Surf, Slash, Slarve The latest board in the backcountry ski test quiver to get the most-favored status is the Ogso Corbets. Named after the famed Corbet’s Couloir that’s accessible from the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, it measures in at 110mm underfoot. It’s a dedicated backcountry powder ski with a nimble, surfy feel and even-tempered personality that makes for effortless powder… Read More
Tip Rise Meets Camber and Control If you’re not familiar with Ogso skis, it’s time to get acquainted. Based in Chamonix, France, Ogso Mountain Essentials is a rising new ski brand that makes a range of very fun and versatile touring skis – read more about Ogso and our review of the Ogso Schwarztor ski, which we awarded a quiver-of-one label…. Read More
The Ogso Schwarztor – A Quiver of One – 135-104-120 Choosing one pair of skis to do it all in the backcountry is a big ask. There’s no shortage of good skis. It’s finding the one ski that blends playful powder skiing with confident control while keeping it light underfoot that’s the hard part. I typically spend my winter on… Read More
Ogso Skis There’s a rising new ski brand making its way into North America, Ogso Skis. Based in Chamonix, France, Ogso offers a variety of skis ranging from modestly-waisted mountaineering boards to wider freeride designs. Ogso makes lightweight uphill-friendly models and heavier descent-oriented boards. Ogso founder and ski mountaineer, Tom Seidensticker, describes Ogso skis this way, “The skis are balanced… Read More
Made in Utah – The New DPS Pagoda Tour DPS Skis set a high bar for dedicated backcountry ski performance when they launched their Tour 1 ski construction in 2015. The Tour 1 skis married their proven profiles with a lightweight paulownia wood and carbon laminated core. The result is some of the lightest skis in their width class. They… Read More
Voile HyperDrifter – Modern Powder Slashing for the Traditionalist Voile has long focused on wide powder ski designs. As a dedicated backcountry brand with the famed deep snow of the Wasatch as their testing grounds, it only makes sense. From the early Mountain Surf to the more contemporary Drifter and Charger models, they have been building skis that set the… Read More
DPS Lotus 124 2.0 – Alchemist Edition For the most part, backcountry ski waist widths have settled into the 100-115mm zone the last couple of seasons. You can confidently grab a pair of skis with a waist in the low hundreds for just about any day of touring. Between rocker, sidecut and lightweight core materials, these skis are agile, light,… Read More
Voile SuperCharger – Do-It-All Versatility As ski season ramps, we’ve got a few ski reviews to share. First up is the Voile SuperCharger. It’s a carry-over ski from last season, but it would be crazy to leave the SuperCharger off our list of favorite backcountry powder skis. Editors’ Choice Voile launched the SuperCharger in 2017-18, and Off-Piste chose it as… Read More
Prior Husume – XTC Construction – A Balance of Float, Power and Weight Handmade in Whistler, BC, the Prior Husume ski has been serving up all-conditions float and control for many years. The latest version features a 109mm waist and the same hard-charging, big radius personality as earlier versions. Crossover Resort and Backcountry Feel I’ve been skiing the Husume XTC… Read More
DPS Wailer 112 Tour 1 Review The DPS Wailer 112 has been a consistent crowd pleaser since its introduction. The 112mm wide waist hits a sweet spot for powder touring, and DPS has fine-tuned the profile over the years to create a refined but always energetic ski. This season they added a new edition – the Wailer 112 Tour 1…. Read More
