The DPS Factory's Summer Work – dpsskisstore
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The DPS Factory's Summer Work

At the DPS Factory in Salt Lake City, building the world’s most advanced skis keeps winter close during the dog days of summer. For each factory worker’s hands that a DPS ski passes through, there’s a gratifying connection knowing that those skis will find their way onto the feet of dedicated skiers around the globe. Take an insider’s peek at the DPS factory’s summer work to see what’s brewing for Dreamtime and the 2015/16 Season. factory Dreamtime Preparations The focus inside the DPS Factory in July is locked on Dreamtime: July 15-August 1. Dreamtime is a mainstay at DPS. It’s an annual summer event that snaps the heat-induced doldrums of the summer. For two mid-summer weeks the focus is on assembling the ultimate quiver for the coming winter. Dreamtime celebrates the release of the 15/16 DPS Quiver, Special Edition skis, new shapes and designs, Powderworks creations, event-only specials, and more. Dreamtime is the coming out party for what lies ahead. At the DPS factory, it means all hands on deck as skis are made, shipping procedures dialed, and ski fitting experts provide consultations to skiers over the phone and via email so that they know what to buy when July 15 rolls around. Learn more about Dreamtime July 15-August 1 here. Dreamtime - banner2  Special Edition-Protect Our Winters Skis If you walk the production floor in the DPS Factory in the summer, Special Edition skis often catch a visitor’s eyes for their rarity appeal. For Dreamtime 2015, a partnership was formed with Protect our Winters (POW), where $50 from each Special Edition will go to POW to support their mission. Special Edition skis are Pure3 creations that typically sell out quickly during Dreamtime. This year’s batch being readied include three award-winning Pure3 designs: Cassiar 95, Wailer 99, Wailer 112RP.2. All Special Edition skis feature one-time event ski art paying homage to POW with their logo underfoot, and earthly tones throughout the line. Special Edition skis typically sell for $1299, but for Dreamtime exclusively, $1049. Learn more about the Dreamtime release of Special Edition skis here.  Dreamtime15-blog-SEskis copy Powderworks Release: Lotus 124 There’s a lot of buzz around the Dreamtime release of the Lotus 124 Powderworks Edition. The Lotus 124 is a new shape to join the DPS Quiver for 2015/16. Powderworks creations come from the DPS’ R+D lab, where future ‘mainstream’ shapes are often released early. The Powderworks division in many ways is DPS’ dream lab. “The Lotus 124 design results in a balanced ski that elegantly walks the tightrope between a deeply rockered/paddle design and a directional, flat-tailed driven design. The goal is the best of both worlds in a 120mm class pow stick that will be able to perform double duty in mixed snow. With the Powderworks Lotus 124, you are skiing the cutting edge of our exploratory thoughts – a novel new platform on the hunt for everyday powder shape perfection.” Learn more about the Lotus 124 Powderworks ski here.  1. TOPSHEET R+D Test Session Timberline, Oregon DPS founder, Stephan Drake, traveled to the Timberline, Pacific Northwest in the second week of July for another round of testing construction and design possibilities for both late season releases in 2015/16 and releases for the 2016/17 season. The design process is perpetual, with endless iterations of a single model being tested before release. Another on-snow trip is planned for Chile in August (Watch DPS Cinematic's 'Sanctuary' in Chile). And then it’s more in lab modeling before those changes can be applied to the Northern Hemisphere winter’s testing in the lead-up to Spring 2016 releases going into Dreamtime 2016 when the entire DPS quiver is formally released.  oregon test Tour1 Skis Tour1 is an exciting new chapter in the DPS storyline—the future of touring. Released mid-season 2015, Tour1’s arrival immediately heralded accolades, including a prestigious ISPO Award for innovation in Munich, Germany. Tour1 now allows a DPS skier four construction choices to hone-in their quiver for their exact type of skiing. Tour1 fills the quiver gap that Pure3 cannot by being 100 percent targeted for touring. Tour1 is designed as a specialized beast that prioritizes the weigh-in first. Yet, while the design objective was to match the weight range of skis in the existing touring-specific ski class, we upped the performance ante by infusing DPS’ carbon engineering expertise into the line. We aimed for downhill class-leading responsiveness, edge grip, dampening and power by employing a proprietary Tour1 carbon laminate that dominates the modulus of Tour1’s lightweight balsa core. The inaugural 15/16 Tour1 line exhibits strong downhill performance in the lightest DPS package available. Tour1 also puts Pure3 in proper context by speaking directly to the skier who is touring 100 percent of the time and values every gram of efficiency on the ascent without compromising the bliss and completion that comes with an epic run down.  Tour1-blog-image2 Pure3 Skis DPS’ flagship proprietary Carbon + Nano Pure3 construction are made in the DPS Factory in Salt Lake City. Perfecting the build process on the world’s only prepreg carbon sandwich ski is one that took years to hone. The persistence delivered a ski unlike any other in the world in terms of power, strength, performance, and weight. Pure3 skis are made year-round in the DPS Factory. In the summer, the Pure3 work is incessant, building the 2015/16 Pure3 Quiver, while also prioritizing Dreamtime releases of the Special Edition Pure3 skis and Powderworks Lotus 124. Get Custom Ski Fitted in Preparation for Dreamtime and the 2015/16 Season Not far from the factory floor is the DPS team of custom ski fitters who have successfully been fitting skiers around the globe for years over the phone and email. They are here to help with any needs, including custom ski fittings over the phone to get you dialed on the perfect ski. Getting fitted weeks before Dreamtime is recommended so you can act decisively when the event starts. Please contact us at your earliest convenience for a fitting at +1.801.413.1737, or by completing a Ski Finder form. Blog-skiFitting How to Place an Order? Ordering on dpsskis.com or over the phone from DPS Placing a Dreamtime order is easy. You can purchase online direct from dpsskis.com, or through participating DPS Dreamtime dealers. If you have questions about ski fitting, or anything pertaining to Dreamtime, please contact us at info@dpsskis.com or 801.413.1737, monday through Friday, 9 Am-6 Pm mDT. Ordering from DPS dealers Participating Dreamtime dealers represent the world’s finest shops. Ordering from a dealer in your area is easy. Simply contact them from July 15-August 1, 2015 and place your Dreamtime order over the phone or in-person. A list of participating Dreamtime dealers can be found by visiting dpsskis.com. Please note: All skis ordered during Dreamtime will ship by September 1, but in most cases, much earlier. For those wanting their skis for the Southern Hemisphere season, please contact DPS prior to ordering to see if expedited arrangements can be made. View the 2015/16 DPS Catalog here to take a deep dive into DPS products and culture. Dreamtime - banner2