DPS Carbon Wailer 100 Review

Ski industry hawks may have noticed that after 15 years in production, the Wailer quietly faded from the DPS line. It's now back with an entirely new hybrid-laminate construction that marries classic DPS carbon with a poplar core for improved energy. Ski professionals and entry-level powder skiers alike loved crushing powder on the approachable Carbon Wailer 100. It can be your introduction to skiing the entire mountain, yet it is durable and versatile enough to remain your one-ski-quiver for many years, which is a good thing because this ski is significantly more expensive than practically every other ski in our review.

Performance Comparison

Stability at Speed

The Carbon Wailer 100 doesn't score as highly in the traditionally on-piste metrics as it does in the off-piste ones, which makes sense – this is an all-mountain ski specifically designed for quick-turn powder skiing.

The Wailer 100 performs so well in powder in part due to a pronounced rocker profile. One consequence is that the front end flaps around like crazy, especially if you try to crank up the velocity on firm snow. Another result of the early-rise tips is that this ski has a very short effective edge, which gives you the sensation of skiing on something much shorter than the length suggests. Without much ski planted firmly on the ground, the Wailer 100 doesn't instill much confidence at high speeds over hard snow.

Despite these shortcomings (literally), the Wailer 100 still performed above average relative to the competition. Even with a shorter effective edge, it still holds a decent edge in firm snow. More importantly, it mediates vibrations – specifically under your boot – thanks to its damp, partial-carbon construction. One of our powder-hound testers commented that she felt sure-footed charging between powder stashes, “I just wouldn't choose to push it on groomers if there wasn't deep snow waiting at the end of my mad dash.”

Carving Ability

For a ski and a company that prides itself on powder performance, the Wailer 100 makes an impressive carved turn. This ski is particularly adept at buttering and skidding turns, but it can still lay a deep trench if you ask nicely.

The Wailer 100 thrives in a short turn and is not as cooperative when you try to elongate the turn shape. It has a tendency to rebound and reengage, trying to force a shorter turn. If you anticipate its desire to keep the turn snug, then you can engage the edge well, and it will arc a wickedly compressed curve.

Turn Radius

The advertised turn radius for every length of this ski is 15 meters. (As a side note, achieving the same sidecut over a variety of lengths is a fascinating feat of engineering.) Even though a 15-meter sidecut already makes for a tight turn, our testers all agreed that the radius felt more like 12-13 meters, which puts the Wailer 100 on par with a proper slalom ski.

One of our testers noted that she needed to be attentive to the inside ski while carving, as it had a tendency to slide out. Though she admitted that this was likely due to an unfamiliarity with the Wailer's increased width underfoot – by adjusting your stance to suit a slightly fatter ski, you can likely avoid this issue altogether.

Powder Performance

Adjectives abounded when we asked our testers to describe powder skiing with the Wailer 100 – “buttery, smooth, silky, smeary, surfy, agile, easy, floaty.” The best part is that the most hardened chargers and novices alike shared the joyous sensation of easy powder skiing.

By complementing the intermediate skier's natural desire to make a smaller turn to keep their speed under control, the Wailer 100 makes for a fantastic introductory powder ski. These skis smear and pivot on a dime, which makes turning in any tight space feel more manageable.

Waist Width

However, you may not be as happy with the Wailer 100 if you ski at a resort characterized by big, open bowls. Even though this ski is getting towards the upper end of what we consider reasonable for an all-mountain ski, more accomplished testers needed to tone down their speed and tighten up their turns to feel the benefits of the Wailer 100. If they tried to open up it up, those fast, swooping turns didn't feel as smooth.

But when it came time for steep and deep tree skiing, nothing else compared to the Wailer 100, especially on the feet of the expert skiers on our test team. One of those testers noted that the Wailer 100 is an ideal ski for anyone living near a resort like Revelstoke, which is known for its steep tree skiing and copious powder.

Crud Performance

To perform well in difficult snow conditions, the Wailer 100 needs to be skied to suit its strengths. It still prefers to make a snug turn, which makes it difficult to hold speed and blast through crud. It will, however, dance across the white caps. With its characteristic smear move and a flatter edge angle, you can easily spin this ski in an alternate direction to navigate through chunky snow.

Considering the relatively soft flex of the Wailer 100, it offers a reasonably smooth ride through crud. The damp, hybrid-carbon core effectively soaks up chatter, and one tester pointed out that the tips are actually stiffer than the rest of the ski. She never once felt like she was getting knocked around on the Wailer 100, even in chopped-up snow at the end of the day.

Terrain Playfulness

This ski has plenty of spring to its step, and we got a kick out of the kickback at the end of a turn. However, the Wailer 100 really stands out for its unmatched responsiveness and agility. We were consistently amazed by its ability to quickly change direction at even the slightest thought. The Wailer 100 is so wildly nimble that it left our testers feeling like superheroines, and that is a really fun feeling!

Our testers haven't been on an all-mountain powder ski this playful since Rossignol discontinued the legendary Soul 7 HD – it's a rare one-two punch, and we're stoked to have finally found a suitable substitute for that beloved ski.

The Wailer 100 is capable of transitioning smoothly across different types of terrain without batting an eyelash, which makes it that much more fun as an all-mountain ski. It's nice not to dread returning to the chair via groomers and to still find fun micro-features in chopped-up snow. The poplar core gives this ski plenty of pop while the carbon laminate dampens your landing. It's effortless to get the Wailer 100 airborne, which is just the cherry on top for this joyful ski.

Bumps

Especially for a powder-oriented all-mountain ski, the Wailer 100 handles bump skiing extremely well. The short radius and small effective edge turn tightly, and the pronounced rocker profile puts your ski tips up onto the subsequent mogul. This makes transitions smooth and nearly effortless, even in deeply trenched bumps.

Its knack for a flat-ski pivot allows for quick movements, which is required constantly in bumps – as a result, 100 mm underfoot doesn't feel too wide. Smeared turns are the bread and butter of the Wailer 100, which makes it an excellent companion for novice mogul skiers.

Should You Buy the DPS Carbon Wailer 100?

If we all had unlimited financial resources, then every skier should own a pair of these lilac beasts. The trouble is most of us do not have that budgetary freedom, so we have to determine if the overall performance of the Wailer 100 is worth the extra expense. There's no question that the Wailer 100 is a total joy to ski. It offers experts and novices alike a chance to excel in nearly every aspect of all-mountain skiing, especially so in deep snow. DPS skis are known for their high-quality design and construction – all from a factory in Salt Lake City, Utah – and this American-made company puts a premium on durability. If you can afford them, there is very little reason not to buy the Wailer 100.

What Other Skis Should You Consider?