Short turn fans will love the Cassiar 79.2 Alchemist from DPS. For years, DPS has been mastering the freeride and all-mountain categories, but now they have done a fantastic job in their continuing foray into the front side aspect of the sport. New for 2019 is the Cassiar 79.2 featuring the Alchemist construction. This blend of carbon and wood in the core means a lot of torsional stiffness and burly design. It does not, however, get weighed down by lots of metal like some of its contemporaries. What we’re looking at here is a short turn specialist that is meant for groomed snow and lots of turns. The end result for the skier is going to be a symmetrical line of perfect trenches left in the corduroy. Our testers found that the skis were extremely quick from edge to edge, and solid and smooth throughout the turn. DPS told us it would make a great “training” ski, and as such, it only comes in a 160 and a 167 cm. For our test, we only had the 167, which was probably the correct length for all of our testers.
Hans von Briesen noted that it was certainly a one-trick pony, but it performed that trick perfectly. If a ski is one-dimensional, then it should do that dimension really, really well. Hans’ overall impression of the ski was 4 out of 5, so it sounds like he thought the Cassiar 79.2 was properly pigeon holed. “This ski is a solid recreational, slalom-ish shredder. Its strength is turn-shape versatility, although it does prefer the medium radius turns in order to get the best ‘snap’.” Hans’ low scores for versatility and flotation are not a shock, as the skis clearly have a defined purpose in life. His take is that the skis are “best for a skier or coach/instructor looking to maximize fall-line skiing and maintain strength through the day.” That’s a pretty specific and thorough explanation from Hans as to the intended use and audience for the skis. Overall, Hans bought into DPS’ implementation of the Cassiar 79.2 into the front-side line. With high marks for quickness, maneuverability, and edge hold, the skis are living up to their billing, and, according to Hans, will please fall-line carvers and quick turners alike.
Benny Wax ripped a few runs on the Cassiar 79.2 Alchemist and gave his highest marks for quickness, maneuverability, and forgiveness. For a carving ski, the forgiveness is an important piece; because you have to be able to flex the ski in its entirety in order to get that perfect carve. The end result of a forgiving carving ski is that you get a beautiful and smooth round turn shape. For carving enthusiasts, this is the ideal outcome of leaning that ski over and maximizing the radius and the edge hold. His overall impression wasn’t as good as Hans’, but that’s why we have different testers trying out these skis.
Jason Krupsky picked up on the fact that the Cassiar 79.2 Alchemist was supposed to be skied short and put on edge at all times. Due to the fact that Jason is a carving enthusiast, it’s no wonder that he found the skis to be appropriate front-side rippers. He gave top marks, 5’s out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. His unsurprising score of 1 out of 5 for versatility also shows that Jason understands the value and designation of the skis. “Very quick edge to edge. Needs to be skied in the center of the ski. Good introduction to a short radius ski.” Jason certainly seemed to like the ability of the skis to react to his input, and react accordingly.
Short turn enthusiasts looking for a ski that specifically makes perfectly round turns with minimal effort should certainly take a test run on the Cassiar 79.2 Alchemist. The construction and intention of the skis are clear and concise and they will appeal to a set of skiers that certainly knows what they want to do out on the hill.
