Every family has one, a lone wolf, one with a dark side, and the Foundation collection is no different. That rebel is the Wailer F99. If you ever skied the other Wailer 99, in either the Pure3 or Hybrid construction, well, this is not that ski -- in neither construction nor shape. The way DPS labels its skis can get confusing, but this long-term test is about the Foundation Wailer F99, the blood orange one.
The F99 -- with dimensions of 128-99-117 and an 18m turning radius in the 184cm -- skis differently than the Wailer 99s mentioned above. It is a lot stronger and has a much longer wheelbase, making it feel every centimeter of that 184 length ... and then some. I cannot wait to let @Drahtguy Kevin get on these, first to see how he likes them, then to hear the colorful description that only Kevin can put together.
As with the Cassiar F82, @Alexzn and I skied the Wailer F99 at Squaw Valley, trading it back and forth and comparing it to a Renoun ski, the Endurance 98. There is no comparison: these two skis have completely different personalities. Where the Renoun skis short and nimble, the Wailer F99 is stable and wants to charge -- again, this is the bad boy of the Foundation collection. The ski just wants to run. Both skis were 184, but where I had no problem playing with the Renoun, the Wailer took all of my attention. Not having an ego, I got @Alexzn on the F99 because he tends to ski a bigger ski than I do -- his daily driver is a 189 Kästle FX95 HP -- so the Wailer F99 fit his size better. I will let him post his own impressions.
Since the 184 was skiing big, I moved my boot forward about a centimeter, which did help on Silverado and Granite Chief. I am intrigued to see how the 176 skis: I rarely ski such a ski so short, but we will see. And I usually don't think of a DPS as an 11/10th ski, but this one surely is.
As with the Cassiar F82, @Alexzn and I skied the Wailer F99 at Squaw Valley, trading it back and forth and comparing it to a Renoun ski, the Endurance 98. There is no comparison: these two skis have completely different personalities. Where the Renoun skis short and nimble, the Wailer F99 is stable and wants to charge -- again, this is the bad boy of the Foundation collection. The ski just wants to run. Both skis were 184, but where I had no problem playing with the Renoun, the Wailer took all of my attention. Not having an ego, I got @Alexzn on the F99 because he tends to ski a bigger ski than I do -- his daily driver is a 189 Kästle FX95 HP -- so the Wailer F99 fit his size better. I will let him post his own impressions.
Since the 184 was skiing big, I moved my boot forward about a centimeter, which did help on Silverado and Granite Chief. I am intrigued to see how the 176 skis: I rarely ski such a ski so short, but we will see. And I usually don't think of a DPS as an 11/10th ski, but this one surely is.
- Who is it for? Skiers, not posers.
- Who is it not for? Finesse skiers; the Wailer F99 wants to run.
- Insider tip: From 176 to a big 184, the average guy might fall in between sizes. Don't be lulled by the numbers.