New Free Touring Rig DPS Wailer 99s vs Prior Husume XTC

[AngryBeard]

Hey Mags,

Looking for a quick bit of advice. I was an idiot and skiied my tech binding setup (read: not Dynafit... but I'll stop short of engaging in too much anti stoke) in bounds yesterday and very predictably had a pre-release followed by a failure of the brakes to release. Ski took off down the hill, launched off a ledge and smoked a tree and now it has a whole bunch of extra, unwanted rocker.

I ski every weekend (Whistler / Pacific Northwest, and with this season's snow pack that usually means touring) so this is a pressing issue that I need to deal with asap. In fact I've got touring plans for this upcoming weekend. I've pretty much come to terms that I'm going max out some plastic to fix my problem and am just trying to make the final decision. I've got my eyes on two options and would like some opinions:

Ski:
DPS Wailer 99 Pures... 184 cm, 99mm waist, 16-19m radius, 1.7kg/ski
Prior Husume XTC... 181cm, 109mm waist, 23m radius, 1.9kg/ski

Binding (ok. this is pretty much decided):
Dynafit Radical Z12 with a Quiver Killer Mount
Salomon Guardians on Quiver Killers (to be bought next year)

I raced a bit when I was younger and really want something with traditional sidecut (and yes in the middle the wailer has a great carving shape) so I'm not interested in pintails so Bro's aren't really on the radar (even though Neuro, one of my main touring buddies is on them and loves them). I'll be driving the ski with a beef tech boot (Cochise 120) and while weight is a consideration I value the down more than the up. I'm primarily looking at using the ski to ski big lines in the backcountry but plan to eventually have a beef binding to play around in bounds with as well.

I demoed the Wailer 99 Pures a few weeks ago and loved them, unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to demo the Husume's. However the Husume's have kind of carved out a soft spot in my eye because of the opportunity to support a local company and because I like to be a bit different than the norm and everyone is on (or lusting for) DPS these days.

If anyone has thoughts on the Prior DB3 (new Doughboy) I'd love to hear it as well. I like the shape profile and lower turning radius vs the Husume however I picked up a pair a few years ago and remember flexing them and thinking they were really soft however I think that was before they introduced their quadglass construction. Also, I'm frustrated they're not available with the Carbon construction option.

Appreciate the help!

[D(C)]

You could probably demo some Priors in Whistler pretty easily. I'd be looking to try before plunking down that kind of cash.

I tried 2012 XTC Overlords and 2013 Quadglass Overlords and thought both were great. I have not tried Husumes nor have I tried any DPS skis to compare.

I'm pretty sure the Doughboys have what I'd call a pintail so they may be out for you.

[Gurutasker]

Backcountry Excess in Whistler demos the Husume with touring bindings and skins for $40 I think. Not the carbon version though. I think one of the touring companies (can't remember which at this point) has the carbon version available for rental.

Let me know what you think of then, as I'm considering throwing some coin on a pair aswell as my touring/resort charger combo.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using TGR Forums

[Gurutasker]

Otherwise just go to the factory in function. They have demos there too.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using TGR Forums

[AngryBeard]

James at Excess actually offered to let me take his personal set of Husume XTC's out for a day - can't get over that service.

Problem is that I'm touring in Washington next weekend so I'd have to line up rentals for the entire weekend to make it work and that begins to add up by itself...

[powder11]

PM Splat about some Lhasa pow's. Carbon fiber light for touring up and super stable, manuverable at speed on the way down. Pin tail design allows for maximum control, buttering when it gets steep and when you need to make precise moves in tight places. Bar none, a better all around ski than anything mentioned above. PM Splat for details. www.fkna.com

[kevino]

^^since you said no pin tail, I might suggest the 183 fat bro. I've used it (but the 187 length) year round for touring in the PNW and its great.

Before buying the Bros the other ski I was considering was the Praxis Backcountry. And if you want narrower/lighter than the backcountry then check out the Yeti.

[frorider]

I've skied the w99s and own a pair of the 193 regular husumes.

Haven't skied the new 5 pt husumes. I like the versatility of my husumes. The w99 killed the groomers but 99 is way too narrow for my Backcountry tastes (and I ski PNW semi regularly).

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Have you skied DPS pures? Not everybody loves the feel. I've owned Lotus 120's and Wailer 105's, both pures. I found them both sublime in soft snow, but found them a bit high strung on hard pack. That didn't bother me with the 120's which I skied almost exclusively in powder, but the Wailers didn't do it for me. On hard snow I had to be "on" all the time with those skis. Lhasas and Praxis BC's however, could tolerate a lazy turn here and there, but could handle speed when called upon. Lhasas have a higher top speed than the Praxis, but the Praxis are so damn easy when going slower in shit snow. Never been on the Wailer 99's (too much sidecut for me). Another ski to consider is the Worth Humpback (made in the Praxis factory). They ski like a combination of a Lhasa and Praxis BC. Would love to ski some Priors, but they barely exist out here. The only pair I've ever seen belonged to a guide in the Chic Chocs. I'd love to get on some fat Bros too. It's great to see more and more 4 pound-ish free-touringish skis out there. To me that weight is the best uphill/ downhill compromise.

[AngryBeard]

thanks for all the advice guys - I really wish I could bring myself to consider the PM Gear skis but I've been on pins a few times and it really isn't for me. If I were buying a dedicated deep powder ski then for sure.

Reality is that as much as I wish I were skiing blower pow all the time, I do spend a fair bit of my time picking my way down wind blown chutes or skiing spring snow where penetration isn't too big a deal. I also like a fair bit of sidecut so that when it does get a bit hard I can still run the rails.

The Praxis BC look sweet - super similar specs to the Husume, I'll definitely take a closer look at them.

Think I'm going to sneak away to demo the Husume's this week so I'll be able to make a better decision.

[kevino]

Just for clarification, the fat bros are not pin tailed, they are a full cm wider in the tail and have a standard sidecut/radius profile.

With that being said, I'd go with the praxis BC if I were you, seems like you want a smaller waist and smaller sidecut.

[Rob Stokes]

Let us know what you think of the Husume's after you demo...

[LeeLau]

Husumes look great. The tail is not so tapered that it can't be used as a picket. Felt stiff in the middle which gives you edgehold for that beauty snow you guys are now experiencing for ski mountaineering in the Coast - ie can't be too much pow or you'll get sluffalanched off steep slopes.

Also seems to be tough as I've seen them driven into rocks which invariably is part of Coast Range touring.

I like my Zenoxides a lot for the same reason. No experience with DPS

[Wapow]

I have the hybrid 99 Wailers and would recommend them. I didn't want the pure version, because I bought them for spring season ski mountaineering, and the super light skis I've had in the past all sucked in tough, crust and icy conditions, which is exactly where I need these skis to shine. I've found they ski extremely well in a variety of conditions, including hard pack and corn. Only issue I've had is the top sheet chipped very easily when I buried it in setup snow (like during changeovers), but I fixed that by installing a stainless steel inlay on the topsheet portion of the tail.

Here's a vid of me skiing them last weekend in perfect corn and avy chunder in the "Nisqually Chutes" on Rainier, which shows their stability in choppy snow:

And, here's' a vid of me skiing them in some fresh a couple weeks ago, which shows how the rocker performs in pow:

[chuckh]

I have the hybrid 99 Wailers and would recommend them. I didn't want the pure version, because I bought them for spring season ski mountaineering, and the super light skis I've had in the past all sucked in tough, crust and icy conditions, which is exactly where I need these skis to shine. I've found they ski extremely well in a variety of conditions, including hard pack and corn. Only issue I've had is the top sheet chipped very easily when I buried it in setup snow (like during changeovers), but I fixed that by installing a stainless steel inlay on the topsheet portion of the tail.

I've had my W99 184 Pure's for 7 days and have skied them 4 days so far, in conditions ranging from old, icy crud to over the boot, untracked powder. They have Salomon Guardians and I have enjoyed 11 ski+tour cycles.

They handled all conditions superbly. They want to be driven on the groomers and ski the pow great. They are an awesome all-conditions, every day ski.

Can you post a photo of your stainless steel inlay?

[Wapow]

By icy conditions I meant sastrugi and frozen spring melt-freeze mank. Can't say for sure the Pure version won't work as well in those conditions, but I've found damping to be a very underrated trait when evaluating touring skis, and most of the time damping requires materials adding weight/heft. Maybe DPS has come up with the magic formula to deliver damping without a weight penalty, but I doubt it.

Here's a link to a post I made on the inlay: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...mp-Redneck-Fix

[chuckh]

By icy conditions I meant sastrugi and frozen spring melt-freeze mank. Can't say for sure the Pure version won't work as well in those conditions, but I've found damping to be a very underrated trait when evaluating touring skis, and most of the time damping requires materials adding weight/heft. Maybe DPS has come up with the magic formula to deliver damping without a weight penalty, but I doubt it.

Here's a link to a post I made on the inlay: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...mp-Redneck-Fix

Nice "upgrade" Wapow!

The tips are showing more wear than the tails due to skin attachment (BD ascension skins). I can see a similar "upgrade" in my future.

[AngryBeard]

I demoed the Husume XTC's yesterday. Unfortunately they gave away the 188s I was supposed to demo so I ended up on 174s. These skis were definitely too short for me but despite that they ripped. For such a short ski I was blown away how confidence inspiring they were as I ripped bowls through chopped soft powder. The ski performed in all conditions including shockingly good edge hold on the very small amounts of ice I got and absolutely ripping (west cirque to) peak to creek at the end of the day - one run that provided everything from powder to hardpack to corn.

I've also skiied (and loved) the Wailer 99 Pures. The Wailers were amazing and definitely a design marvel but to put it simply the Wailers just felt very serious. On the flip side the Husume's were fun and playful - you certainly couldn't ignore them as they need a driver but the way they charge and feel in the air just can't help but put a huge smile on your face.

I placed an order for the Husume XTC's and can't wait to get my hands on them.

I have the hybrid 99 Wailers and would recommend them. I didn't want the pure version, because I bought them for spring season ski mountaineering, and the super light skis I've had in the past all sucked in tough, crust and icy conditions, which is exactly where I need these skis to shine. I've found they ski extremely well in a variety of conditions, including hard pack and corn. Only issue I've had is the top sheet chipped very easily when I buried it in setup snow (like during changeovers), but I fixed that by installing a stainless steel inlay on the topsheet portion of the tail.

Turns out that Prior has noticed the same issue with the heels getting chipped when putting them in the snow so they now have a piece of plastic that sticks out past the top sheet by 3mm or so at the tail. Added bonus is that this piece of plastic is the full depth of the ski so it's just begging to have a skin notch filed into it without compromising the ski construction!

[telelebowski]

AngryBeard,
Thanks for the review, not much out there on the Husumes. I'd be interested what you think once you get on the 188s, and what the effective edge is on those things.

[pow314]

The term "free touring" really needs to die.