The World's Most Advanced Skis — Made in America
A young company driving ski design across the industry
Compared to the classic ski brands, some of which were founded as early as the 1920s and 1930s,
DPS is the bold, young, and ambitious face on the scene. Founded in 2005 by Stephan Drake and Pete Turner,
DPS grew out of a desire to create the best skis possible for core skiers. They don't outfit FIS racers or X-Games freeskiers, sell their products in department stores, or offer beginner or recreational models.
DPS focuses on the people who work hard and live in the mountains so that they can access the best snow, the people who skip work on a powder day, and the people who ski 100 days or more every year; the people who are the heart of skiing. By focusing on performance and appealing to core skiers,
DPSÂ has been unconstrained by marketing to the masses or beginners, and has taken an innovation-minded approach to ski design.
In relatively short history of the brand,
DPS has risen to prominence and driven innovation throughout the industry.Â
DPS has released a number of groundbreaking products including the first prepreg carbon fiber ski with a traditional sandwich construction, the first 120 mm waist ski with a pintail design, the first fully-rockered ski with sidecut, as well as spoon shaped tips for incredible soft-snow performance.
DPS has pioneered both the fully implementation of carbon into ski construction, and radical new shapes that are inspired by supreme functionality instead of tradition and precedence.
From overseas production, back to America
The
DPS story is rife with examples of how they have followed a path that goes against the flow in in the ski industry. While many classic ski brands have moved production from the small towns in Europe or North America where they were founded to factories in China or Taiwan where labor and other expenses are cheaper,
DPS has brought operations back to the United States. While they began like many other modern ski companies have, manufacturing their skis overseas,
DPS never planned to stay there. In 2013, they opened a high-tech, modern factory and global headquarters in the Wasatch mountains of Utah.
In their Utah factory,
DPS employs 25 local workers and continues to develop new technology in ski design with a driven R&D philosophy. Two of
DPS' most innovative designs, the
Spoon powder ski and their Pure3 carbon construction, were born, developed and produced in the company's Utah factory.
DPSÂ has grown as a brand and built a devoted following of core skiers, while also moving continually deeper into the roots that inspired the founders to begin producing skis a decade ago.
DPS technology highlights
Multiple Construction Options-
Pure3: DPS' Pure3 is the most technologically advanced ski construction in the industry. DPS skis with Pure3 are lightweight, yet extremely stiff and responsive on any terrain. Utilizing prepregnated carbon laminates and Nanotech resins, combined with an Aspen wood core, Pure3 is 30 percent lighter than traditional constructions, while also 30 percent stiffer for exceptional power transfer.
Tour1: New for 2015, DPS' Tour1 construction takes the already light construction that DPS is known for and optimizes it for high performance touring. Skis with Tour1 construction are comparable in weight to the lightest touring skis on the market, but superior stiffness and dampening. Tour1 utilizes the same prepregnated carbon sheet as the Pure3, but substitutes an ultralight glass laminate. Tour1 skis will tour with the best ultralight skis, while sacrificing nothing on the descent.
Hybrid: DPS' hybrid construction offers high-tech materials for lightweight, responsive performance, in a more affordable package. Skis with Hybrid construction feature Wetlayup Triax fiberglass sheets laminated to a bamboo wood core, with 30 mm carbon stringer in the center of both the top and bottom layers for stiffness and weight reduction.
Spooned Shovel Technology-
The fattest skis in the DPS lineup —the
Lotus 120,
Lotus 138 and
Spoon skis— which are ideal for big mountain lines and deep powder, feature DPS' revolutionary convex base design in the tip (Pure3 constructions only). The shovels of the skis in this line are shaped like a spoon for exceptional float in the deepest snow.
Rocker Shape-
The shape of a DPS ski is very obviously unique compared to other skis on the market. The long rocker profile provides exceptional turn initiation and performance in soft snow and variable conditions. Additionally, tail rocker adds maximum control and versatility in tight or bumpy terrain.
3-D Paddletech Sidecut geometry-
DPS' unique shape, that combines aggressive rocker profiles and tapered tips with variable sidecut, is becoming an increasingly imitated design. Their 3-D Paddletech Sidecut shape provides versatile, powerful turning performance, as well as soft snow performance.  This geometry is one of the crucial design features that makes DPS skis ideal for a wider range of skiing conditions and styles than their competitors.
