Individual Review Long-Term Test: 2017 DPS Foundation Cassiar F95

[Philpug]

I took the F95 out again on 1/9. Conditions were cold, crisp and chalky. Where I have posted that many of the 95mm skis are skiing short, even the predecessor Cassiar 95, I have found this newly shaped Foundation F95 skis true to length. The on-snow feel of the new F95 is just as smooth in feel as it is in looks; every type of turn I have asked the ski to make, it makes. I took the 95 on the groomers off of Comstock and Zephyr, the bumps under the Backside lift and the trees in Sugarpine Glades on Lookout. No problem. Late in the day when the lifts were staying open longer than my legs had life, the Cassiar just said, Fine, we will take it easy. It is a very refined feeling ski.

• Who is it for? Individuals who aren’t looking to compromise. These skis are on the finesse side of the scale and reward skiers who are neutral on their skis; they do not need to be driven to get the most performance.
• Who is it not for? 11/10th skiers.
• Insider tip: Since these are preproduction models, I asked what was going to change; DPS replied that it would make them 5 to 10 percent stiffer and add a bit more camber. Perfect: these are the exact two changes we would like to see.

 

[Philpug]

I am going to break each ski out in its own thread for the long-term testing.

 

[Josh Matta]

I skied one run in this ski in a 185cm.

It was weird, it felt like it rewarded an extremely aft stance and hip twisting. The tail were also catchy in some tight bumps.

I would normally do a longer test but I hated it that much that I did not want to stay on it.

 

[Philpug]

I skied one run in this ski in a 185cm.

It was weird, it felt like it rewarded an extremely aft stance and hip twisting. The tail were also catchy in some tight bumps.

I would normally do a longer test but I hated it that much that I did not want to stay on it.

These are very new skis and some are still preproduction models. It sounds like you were on a raw pair or a pair with either a bad or no tune. Usually when the a ski is that far off, try another pair. Not uncommon with early production skis, from any manufacturer.

 

[Josh Matta]

I am certain it was not the tune but maybe the forward mount point.

I I could pivot slips them easily enough, which is a task that is practically impossible on skis that are too sharp.

 

[Philpug]

I took the F95 out again yesterday when we had all kids of snow to ski in and on. Plunge at N* had about 8" of cut up, ungroomed chalk which is where the Cassiar felt most at home. The new Foundation construction bent very well through the snow and I really liked the tip shape for these conditions, just rolling the ski over it changed direction very smoothly. As the conditions did get more mixed and firmer, I did find the 95 to loose its composure a bit. I will contribute this to the pair that I have being early production models, when the ski hits; the shelves next year, they will be a bit stiffer with more camber underfoot which should minimize these limitations. Overall, this is a really nice off piste biased 95 for a finesse skier.

 

[Tom K.]

Plunge at N* had about 8" of cut up, ungroomed chalk which is where the Cassiar felt most at home.

IMO, these are the crux conditions for a 90-100 ski, when it will be used in resort conditions.

In my mind, just about anything works for the Hour of Powder, after which the untracked slowly but surely diminishes, and the ability to handle "chop" becomes essential.

 

[SBrown]

I skied the 178 Cassiar F95 the week before SIA at Beaver Creek. I echo the thoughts about making it just a tad stiffer. It had been quite warm the day before, which had resulted in a few hard, scraped groomers low on the mountain. I didn't have a lot of confidence in edgehold here, but it wasn't bad. I also felt that I was too far forward on the ski. After a few runs, I moved the demo bindings back one notch, and that tiny adjustment made a huge improvement for me.

In a few new inches of snow up higher on the hill, the F95 was really fun in the trees and soft snow. Crud performance was also pretty good as long as I kept speeds moderate.

Who is it for? Skiers who want a smooth relaxing ride.
Who is it not for? Ex-racers and anyone else who drives the tip.
Insider tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment with binding position.

 

[Philpug]

Insider tip: Since these are preproduction models, I asked what was going to change; DPS replied that it would make them 5 to 10 percent stiffer and add a bit more camber. Perfect: these are the exact two changes we would like to see.

I got out on the new Foundation 95 that is about 10% stiffer with the promised camber...Oh yeah, just what the doctor ordered.

The addition of the stiffness and camber makes the new F95 more powerful but most importantly, not at the cost of playfulness. I shot @Marshal Olson a message that they nailed it and no need to make any more changed. This is ready for the ski shop racks.

 

[ARL67]

That's a healthy amount of camber. Is there much tip rise once de-cambered ?
The green gradient topsheet looks killer too. I like the blue gradient on the 106, and textured finish for durability.

 

[Philpug]

That's a healthy amount of camber. Is there much tip rise once de-cambered ?
The green gradient topsheet looks killer too. I like the blue gradient on the 106, and textured finish for durability.

Too much camber can make a ski too locked in, not the case with the 95. I will say after skiing the Wailer 99 in the 185, I personally prefer the Cassiar 95 for a couple of reasons. I like the 95 width in the mixed conditions and as DPS bills it as a 50/50 ski. Also the flat tail makes the Cassiar hold a bit better on piste. Viewing the Foundation line at first, it appeared to be confusing, after skiing more and more of the models, their different shapes are coming accross with different personalities...and I like it.

 

[Philpug]

I took these out yesterday in 10 plus inches of Colorado quality light snow, lighter than our usual Sierra cement and the F95 performed fantastic. I still think an aggressive larger skier could over power them, there is a linit of the ski but smooth, smooth and smooth. Very easy in the bumps and soft fluff yet when it got tracked out, buttah. DPS's new Foundation collection that is bringing them into the mainstream will be a winner for them.

 

[Philpug]

OK, I haven't been on these since March and I thought with some heavy wet snow it might be a good test. We had abotu 4-6" if fresh at Northstar before the weather turned to a misty rain which turned the 4-6 into 2-3" of heavy cream cheese. This were good conditions to revisit the Foundation Cassair 95. I had said early on that I felt stronger skiers could overpower the ski, well could heavy snow also do the same thing? I did find the tips to waver a bit in the heavier muck but since I had mounted the Attack demo binding on these I figured it wouldn't hurt to play with the mount point. I stopped about half way down Burnout, which is on the backside of Northstar and moved the toe and heel 2 clicks forward which is a little over a centemeter and immediately found the tips to start tracking with more authority in the high water content snow. I will take out some of the other Foundtions and see if I get the same response from them by playing with the mount point.

 

[ctsnow]

I just got a pair of these and was wondering on ideal mounting point? They seem to have a lot of tail. Would you mount a f95 1cm behind the line? I saw in the blister review of the 106 where they stated 2cm would be great for that ski.

 

[Philpug]

I just got a pair of these and was wondering on ideal mounting point? They seem to have a lot of tail. Would you mount a f95 1cm behind the line? I saw in the blister review of the 106 where they stated 2cm would be great for that ski.

Actaully after taking them out again, I was actaully playing around with the mount point (I have Attack Demo's on them) and I moved the binding +1 and boy did it bring a playfulness out that I didn't know was there.

 

[ctsnow]

so you don't think mounting them on the line is too far forward?

 

[ctsnow]

also,

anyone know the CM from tail on Cassair 95 178? It is the one ski they don't list on on their site and the graphic is off a .5cm or so.