Koala quivers in The Shadow Campaign – dpsskisstore
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Koala quivers in The Shadow Campaign

DPS Cinematic debuted this season with four film shorts in The Shadow Campaign series: Sanctuary, Whitewash, Sun Dog, and Inversions. The reception has been stellar with film festival inclusions, online honors, and plenty of buzz. The four films feature members of the DPS Koalas. People often ask us what skis they chose to pack, and ride, for each location.  We checked-in with each to gain insight into their quiver choices on trips like these where the dream is always powder, but the reality can change in a hurry. It's clear they each of firm opinions on what they like and why, ranging from Cassiars for hard snow/park days, to the Wailer 112RPC, Lotus 120, Lotus 138, and Spoon. The Shadow Campaign in… Sanctuary: Valle Nevado, Chile. Whitewash: Mt. Baker, Washington. USA. Sun Dog: Refugio Frey, Patagonia, Argentina. Inversions: Baldface Lodge, BC, Canada. zackSkiing ZACK GIFFIN, as seen in Sanctuary and Whitewash “For both Sanctuary and Whitewash, I went with my go-to ski, the Lotus 138. The Lotus 138 floats in deep powder, but the shorter effective edge allows me to smear through crusty and icy spots. It’s long enough to be stable at speed but quick enough to rally the trees. For what I do, the Lotus is really an all around ski—it’s as close to a one-ski quiver as I’ll ever find. Because the carbon fiber construction and minimal swing weight, even jumping and spinning works really well, especially with the Spoon tech. infusion. The stiffness in the tails keeps me out of the back seat on landings. If I had one ski that covers all my needs, it's the Lotus 138 hands down.” zackPortrait-2 Zack Giffin—Professional big-mountain skier, environmental activist, and adventurer, Zack is sponsored by Outdoor Research, Gordini, Mount Baker Ski Area, and DPS. Called one of Washington’s “Alpine Icons” by Ski Washington Magazine, Zack has been featured in every major ski magazine, produced several video projects for ESPN, Skiing, Powder, and has been a lead skier in the Sweetgrass Productions films. These days you can find Zack traveling North America chasing powder in a 112-square foot mobile ‘Tiny House’ that he built. olofSkiing OLOF LARSSON, as seen in Whitewash and Inversions  On all my trips I usually pack Wailer 112RPC’s and Spoons. When traveling, you always hope to use the Spoons for the entire trip. That’s the dream. If you have Spoons on your feet, it means it’s deep and things are going to be so good. But, the reality is different on every trip. For example, we went to Baldface in December and the snow varied and was a little sketchy in the beginning. When the snow isn’t all-time, I always go for the RPC because of its versatility. They handle crust, hard pack, windblown, and even deep powder, so for me it’s usually the go-to from my bag. Oh, but the Spoons…if you want to have the most fun on a deep day, it’s all about the Spoons. We had bad luck and didn’t get Spoon riding at Baldface, but that was a different story entirely at Baker for Whitewash.olofPortrait-2 Olof Larsson—Swedish professional freeride skier who winters in Switzerland. Olof is a Haglöfs and DPS athlete; and is a leading European-based freeskier who has appeared in ski magazines worldwide. Learn more at: olof-larsson.com. SantiagoSkiing Santi Guzman, as seen in Sanctuary, Sun Dog, and Inversions “At Baldface, we were mainly hitting jumps and I was using the Wailer 112RPC. That was the best ski for those conditions, with the variable snow. Since we were jumping and doing tricks most of the time, I played around a bit with the mounting points and went way forward, which like when in the air, which didn’t lose the feeling on snow in my turns” “At Regufio Frey for Sun Dog, I was on the Lotus 120 Spoon the entire time. I was hiking a lot, and also back and forth between small turns and letting it out. The Pure3 construction made them super light and easy to hike and turn and jump. But, the Lotus 120 is a ski for charging and were ideal for the long open faces at Refugio.” “At Valle Nevado we shot Sanctuary. I had my Lotus 120s and RPCs with me. The RPC was the ski for Valle. I again pushed my mounting points forward on them, like I did at Baldface. Being so far up really suits my style, which is freestyle-air-backcountry. Since we were on the resort a bunch, I was also riding Cassiar 85 and Cassiar 95, giant slalom and park boards. I love having a wide quiver to go pick and choose." SantiagoPortrait-2 Santiago Guzman—A native of Argentina, Santiago made his ski film debut starring in The Shadow Campaign’s Banff Mountain Film Festival short ‘Sun Dog’, and has since appeared in Sanctuary and Inversions. Santi is bit of a freeskiing legend in his native Argentina, and was a perennial big-mountain comp rider in Chile and Argentina.  He is currently an integral part of Argentina’s Freeski Olmypic Team, an Ambassador for Outdoor Research and Smith Optics, and a recent addition to the DPS Koalas.  piersSkiing Piers Solomon, as seen in Sanctuary, Whitewash, and Inversions “Spoons are RPCs, for me all the way, with the Spoons being my first choice whenever possible. We had the cat-skiing Baldface trip booked, and I was hoping for untracked, fresh lines. So, I gambled and packed two pairs of Spoons even though the weather forecast wasn’t looking promising, but I still thought it would snow by the time we got there. When we arrived it was sunbaked with the weirdest surface hoar layer on top of it, which actually made it a little softer, which helped me with my Spoon choice. The RPC’s would’ve been the right call. Whitewash was perfect Spoon conditions.” piersPortrait-2 Piers Solomon—An American, Swiss, and British tri-national, Piers is one of the best and most understated freeride skiers in the world. Piers’ sponsors include: Patagonia and DPS. He has graced the covers of leading ski magazines worldwide, and has been a featured skier in Sweetgrass Productions films, and now three DPS Cinematic films. Learn more about #Powtime to secure special incentives on Pure3 skis, March 1-April 1. Watch all four films from The Shadow Campaign series.