Product Reviews

DC Snowboard Boots
Travis Rice Pro Model
dcshoes.com

At $400, this is DC’s priciest albeit most innovative buy on the market—no wonder they made it for one of the best snowboarders on the planet. I ordered these half a size bigger than I usually do, which proved wise. What shocked the hell out of me was that there was no breaking-in process, so my feet were in heaven from Run One. The minimal profile and lightness are unmatched. It’s stiff enough for the 100-day park or big-mountain rider, yet the amount of flex you get out of the toe box when hiking is comfortably unreal. I didn’t even mind the fact that these are BOA laced because they locked my feet where they needed to be. Then, I tried to take a boot off. The lower tightening BOA system jammed up and my authorized dealer had to snip the wires in order to get one of the boots off my foot. He told me that he’d seen the problem on this model before and that it was so jammed that the part couldn’t be removed or replaced. I wear snowboarding boots for a living, and I’ve avoided BOAs for that very reason. Someday, BOA will dominate the industry simply because it tightens where laces can’t, but until the kinks are worked out, I stay skeptical: warranty@dcshoes.com. –Tim Kronenberg

DPS Skis
Wailer 112RPC Pure3
dpsskis.com

Born from the desire to make durable, high performance skis, DPS (Drakes PowderworkS) has engineered some of the most interesting shred sticks out there. The Utah-based company has become fully invested in creating a unique set of products that give skiers the ability to hone their skills and enjoy the next level of snow sliding. The Wailer 112RPC is their latest all-mountain ski, and it delivers on its promises of being stiff and light. At 186 cm in length, its dimensions are 141/112/128. This equates to a longer turn radius (15–18m), but it is a surprisingly nimble ski in tight terrain. When it comes to a powder ski, these things float like a dream. It is nearly impossible to sink the tips in deep snow. In open terrain, they like to run and the stiff tail makes cliff-stomping as easy as stepping off a curb. A lower-profile tip and tail with minimal camber also allows the ski to be predictable on hard pack. The model tested featured the Pure3 construction. Manufactured in Utah, this generation uses prepreg carbon laminate and nanotech resins that keep the ski light and give it a consistent flex pattern. Its aspen core is specifically engineered to work in conjunction with the carbon build to increase its torsional stiffness and dampening. This is evident in the chunder when most ski tips would chatter and deflect. It is an overall impressive ski that lives up to its all-mountain moniker. –Sean Zimmerman-Wall