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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (Carving, All-Mountain). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Dancer 79 Ti SYS — intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a dedicated groomer ski with personality — not a race hand-me-down — and want it ready to ride. U-PH — skiers who want the unity outline light and forgiving rather than stiff and demanding, and who value a long comfortable day over a precise one — which is ogasaka’s own stated aim for it. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all skis on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | Dancer 79 Ti SYS | U-PH |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 9🏆 | 6 |
| Park | 2🏆 | 2🏆 |
| Playfulness | 7🏆 | 6 |
| Forgiveness | 6 | 7🏆 |
| Stability | 8🏆 | 7 |
| Powder | 1 | 4🏆 |
Intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a dedicated groomer ski with personality — not a race hand-me-down — and want it ready to ride. The skier who carves hard on firm snow but still wants energy and pop. Works well as a piste-specific second ski alongside a wider all-mountain setup, bought complete with a factory binding.
Beginners who need forgiveness, heavy chargers who want maximum dampening at very high speed, and anyone looking for off-piste float. At 79mm and Float 1/10 this is a pure frontside ski — if you want something that also handles soft snow, look at the wider Dancers or an all-mountain ski. And if you want to choose or reuse your own binding, buy the flat Dancer 79 Ti instead — the SYS is locked to the factory Salomon Strive 11. If you want more high-speed calm on firm snow and don't mind the weight, the DPS Pisteworks 79 is stiffer and more damp.
Skiers who want the UNITY outline light and forgiving rather than stiff and demanding, and who value a long comfortable day over a precise one — which is OGASAKA’s own stated aim for it. One third-party tester recommended it to women and senior skiers; another, on the 160 cm, called it the easiest ski to ski in the whole UNITY range. It also suits anyone who wants a finished setup rather than a ski plus a second decision, because PTO stocks it with the binding and plate already mounted.
Skiers who want edge bite. A third-party tester said outright that this is not a razor-sharp, high-grip model and pointed it at cruising instead — that trait went out with the aluminum, and the U-PE is the ski that still has it. It is not the easiest ski in its own family either: OGASAKA’s catalog states that the U-PC is easier to handle, and recommends the U-PC to skiers with less power. At 81 mm it is no powder ski — E-TURN is OGASAKA’s wide line — and it is no hard-snow race carver, which is what KEO’S and TRIUN exist for. Anyone who needs 174 cm cannot get it here; the run ends at 167. And anyone shopping for a cheaper U-PE should stop: the metal is genuinely gone, and so is the work it was doing.
The Dancer 79 Ti SYS is best for intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a dedicated groomer ski with personality — not a race hand-me-down — and want. The U-PH is best for skiers who want the unity outline light and forgiving rather than stiff and demanding, and who value a long comfortable. The right choice depends on your primary terrain, ability level, and riding style.
The Faction Dancer 79 Ti SYS scores highest in Stability at 8/10, making it the strongest all-mountain option. It handles groomers, chop, and variable conditions without losing composure, so it's the best single-ski choice for skiers who want one pair for the whole mountain.
The Faction Dancer 79 Ti SYS leads in Carving with a PTO score of 9/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The OGASAKA U-PH is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 7/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest ski to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.
