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Individual Review Long-Term Test: 2017 DPS Foundation Wailer F99

Philpug

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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.

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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.
  • 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.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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I skied the Wailer F99 again today, closing day at Northstar. As with most closing days, spring conditions started firm (there was not a refreeze the night before) and as the day went on, the snow got softer and softer run by run. Since @Alexzn and I skied the Wailer F99s previously, the skis had spent some time with Soren and received a tune. The new tune really allowed the DPS to change its personality; where before we felt it to be demanding and requiring attention, now the ski was much better into and out of turns. I did find the Wailer to be a bit more reactive with the binding moved forward about a centimeter, too. The Wailer 99 with its gradual tip profile feels like it is a better soft snow alternative to the Cassiar F95; it really felt like a nonconformist's option to the Nordica NRGy 100, a smooth 100mm-ish ski that is very playful. I look forward to getting @Drahtguy Kevin on these in Colorado.
 

Alexzn

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Nov 13, 2015
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Bay Area and Truckee
Skied on a re-tuned F99 with Philpug. The first time I was on it it did have an issue when it felt somewhat demanding. This time after retune it felt quite a bit better ( note to DPS- why, oh why should a demo pair have tuning issues? Maybe a difference between Utah and Tahoe snow?). The ski was confident, fairly smooth and powerful. It's still below a notch in do refinement to a ski like a Kastle FX, Stockli SR95 and even the Enforcer or Bonafide. The best way for me to describe it is Mantra tail married to a ProRider tip. You have no problem letting it run through sticky junk snow, but it was just not as eager to play along as some of the other top skis could do. It's entirely possible that I was not skiing them fast enough or aggressively enough for what they are designed to do, although the placement in the mSs market Foundation collection probably does not go with a balls-to-the metal personality, I though that in DPS lineup, this charger ski is the Wailer 105 T2.

An off the deep end prediction is that a skier who lived the Mantra would love that ski as well, for the same type of stiff tail that you can ride on groomers. It's a wrong reason to like that ski for, but may be a driver in the marketplace.
 

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