2026 DPS Pisteworks 79

The DPS Pisteworks 79 is a reincarnation of the Cassiar 79 “trainer” ski from a number of years ago, taking notes from designer Ted Ligety and putting them in a new package. These carbon-powered on-trail carvers are smooth, powerful, and totally enjoyable while retaining excellent grip and power. This mold used to be used in a training and examining format, allowing professional and technical skiers to achieve higher edge angles and greater levels of energy with less effort.

Built with a wood core and two full carbon laminates, the Pisteworks 79 also gets a recycled Carbon Power Plate underfoot to fully deliver power, grip, and energy to the sides of the ski. While it’s on the stiff side for not having metal, it’s still got some flex to it, especially in the shovel. This keeps it nice and light, with the 174 sitting on the scale at 1650 grams per ski. Basically, this is the lightest, best carving ski of its kind—there are no equals out there. Tester Erik Timmerman notes that the carbon build is a bit tricky: “I didn’t really know what to expect. A ski endorsed by Ted Ligety from DPS built to carve groomers? With carbon construction? I didn’t know if I should expect it to be quiet or noisy. How much grip could it have? I found it to be less turny than the 13 m radius suggested. The ski wasn't glued to the ground like I’d expect from Fischer or Stockli. Grip wasn’t great either. If you back off and don’t try to emulate Ligety, it gets better.” In softer snow, like we had, it’s pretty safe to say lighter skis get pushed around more.

While it’s on the narrow side, it’s still not a race ski, even with Ted’s influence. This follows the Cassiar’s Trainer mentality of it being a smooth and energetic character for technical skiers who are looking for a longer effective edge with a shorter turn radius. The 174 provides a 126/79/106 mm split that creates a 13.5-meter turn arc. Skiers like Ted are fine with this more slalom-like feel while others may like it more in medium to longer shaped carves. Tester Geoff Lindemer kept it short and sweet, noting the ski was “stable, good at groomers and great for advanced skiers.”

This ski makes a lot of sense for a small number of skiers. The blend of light weight, reactive carbon, and a short radius are all very technical in nature. If you’re not a former racer or looking specifically for something like this, there are better options in the ~80 mm zone.