Gear Review: DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP
Last year, I lost a ski in Japan. Last run of the trip, I dropped a 15-foot cliff, my Shift binding released, and my DPS Wailer 112 RP2 went sliding down the mountain without me. I skied out on one ski. (That binding failure is its own saga, and it’s why I switched to the ATK HY.)
The RP2 was the best ski I’d ever owned, so replacing it was simple: I wanted that exact ski again. This season I came back to Hokkaido for 2.5 weeks on its descendant, the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP, and put 24 days on them. They’re everything I wanted.
Coming Back to DPS
I came to the Wailer 112 RP2 from a pair of Rossignol Soul 7s. The Soul 7s were fun, but they never felt stable underfoot. The Wailer gave me that stability and stayed just as playful. Losing it stung.
The lucky part is that the ski basically still exists, just under a new name. DPS rebranded its Wailer touring line to “Pagoda Tour” back in 2021. The Pagoda Tour 112 RP carries the same RP shape as the old Wailer 112 RP2: rockered tip and tail, camber underfoot, and that pinched pintail tail that lets it wash out when you want it to.
The rivals weren’t new to me either. I already owned the Black Crows Corvus Freebird, now on Kingpins, as my dedicated backcountry ski from back when my Wailers wore Look Pivots and couldn’t tour. Once the Shift came out, touring bindings went on the Wailers and the Crows got benched. They aren’t bad skis, and the Kingpins probably hold them back, but they’re stiffer and less playful than the Wailer. The trees are where it got me: in the backcountry I want to slash and change my line on the fly, and the Corvus just wouldn’t let me. It spooked me in tight terrain.
I also tried the Atomic Bent Chetler 120. Surfy, fun, and it plows right through crud, but the pair I rode was a brick and I didn’t enjoy touring on it. That was the previous Bent Chetler, though. Atomic has since lightened it, so the current one might do better on the up than I’m giving it credit for. I ran Shifts on mine, which are a killer setup for hitting the sidecountry off the lifts.
I paid full price for the Pagoda Tours, which I had never done before. My first Wailers were old demo units I tracked down in just the right size, with bindings, for $400. But I loved my 112 RP2, and I wanted exactly the same thing.
DPS vs. Corvus Freebird vs. Bent Chetler
The three I was choosing between, side by side:
| Spec | DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP | Black Crows Corvus Freebird | Atomic Bent Chetler 120 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waist | 112mm | 107mm | 120mm |
| Weight (per ski) | 1,620g (184) / 1,685g (189) | ~1,900g (183) | ~1,800g (184) |
| Turn radius | 15m | 21m | 19m |
| Lengths | 158-189 | 176-188 | 176-192 |
| Character | Light, playful, drives hard | Stiff, directional charger | Surfy resort pow ski |
| Built to tour? | Yes | Yes | No (resort/freeride) |
| Price (skis only) | ~$1,549-1,695 | ~$1,000 | ~$700 |
The Corvus Freebird is the one people cross-shop most, and on paper it’s close. In the snow it isn’t. It’s a charger, stiff and torsionally rigid, happiest railing big turns at speed, and every review I’ve read lands on the same word: “directional.” Wonderful if that’s what you’re after. The DPS is nearly 300 grams per ski lighter, well over 500 a pair, and far livelier, which is the side of the line I want to be on.
The Bent Chetler is the opposite problem. It’s playful and surfy and it plows crud better than the DPS, but it’s a resort ski at heart. Heavier, no touring-specific build, and you feel every gram on the climb. Great inbounds. Not what I want a few ridgelines out.
The Pagoda Tour sits right between them. Lighter than both, playful like the Bent Chetler, able to charge like the Corvus when I ask it to. That middle ground is the ski I lost and the ski I wanted back.
Two Weeks in Hokkaido
We spent two and a half weeks chasing snow around Hokkaido. The shot up top is the Niseko sidecountry, Yotei sitting across the valley on a rare bluebird morning. Most of the trip wasn’t bluebird. It was the usual Hokkaido gift: it snows, and then it snows more.
These are the same 112mm skis with rocker spoons I mentioned floating on in the binding review, same trip, same setup. The main objective was Asahidake, the active volcano in the center of the island, and we caught a bluebird day there with a meter of the lightest powder I’ve ever skied. The Pagoda Tours did what they’re built to do: they disappeared under me and let me think about the snow instead of the skis.
Going Up
The weight shows up first on the way up. At 1,685 grams a ski, the 189s skin like something smaller, and over a long approach that adds up. I was skinning past people on heavier setups all trip. (Skins were Pomoca Tour Explore, which gripped well and packed down small.)
The part that surprised me was edge hold on the steep stuff. I had to skin up a 40-degree ice slope to get into one line, which was spooky but awesome and exactly what I needed. I’d been a little worried the spoon shape, all that rocker and the pinched tail, would give up grip on hard snow. It didn’t. The skis bit and held the whole way up. (The ATK HYs locking my toes down flat helped here too.)
The one real cost of a 112mm ski on a windy ridge is that it’s a brutal wind sail. I was at the top of Asahidake in 60-plus mph gusts getting shoved around with the skis on my pack. There’s no fix for it. Every wide ski does the same.
Coming Down
In soft snow, these skis are a joy. The float is effortless, the rocker and the spoon shape want to surf and slash, and they pop off anything you point them at. I landed a few awkward airs I had no business landing and the rocker just soaked them up (I also did not land many more). They’re playful without being a noodle. I can charge pretty hard on them and still have that lightness and agility in the trees, I can slash when I need to cut speed or change my line, and I can land the odd jump. I’m just not taking them in the park.
Going from a 184 to a 189 raised the speed limit more than I expected. I felt in control the whole way, even opening it up on the bigger faces. They’re not carving skis, and the spoon means they don’t hold a hard-snow turn like a stiff directional ski, but I could fly comfortably and trust them.
Where they stop being fun is firm, chunky snow. Coming down hardpack on these is not great. They’ll do it, but you’re always looking for a way out and not going fast. Heavy chop knocks them around too. I expect that from a light touring ski, and honestly I’m in the backcountry for the freshies, not the crud, so I’m steering around that stuff anyway. Confidence is fine when the snow is soft, even heavy. It’s the ice and the frozen chunks that get bad.
They’re also demanding. They want to push you into the backseat, and if you let them get you there you’ll have a hard time climbing back out. When you’re really driving them from the front, you get great control, solid float, and a great time. A less experienced skier is going to fight them.
The Verdict
Rating: 4.5/5. On snow they’re perfect at the one thing I bought them for: a light, playful, floaty ski for touring after fresh snow. They nail that brief the way the ATK HY nailed its own. The half point is the price. They’re the RP2 I lost, lighter and a little more capable, and that’s the ski I came back to Japan for.
Minor gripes:
- The price. At ~$1,500 they’re a serious investment. If you can, buy them resale: they’re solid skis and they handle a remount fine.
- Firm snow and frozen chunks on the descent are their weak spot. Soft snow is their whole world.
- Demanding. They punish the backseat, and they aren’t a ski to learn on.
- A brutal wind sail on exposed ridges, like every wide ski.
What I loved:
- Light. Well over 500 grams a pair lighter than the Corvus, and I felt it on every skin.
- Playful but still able to charge. The middle ground I wanted.
- Effortless float from the RP rocker and the spoon shape.
- Held an edge skinning steep ice far better than I expected.
- It’s the ski I lost, brought back to life.
Who Should Buy What
Get the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP if you tour to ski fresh snow and want one ski that floats deep days, stays lively in the trees, and can still open up on a big face. You should be a strong skier who drives from the front. And size up: all that rocker makes them ski short, so I went 184 to 189 and the longer ski gave me more stability and speed without costing me anything in the trees.
Get the Black Crows Corvus Freebird if you’re a charger first. If you want a stiff, directional ski to lay over and rail at speed and you don’t care about slashing and surfing, the Corvus is the better tool. Just know you’re carrying more weight and giving up playfulness to get it.
Get the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 if it’s going to live at the resort or the sidecountry. It’s a fun, surfy powder ski inbounds, and on a Shift binding it rips for quick lift-served laps into the backcountry. For real touring, the pair I rode was too heavy to enjoy, though the current version is lighter than that.
And if you’re a beginner or early intermediate, don’t start here. The Pagoda Tour will push you into the backseat and make you pay for it. Get something more forgiving, dial in your technique, then come back to this ski when you’re ready to drive it.
FAQ
How much does the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP weigh?
About 1,620 grams per ski at 184 cm, and roughly 1,685 g at 189 cm. That makes it one of the lighter 112mm-underfoot touring skis you can buy, and clearly lighter than the Black Crows Corvus Freebird (~1,900 g) at a similar length. The light weight is the whole point: it floats deep snow and skins like a smaller ski.
Is the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP good on ice and hard snow?
It depends on direction of travel. Skinning up, it held an edge on a 40-degree ice slope far better than I expected for such a rockered, spoon-shaped ski. Skiing down firm snow or ice is its weak spot: it'll do it, but you're picking your way down, not charging. If most of your days are hardpack, this is the wrong ski. If you tour for soft snow, it's a non-issue.
Is the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP the same as the Wailer 112 RP2?
It's the direct descendant. DPS renamed its Wailer touring line to 'Pagoda Tour' in 2021. The Pagoda Tour 112 RP keeps the same RP shape (rockered tip and tail with a pinched pintail) as the old Wailer 112 RP2, in updated construction. I lost a Wailer 112 RP2 in Japan and bought the Pagoda Tour 112 RP to replace it because it is, effectively, the same ski.
What length DPS Pagoda Tour 112 should I get?
Size up. The long tip and tail rocker means less of the ski is on the snow, so it skis shorter than its number. I moved from a 184 to a 189, and the longer ski added stability and raised the speed limit without giving up agility in the trees.
Is the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP good for beginners?
No. It's a demanding ski. It wants to push you into the backseat, and once you're there it's hard to recover. When you drive it from the front you get great control and float, but a less experienced skier will fight it. Learn on something more forgiving first.
DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP vs Black Crows Corvus Freebird: which should I buy?
I own both. The Corvus Freebird is a stiff, directional charger: it rails big turns but it isn't playful, and it's heavier than the DPS. The Pagoda Tour 112 is lighter and far more playful while still letting you charge when you want to. Get the Corvus if you want a stiff ski to lay over at speed. Get the DPS if you want one lively, light ski for chasing powder.
Can you tour on the Atomic Bent Chetler 120?
You can, but it's not built for it. The Bent Chetler 120 is a resort freeride ski with no touring-specific construction. The pair I rode was heavy enough that the climbs weren't fun, though Atomic has lightened the latest model. For a quick sidecountry lap off the lifts on a Shift binding it's great. For real touring I'd take a purpose-built ski.
What bindings and skins did you pair with the DPS Pagoda Tour 112?
ATK HY Free 13 bindings and Pomoca Tour Explore skins. The DPS plus the ATK HY is a very light setup for a 112mm-underfoot ski, which is exactly what you want in a touring rig.