 wailer 99 pure is 1700g / ski, not 1800g /ski

Ok so heres where im at: the bro 179's have gone, the praxis bc is a little bit bigger and heavier than what i was looking for and with voile has a lot of rocker and only 127 running length so maby wont have the hard snow performance i want.

That leaves me with the wailer 99 and the prior husume. Both the same weight but quite different skis, I will try and borrow some wailers over the next few days so has anyone skied both that could let me know how the prior skies compaired to the wailer.

not my sale, and i don't think it's an XTC, but here's a Husume for sale: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ghlight=husume

Prior doesn't get talked up to much here in TGR. But one of the better all around skis for the west coast conditions whistler gets. The Husumes were built for the BC terrain. When the pow is gone, these skis take care of the steep icy hard terrain.

I demo'd the Bro 183s this year on a boilerplate day at mammoth and they were terrible. The tips would chatter like mad over hard snow and crud. I would love to try them in softer conditions, since they seemed to be pretty good once things started to soften up. but if you're looking for something to handle all conditions, i'm not sure the Bros are the way to go. Then again, i'm not sure how much different the 179s are from the 183s.

^^^I respectfully disagree. I find my 183s (AK version) to be great skis in all conditions. Sure they are not GS skis for carving ice, but they do very well on Mammoth boiler plate, and do very well in powder. Again, not like a R/R ski but very functional. I haven't tried a 179 since I got my 183s, but I found them to be pretty similar skis, nearly interchangeable.

I got a pair of Lhasa 186s from Splat as blems for a great price. PM Gear will not sell blems that compromise skiing, the are just cosmetic (mine have a wrinkle in the top sheet.)

Do the AK Bro 183s really have much in common with the last couple versions of the 183 though? (orange hybrids and black carbons) Maybe dimensions, but I doubt much else. Like long-rise tips, different materials, etc.

No, they really don't. They're lighter and not quite as stiff until midway through the flex.

Then I'll never give up my AK version, those skis are awesome. A few seasons on them now, and they still kick ass all over Mammoth in all conditions.

Some day I will have to ski my wife's 183 carbon version to compare.

Praxis BC's are about the same dimensions and weight as the Prior Husme's, so don't count them out. The Praxis ski is less expensive as well. The Husume and Wailer are about the same weight and price. I have skied both, but not in pure carbon. The Husume is more damp and stable in crud and heavier snow, but they both float well in powder with maybe the edge going to the Wailer and I would think they would both tour well. Neither is outstanding on really hard snow and ice, but they both will get you through it and both are really good on soft groomers. I have heard very good things about the Praxis BC as well. Praxis is, or was, having in a sale making their skis about half the price of the other two.

Looks like Prior has a new ski you'd be interested in, the DB3.

http://www.priorsnow.com/db3

So far they only have a 175 length, but I would imagine more will come over the course of the summer.

Originally Posted by Benbriggs

That leaves me with the wailer 99 and the prior husume. Both the same weight but quite different skis, I will try and borrow some wailers over the next few days so has anyone skied both that could let me know how the prior skies compaired to the wailer.

you might try the 178 wailer 105 as well. that is a fantastic ski if you want a longer edge length than the wailer 99. just FWIW. they basically weigh the same.