Curated Ski Experts Hayden Wright and Thomas Harari got their hands on the 2023 DPS Pagoda 112 RP and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. Any questions you have on the Pagoda 112 RP, or any other ski, can be answered by reaching out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

Before we jump in, a quick note that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands, all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does DPS claim about these skis?

[Thomas] For DPS, this is their powder ski. This is the 112 underfoot; the ski you take out when it's deeper. It's a heck of a lot wider in the tip, so it's going to float like crazy.

Overall Impressions

What is your first impression of this ski?

[Hayden] So my first impression was, "Wow, these are fun." For a 112mm underfoot ski, its 15-meter radius is awesome. These things were so fun, agile.

[Thomas] First impression on these was, “We're skiing these in the wrong conditions.” We're out here, skiing slush, and it's 45 degrees. These are 112 underfoot powder skis but they're still pretty fun and they do really well in soft snow. They're very easy to pivot and quick to turn for a ski of this width.

What is the profile of the ski?

[Thomas] These have a ton of rocker and the tips are really pretty soft, so they're going to float like crazy. This is what also makes them not such a fantastic ski for the groomers. But just notice how much of the ski is rocker—this is what's going to make you float in powder.

Carving

How does it turn?

[Hayden] That was something I noticed at first, when we started getting it over on edge and carving—this thing is quick edge to edge.

[Thomas] These are more for the finesse style of making smooth turns. You can make aggressive turns, but if you want to power through chunky snow or whatever, these tips are going to deflect a lot more than some other skis out there.

How is the edge hold?

As a 112mm underfoot ski, edge hold is not the thing that you're buying the ski for. It does okay. I think that there's honestly going to be beefier, stronger 112 underfoot skis to ski a firm groomer on, not that you are buying this ski to do that. For soft snow, slush, powder, it's going to be very adequate.

How is the ski’s stability?

[Hayden] I did experience a little bit of chatter on hardpack but it was nothing concerning. [Thomas] These are not the most stable because they're really light. As far as skiing any sort of crusty snow, you are going to feel it. For the conditions that they're made for—which is powder—they're going to ski great.

How is it at speed?

[Hayden] At speed, the Pagoda 112 did have a little bit of chatter in the tip. This is because they are fairly light skis and they also have that big 140mm shovel with a lot of rocker. It’s definitely something to consider if you're a newer skier as that chatter could intimidate you at speed, whereas more experienced skiers can battle through that chatter and it's not going to be too bad of an issue.

[Thomas] These skis are not meant to go really fast. If you are looking to straight-line bumps, or just really push it, these are not going to be a fantastic ski for you.

Freestyle

Any playfulness in the skis?

[Thomas] These skis are pretty playful. They're not a freeride, freestyle, park-end powder kind of ski, but the tails are relatively short and they do have a somewhat soft flexing tip and tail. You can bounce around the mountain on these.

How is its pop?

[Hayden] The Pagoda 112 has some metal underfoot which is awesome for control but, as far as pop, it's not the poppiest ski out there.

How is it on jumps?

[Hayden] I don't know if I would land off of a jump in deep powder switch with the Pagoda 112, but other than that it’s an all-around, super fun ski. It's definitely going to give you some confidence when you're coming down from those landings and those jumps and drops. The metal underfoot is definitely something that you're going to notice, and I loved it.

[Thomas] These are a little on the softer side, so they're not going to be the most stable to jump off of something with. They'll do that if you want to. This is not going to be a park ski, it's really a powder ski. If you want to jump off stuff into powder, they're going to do great. Where they may not quite be as good as other skis is if you're jumping off something into powder and then you've got a run out where you need to scrub speed. There are other skis that are going to be more powerful and be able to scrub that speed off quicker.

How are they for skiing switch?

[Hayden] We did take this ski switch. It has tip and tail rockers, so it’s definitely fun.

Freeride

How would it be in powder?

[Hayden] We had about two to three inches of powder yesterday, which was super fun. I would love to take these skis into a bit of a deeper area, but maybe one day I'll get out and really put these to the powder test.

[Thomas] This is a really fun powder ski for people who are not skiing the super steep and deep. If you are skiing powder, if you’re skiing powder in the trees, and you're not really pushing it super hard or doing any crazy tricks…this is going to be a really good everyday skier’s powder ski that's going to be light, quick to turn, and float really well.

How is its maneuverability riding in the trees?

[Hayden] These would really excel in kind of those nimble spots because they’ve got that really tight turn radius.

[Thomas] These are 100% a great ski for skiing trees and powder in the trees. These are a quick turner and they'll be super fun.

What kind of terrain does it perform well on?

[Hayden] The DPS Pagoda 112 RP, terrain-wise, is great all over. It's got that camber underfoot with sturdy metal, so, getting over to those favorite areas of your resort, you're not going to have an issue. Once you get on these, these things really excel. I don't know if I would rip these in the moguls all day. If you found a mogul field that you had to get through, they're going to get through it just fine. But these would really excel in kind of those nimble spots, just because they’ve got that really tight turn radius, super fun ski.

What would be the best location for it?

[Hayden] Anywhere where you're going to be getting nimble and making some quick turns, the DPS Pagoda 112 RP is definitely going to be the ski to use.

[Thomas] We're skiing these in the wrong conditions at Powder Mountain today but, I imagine that as the snow does fall, these would be a fantastic ski to use here.

Anything else you’d like to mention on the skis?

[Hayden] So DPS does tend to have a bit of a higher price point, but as a lot of things do go, you pay for what you get. There is a lot of tech in these skis, they are burly, they are durable.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to?

[Hayden] The rider that would excel is somebody that loves to adventure. Someone going to explore the mountain will have a blast on this DPS ski.

[Thomas] For someone making smooth turns, not looking to push it super hard, wants to ski powder, wants to ski the trees and make quick turns, this will be a really good ski.

Who should avoid this ski?

[Hayden] I wouldn't recommend the DPS Pagoda 112 RP for anybody that's spending 90% of their time on groomers. For somebody that spends a lot of time on the groomers, maybe a beginner, I wouldn't really recommend this ski.

[Thomas] This ski is not super stiff. It's a ski that if I was skiing harder in true powder or dust on crust powder conditions, I would want something stiffer.

Skis work differently for different types of skiers. If you want help finding the right skis for you, reach out to Hayden, Thomas, or another Ski Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best setup for you.