When I get a manicure, I like bright. “Suzi’s Hungary Again” is my current favorite, a yummy shade of pink that I can also use to touch up the nick marks on my DPS Yvettes. Yellow polish doesn’t go well with my olive complexion, so I haven’t had the same luck with the Wailers.
WildSnow Girl, Rachel Bellamy, insists DPS stands for DeepPowderStoke.
Other than topsheet colors, Pure3 Yvette 112RP and Pure3 Wailer 112RP are pretty much the same ski. As you can see on our Ski Weight Comparison Chart, their specs are similar.
DPS Yvette Pure3 Carbon Nano
Length tested 168 cm
Weight 1530 grams
Shape 141/112/128
DPS Wailer Pure3 Carbon Nano
Length tested 168 cm
Weight 1478 grams
Shape 141/112/128
We attribute the slight difference in weight (1.8oz, about the weight of half a small apple) to manufacturing variation.
Regarding length, I usually ski 161cm in a traditionally shaped (minimal rocker) ski (I’m 5’7″, 125lbs). With the long and high tip and tail rocker of Yvette and Wailer, there’s less surface area of the ski on the snow so a slightly longer length is better. 168cm nails it for me.
Pronounced rocker and 112cm underfoot help the ski float on powder. The experience is different than with a flatter ski — more surfy, less snorkel time. Slight camber adds pop on hard pack with plenty of hold. The moderately twin-tipped tail also makes it easier to ski backwards which, of course, I do a lot (though most often unintentionally).
Numbers aside, Yvette and Wailer are just plain fun. We’ve tested them in British Columbia, Washington, Colorado and Europe and they make skiing easy on almost any type of snow short of blue ice.
Yvette arrived first at WildSnow HQ. With her, slarving beautiful white arcs down a peak is a breeze; tight turns in the trees take a bit more effort.
When Wailer joined our posse last fall, Lou mounted the bindings 1 cm forward of midsole (+1) to improve turn initiation. Indeed it worked. At +1, the Wailer feels more reactive. It’s easier to tilt and turn. Lou is right again. When is he ever wrong?
Note: Yvette comes in two lengths, 168cm and 178cm. On the 168s the midsole lines are the same as the Wailer and thus, mounting the bindings 1 cm forward of midsole (+1) worked. On 178cm Yvettes, the midsole mark is adjusted that way already.
The takeaway: Yvette is pink, Wailer is yellow. Pick the one that compliments your skin tone. Then surf the white all the way to the end of the world.
Wailer 112, 168 cm. Same weight and dimensions as Yvette.
Tip rise and rocker set the standard, and is still fairly radical. Fork is for scale. A ruler is so boring.
Lou cut this skin notch in the tails; they don’t come with any climbing skin features, though they do make a good touring ski.
DreamyPowderSki. Lisa on Rogers Pass, BC.
DelightfulPinkSki
DPS Yvette and Wailer available here.
WildSnow Girl, Lisa Dawson, is the luckiest girl in the world. Also known as Mrs. WildSnow.com, she tests whatever gear she wants. She gives the WildSnow family of websites the feminine voice.
