2012-2013 DPS Wailer 99, PURE, 184cm

Jason is an incredibly balanced skier, and he was blowing through chop like he was on a hovercraft. On our fifth day, when the clouds broke and I could see the terrain better, I was having a much better time of skiing fast, hitting bumps, and staying more fluid down the fall line. And to be clear, it’s not that I consider the 99s to be a demanding or unforgiving ski, but it does penalize laziness and sloppiness more than say, the Rossi S3. Steep, icy bumps are a good example here. The ridiculous swing weight of the 99s allows you to throw them through tricky terrain very quickly and easily—not the hallmark of a demanding ski….

Speaking of swing weight, every lap we did off the Collins lift, we’d head down to a kicker that had been built around Sunspot. Jason was throwing 3s and 540s literally every lap, and he was blown away by the swing weight of the 99s. Even more impressive is that Jason was skiing the 99s on the factory recommended line, and Jason almost always skis in front of factory recommended. He hadn’t bumped the 99s to +3 or +4 to achieve that balance in the air.

(By the way, as I’m publishing this, Jason is skiing the 99s at Alta, and he will be following up soon with some further comments and observations about the 99s. You can now read Jason’s 2nd Look at the Wailer 99s.)

 

Class Comparisons:

In my Wailer 99 First Look, I mention several other skis in the ~98mm category, and I’ll say just a bit about about where the 99s fall in the spectrum among the Rossignol S3, Experience 98, and Scimitar; the MOMENT PB&J, and the Blizzard Bonafide.

First, the  Blizzard Bonafide is most reminiscent of the Experience 98, an excellent carver with a more traditional ski feel than the others listed here. The Bonafide (which we will say more about soon in its own, dedicated review) has a flat tail, and an incredibly subtle amount of tail rocker. The rocker does start about 13.5” from the tail, but it increases in splay over those 13.5 inches by only a couple of millimeters (a fact that will probably have haters of tail rocker rejoicing), and it makes the hardpack performance of the Bonafide outstanding, and a bit better than the 99s.

The 99s, however, have a much bigger edge in deep snow, where the Bonafide felt a lot like a traditional ski; the exaggerated tip rocker of the 99s, coupled with its soft tips but relatively stiff shovels added up to a design that produces excellent float for a 99 waist ski.

The Rossignol Experience 98 is a similar story. It is still the best 98mm carver I have skied, and it feels closer to an excellent, traditional ski around the rest of the mountain. For advanced and expert skiers who want to lay down trenches and don’t care to move into a more rockered-out world, this is the ski. But obviously, it gives up float and playfulness to the 99, since that isn’t what it’s really going for anyway.

The Rossignol S3: as I’ve already mentioned, the S3 has a lower speed limit than the 99, but it is an easy, forgiving ski that a huge range of people can have fun on. It skis switch really well, and I might prefer it to the 99s if we were just going to go ski bumps all day, since it’s probably a bit more conducive to tailgunning bumps. But for faster, all mountain riding, I would take the 99s. And finally, while the flatter tail and more shallow tail rocker of the 99 means that it won’t ski switch as well as the S3, Jason will vouch for the 99s feel in the air, making it much more of a tie between the 99 and the S3 when it comes to spinning.

The MOMENT PB&J – Both the 99s and the PB&Js have nice, relatively stiff tails, though they offer pretty different rides. The PB&Js feel more stable and damp in chop than do the 99 PUREs, though, as I said above, it’s not that the 99s don’t do chop well, it’s that they aren’t going to smooth out the ride or simply do the work for you. The PB&Js will.

Finally, the Rossignol Scimitar – This is the ski that, at least initially, feels closest to the Wailer 99s in terms of its strengths and on snow feel. I wish I could say more than that, and I can’t wait to get more time on the Scimitar in deeper snow and more varied terrain. But if we are looking for class comparisons, the Scimitar is, in my view, the closest thing, not the PB&J or Bonafide. (And yes, the low price point of the Scimitar makes me rather nervous about making these claims against a $1200, extremely well finished ski, so please, keep these caveats in mind.)

 

The upshot (for now, anyway):

Beginners will probably find the DPS Wailer 99 to be too much, and it may ask more precision than the inexperienced skier can muster. Intermediates will, I think, like the 99s, find them to be intuitive, will nudge them to improve their technique while causing no concern that they will outgrow the ski. Advanced and expert skiers who don’t value a damp ride above all else, but instead prefer a more dynamic, responsive ride, will have found a lightweight tool that brings an enormous amount of versatility and performance to the mountain, whether riding inbounds or out.

 

15 comments on “2012-2013 DPS Wailer 99, PURE, 184cm”

  1. Thanks for the review! I just picked up a pair from DPS and was wondering if you have tried the 99 Wailers mounted forward?
    Thank You,
    Michael

  2. Michael,
    I’ve been riding the 99’s for about a week now and I can assure you that you are in for a treat once you get them mounted up. For the past few days I’ve been planning on moving the bindings ahead, a move that I typically do as I usually prefer a slightly forward mount, but honestly I still haven’t done it. I haven’t found a real reason yet to try them forward as they are absolutely crushing everything at the recommended line. The skis are insanely light, swing weight/balance in the air is a complete non-issue. The tails are stout enough that I feel like I don’t really want any more back there in added length or stiffness. Lastly I’m not sure if I’d want them further forward when it comes to skiing pow or chopped up left overs.

    With all this being said, tomorrow I’m going to play around with it and move them forward. If anything blows my mind I’ll drop a quick note here, if not I’ll be posting a pretty in-depth second look early in the week. Right now I say mount at the recommended line and go have fun on them!

    Jason

  3. I asked you a couple of weeks ago about how these compare with the Bonafides, and thank you for the reviews. I am considering getting the pure 99 for steep backcountry skiing on the East side of the Sierras, mostly steep couloirs. Snow there is mostly inconsistent, wind affected, some firm, some corn.
    Mostly jump turns in the steep (50 degrees).
    1. How do you think these skis would work there?
    2. You mentioned a few times the stiff tails. I am an expert skier, but sometimes i do get in the back seat. I am on K2 Hardsides now. Is the pure 99 tail stiffer than the hardside? or the Mantra?
    3, Any other ski I should consider?

    thank you very much. I know the answers won’t be straightforward, but give it your best guess.

  4. 1) Jump turns are simply easier on super light skis. +1 Wailer 99s.

    2) I haven’t been on Mantras for a few season, and I’ve never skied the Hardside (though I think Jason may have….) As Jason and I have said, the 99s are not noodles, but they are definitely not super demanding or overwhelming.

    3) Before I saw the question that you posted to Jason’s 2nd Look review, I would have asked you whether you want to go with a ski that has a conventional, non-rockered tail, for extra bite. But if you’re talking about sliding turns to finish them, then the 99s tail would often feel less grabby / be smoother than a ski with a totally flat tail. I’m sure there could be other interesting options out there, but nothing else that I’ve skied comes to mind as an obvious better choice than the 99s for what you say you’re looking for.

  5. Thanks for the skinny on the DPS Wailer 99. But I have questions. I think I want an all mountain ski but is this really what I should get or should I go for a more frontside friendly carver? First who am I–a decent recreational skier but I struggle a bit when the conditions get tough. I am looking to replace my old (15 years!) Bandit XXs and have started to demo a few skis (Bonafide & Bushwacker by Blizzard, Kastle LX92 & BMX 88. The ski conditions at Aspen Mountain dring my first demo day–skis just mentioned–were packed powder groomers and very thin chopped up cruddy stuff elsewhere. The LX 92’s really cut up the groomers, were very lively and supper easy to turn (felt like a rock star) but felt a little stiff in the bumps and skied the crud pretty good I guess. The Bonafides felt like planks (2X6’s) at first but once I dropped down in size (next size down from 180s) they felt better. They seemed pretty good in bumps and good in crud, not as good on the groomers as the Kastle 92s. I ski exclusively in bounds mostly at a little ski area called Powderhorn near Grand Junction, CO, although I do get to ski bigger areas like Vail, Aspen, Telluride, etc. on occasion. I like to ski the whole mountain, need to get better at bumps and pow, and I like to ski groomers to be with my 8 & 10 year old kids. I’m 52, 6′, 200 lbs and slightly fat, but athletic (I bike and skate ski). I get 8-10 days a year of alpine and I am sick and tired of struggling in the trees and deep powder. We get some really good powder days at Powderhorn–oepning day today saw 2′ of moderately heavy pow–I struggled on my Rossis. Can you help?

    • Hi, Randy – it seems to me that the wailer 99 could be a good call for you, but the more you talk about struggling in trees and powder, the more I wonder if you shouldn’t step up to the DPS Wailer 112RPs.

      The 112s are very good on groomers – not quite as good as the 99s, but they will provide even better float than the 99s for those 2′ days. Plus, the tails of the 112s are not quite as stiff as the 99s, so I think you’ll find the ski to be even more forgiving. If you are getting 8-10 days a year, but getting out mostly when it snows, then the 112RPs will be great. You’ll sacrifice a little of hard pack performance, but gain even more pow performance. It doesn’t sound like groomers are the frustrating part, so why not get one of the most versatile pow skis on the market?

  6. I have narrowed it down to the W99 and the Armada TST for a non-deep day ski. They will be mounted with DynaDukes and used inbounds, side country, and the occasional tour. Any thoughts on how these skis compare to each other? Thanks.

  7. Thanks for the comparison of the skis in the 98mm class. I am looking to replace my 178 Rossi S3 that are getting severally beat up after several seasons.

    Half the time I love my S3’s in that length but the other half of the time they seem too soft and unstable. I was thinking of the 99’s or the PB&J…or just getting the next larger size of S3’s.

    I am 5’8 160lbs. I ski in Vermont and New Hampshire, about 60/40 BC and resort. I use the Onyx binding with Titans. I would consider myself an “expert”. The vast majority of the time I ski low to mid angle trees and/or bumps. I do spend a fair bit of time in legitimately steep and technical gullies. I almost never ski groomers. Any recommendations?

    Again, thanks for your time and great reviews!

  8. Hi, great site, thanks.

    In this review from 11/24/11, an upcoming review of the Blizzard Bonafide is mentioned.

    Is it coming soon?

  9. Jonathan,

    I have been reading your reviews about the Wailer 99 and Salomon Q105. I am considering buying one of those. I have ridden Salomon for the last few years (BBR 8 .9, Rocker 108) , but was really impressed by a recent demo of the DPS. I ski the east, Sugarbush, Stowe, Killington with several trips out west per season. I want a daily driver. Any thoughts on the comparison or key differences between the Q105 and wailer 99 pure?

  10. I was surprised and disappointed that in the Blister Buyers guide the 99 wasn’t even mentioned? So am I to gather that ever ski in the buyers guide are better than the DPS wailer 99 Hybird in the 100mm category? I bought mine because i cant demo very many skis and based on the review that they might even be better than the bonifide i noticed the Bones are there in the all mountain category. Why not the DPS99?

    • We didn’t include the Wailer 99 in the Buyer’s Guide because we haven’t been back on the Wailer 99 in several seasons. Those skis have changed a bit, and our first priority, always, is accuracy. And unfortunately, it simply isn’t accurate to assume / act as if the skis we reviewed several seasons ago – that we know have been tweaked. It has nothing to do with the skis in the guide being better.

      So we still have our reviews of the 99s on the website, there for everyone to see and read. As a Blister member, you’re certainly welcome to say that you’d like us to review the latest version of this ski (or any ski). And we are already planning to review the latest iteration of the Wailer 112RP this season.

  11. OK thanks for that. That makes sense. i am enjoying the buyers guide i was just looking for the quick take on the 99 and though why isn’t it there. haha Anyway im plotting another pair of skis and your guide will be super helpful I’m sure. i like how you break down each ski with the 3 categories. The v works im getting stoked on as i am the Line superNatural 108 and the scott Punisher 110. i can demo these 3 to make up my mind. Just looking for another Mach Snell ski That takes no prisoners. haha Thanks for your quick response. As always Blister Rocks!!

  12. I moved the bindings forward on my Wailer 99 and found the ski more stable, turned faster, and caught edges a little more. Not a big deal. BTW I love this ski in the trees. Telepathic turns.

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