The 2024 DPS Pagoda Tour 100 returns mainly unchanged for this year, with the main difference being found in the shaping naming. For all intents and purposes, this is the same ski, they’ve just called the shape something else. The Pagoda 100 RP is a smart ski to base a touring ski off, mostly because it already had a very touring-specific start to it. The use of carbon in the ski makes a lot of sense in a touring application as it blends a stiff flex with a lighter weight. When you pair skis like this with a lighter, more technical set of bindings and boots, it takes the backcountry use to the next level. While many ski companies take an existing model and make it lighter for hybrid use, DPS keeps their outgoing Pagoda 100 model as a tour-specific ski for at least the foreseeable future.

From a construction standpoint, DPS does a great job at taking an already light build and making it even more amenable to uphill efficiency. The Pagoda Tour 100 starts with a paulownia wood core, as most touring skis do, blending light weight and responsive flex. They then add some stringers to the middle, mixing dense ash, lightweight foam, and eco-friendly algal material to the blend. On top and bottom of the wood core, DPS uses their high-tech aerospace grade carbon laminates to give the ski its signature feel and character. One of the cool things about this Pagoda 100 is that it comes in a variety of lengths, spanning from 153 to 184, offering a size for everyone who’s wanting to head out into the backcountry. In the 179, the ski sits on the scale at 1480 grams. Sure, there are lighter skis out there, but none of them have the sturdy and high-end build of the Pagoda Tour 100.

The shaping is where it gets kinda funny. Gone are the RP and C2 monikers and replacing them are the terms “Rocker” and “Directional,” respectively. The 100 RP has now become the Pagoda Tour 100 Rocker. The name has changed but the shape and profile have remained the same. We’re still getting the 15-meter turn radius in all sizes, with the taper and rocker adjusting to meet that radius at each length. As such, the longer lengths have more dramatic and pronounced taper in order to adhere to the shorter arc. This leads, as it always has, to some interesting-looking skis. With about 45% rocker and 55% camber, the Pagoda Tour 100 Rocker is one of those models that has a very unique and interesting build to it.

When it comes to touring, certainly lighter is better for the uphills. However, you can’t just take the downhill for granted. You still want and need a ski that can behave and perform like a legit ski out there in the distant mountain peaks. The mix of carbon laminates and ash wood in this ski allow it to be a prime-time performer from a construction perspective while the shape and profile create that floaty and smeary feeling in the softer snow. The taper and rocker make it float a lot better than most other 100’s out there, and the light weight only helps in that regard. Thanks to DPS’s constant commitment to quality and high-end materials and engineering, the 2024 DPS Pagoda Tour 100 is an amazing ski that blends uphill ease with downhill fun.