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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (Freeride, All-Mountain Freestyle). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Koala 111 — soft snow, and dps is specific about which kind: powder days, pillow lines, big landings in deeper conditions, and choppy powder and crud carried at speed.. Bent 100 — intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle.. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all skis on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | Koala 111 | Bent 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4 | 6🏆 |
| Park | 7🏆 | 7🏆 |
| Playfulness | 8 | 9🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 6 | 8🏆 |
| Stability | 6🏆 | 5 |
| Powder | 8🏆 | 6 |
Soft snow, and DPS is specific about which kind: powder days, pillow lines, big landings in deeper conditions, and choppy powder and crud carried at speed. It suits a skier who already wants the Koala shape and wants the wider of the two, since DPS describes this one as surfier and more buoyant than the Koala 103 on the same 18m arc, the same 40%/60% split and the same price. It also suits a buyer who wants DPS carbon without paying up the range — at $1,195 the two Koalas sit at the lowest MSRP on our 26/27 DPS order form. Above them the sheet runs $1,695 for the Pagoda Tour CFLs, $1,795 for the Lotuses, the two Powderworks and the standard-colorway Kaizens, and $1,995 for the standard-colorway Pisteworks; the Carbon Reveal versions of those last two families add $100.
Skinning. This is a lift-served weight, and DPS's own Powderworks Koala Tour 111 takes the identical published geometry into a touring build — at $600 more, with no published weight to prove the gain. Skip it if you want documented hard-snow performance before you commit: DPS makes a firm-snow claim on the Koala 103's page and makes nothing of the sort for this one, and with no flex or camber figure published there is nothing official to test either way. Skip it if your turns are short and your terrain is tight, because 18m is a long sidecut and DPS's own sentence about that radius is about fast, strong skiing rather than quickness. And skip it if you need a spec sheet to answer your questions, because four of the numbers you would want are not published.
Intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle. It rewards people who like to press, slash and ride switch, plus lighter or less aggressive skiers who do not want to fight a heavy ski, and anyone after one do-it-all ski that still floats on a soft day. It also makes a light resort-to-sidecountry option.
Skiers who want a metal ski's hard-snow bite and race-like precision: with a light woodcore and no metal laminate, the Bent 100 handles a groomer but will not match a metal ski's edge hold on firm snow or feel as locked-in on ice. Heavier, aggressive skiers who charge through cut-up crud will feel the light build deflect - a metal all-mountain ski like the Nordica Enforcer 100 tracks that line better. True beginners should skip it too; independent reviews place it at intermediate and up. And if deep powder is the priority, the wider Bent 110 or Chetler 120 is the better tool.
Koala 111 is best for soft snow, and dps is specific about which kind: powder days, pillow lines, big landings in deeper conditions, and choppy powder and crud carried at speed. Bent 100 is best for intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle. The right choice depends on your terrain, ability, and riding style.
DPS Koala 111 has the highest Stability score in this comparison at 6/10. That score compares composure; it does not by itself mean the product is the most versatile choice.
Atomic Bent 100 leads Carving in this comparison with a PTO score of 6/10.
Atomic Bent 100 has the highest Forgiveness score here at 8/10. Forgiveness is one factor in progression, not a claim that every beginner should choose it.
Not sure? Ask us.
