Review: 188 s7, 191 Lhasa, 190 Lotus 120
I've been meaning to write this up for a while, but frankly I'm lazy.
Me: 163 pounds of complete studmuffin. I've reached the ripe age of 29 and I've been on skis since I was a kid. Better than most, far worse than others. When everyone and their mom is nuts to butts in the obvious powder, I'm probably snooping around in the trees.
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Skis that will always be dear to my heart: Volkl Explosivs, Bro Models, Volkl G4s
Other Skis I've skied and would ski again: Raceroom legend pros, big daddies, Lotus 138s, 179/188 bros (soft and stiff), Moment Tahoes, Scott p3, Head monsters.
Skis I haven't liked: I find short radius carvers boring, Foam Salomons.
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188 Rossignol S7, Mounted on the line w/ Look PX15.
191 PM Gear Lhasa Pow Carbons. Mounted on the line with Dukes
190 DPS Lotus 120s Hybrid Mounted +1 with Dukes.
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Groomers:
S7: Everyone says it and its completely true... s7's are groomer machines. Well, at least as much of a machine as a 112 waisted rockered ski can be. Turn initiation is quick, they grip well at all but the highest speeds. These are not a cambered race ski, but they're the best carving rockered ski I've ever been on. I haven't found these to be hooky and am able to make many different radius turns with no issues.
Lhasa: Patience is key. PMGear skis, in my opinion, are slower than others in initiating carved turns. However, once they are on edge they absolutely rail and slice through everything. You just have to be patient and let them rail at their natural radius.
120s: Just like the Lhasas, the 120's have a big turn radius. If you tip them on edge, expect that they are going to make big turns. If you understand this limitation, you'll like the ski. There is less rebound in the hybrid 120 than the lhasa.
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Cut Up / Crud
S7: The s7 keeps you on your toes in in cut up / crud etc etc. If its a essentially a bumpy groomer, the rocker easily ramps up over the bumps and you cruise along. Keep your legs supple and underneath you and you have no problems. If, however, there small patches of untouched snow mixed in with an abundance of tracks... well things get interesting. Off edge / smearing / slarving the ski responds normally. Its fun, its playful. On edge, however, there is the dreaded "Chihuahua" syndrome. In my opinion its the big twin catching on the variable density of snow, but there is something that causes lots of drag and pulls back at your feet. Its an odd feeling to go from no drag / drag / no drag.
Lhasa: Unwavering and smooth. Less rocker than the S7, so it feels more knife-like. There is no drag, everything is super smooth. I wish I had more to report here, but they're just really predictable and work well.
120: Similiar to Lhasa, but a bit more of the "up and over" from the longer / deeper tip rocker. Additionally, the increased weight over the Lhasa makes these feel like they "bust through" with more heft.
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Open Pow
s7: Slowest Powder Skis Ever. I want to take a hacksaw to the tail and dumb it down a little. This could also be a product of the major pintail shape which sinks the tails pretty deep. Even though its slow, its still super fun in the powder.
Lhasa: Like a hot knife through butter. Very stable because of the longer contact length. Glides effortlessly through powder, tips stay up. They do everything you want them to and nothing that you don't. Turns are poppy and fun.
120's: Again, similar to the Lhasas. With the increased splay they float a touch better and feel a touch looser.
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Trees / tight places
S7: This is where the S7 shines. With the center mount, major rocker, huge tips and side cut its impossibly quick. Think and the skis are where you want them to be. Everything from deep powder trees to dust on crust, they are quick. People have said that these are great "game improvement" skis. I don't think so. They are so easy, you really do not have to improve, you'll just instantly be better.
Lhasas: These are game-improvement because they reward you for doing things right. Almost anyone can ski any ski on a groomer or wide open smooth bowl. Its the turns that need to be made that count. The Lhasa is very rewarding in tight places. They're better than they should be, given how big and straight they are. They're very quick edge to edge, for their size, which may be due to their light weight. The rebound helps too. If you ski them properly they'll respond as you want. If you are tentative or in the back seat they will buck you. You instantly know the difference between strong skiing and weak skiing. They make you a better skier. If I was in a narrow couloir, I'd want the Lhasa over the s7 because its so sure footed.
120's: They ski slightly bigger than the lhasa because they are slightly bigger. They feel looser and more slarvy. This could be due to the width, the extra splay or the fact that the edges on the 120's are hammered and the Lhasa's are like razors. The hybrid 120s sort of "slither" down a line. They slide in and out of the places that you put them and they don't complain. I think the +1 mount helps in tight places.
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Landings: (Caveat, I really don't huck anything big)
S7: I've gone over the bars twice. Once was a cornice and the other a cattrack. Both times it was a flat-ish take off and a moderately pitched landing. Maybe 5-8 feet vertical from take off to landing. I matched the slope of the landing and when I stomped to ski out of it... well I just sunk in and went over the bars.
Lhasa and 120s: Very stable platforms. No issues with landings at all.
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Where do they fit in my quiver
s7: Looking at this review the s7 have some quirks, which I think is accurate. However, like some crazy friends, you deal with the oddness because they're so damn fun. I am skiing the s7 as a daily driver because I know I will enjoy it on anything I come across at the resort. They ski bumps well, trees well, groomers well and they're fun in the pow too. This is playful ski that encourages you to do silly things, try new lines etc etc.
Lhasa: In my quiver the Lhasas are my go to sidecountry, touring and deeper powder days... especially if I know I'm going to be skiing tracked out terrain. They're a more solid ski than the s7 and I trust them more in variable conditions. They are more demanding, but they also encourage you to be a better skier and reward you for being on your game.
120's: Since the Lhasa's entered the picture, the 120's have moved on. I was happy with them in the role that the Lhasa's now fill, but frankly the Lhasa is lighter. They are so similar in most aspects that the weight factor is a big one and noticeable when touring. They ski incredibly well and are much easier to ski then the size would suggest. They reward a good skier, but not to the extent of the Lhasas. This ski just felt like it was "there". It didn't cause a ruckus, It didn't stand out. It did what you asked, but that was about it.
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To Look at:
S7: I'm really debating moving the mount back. I don't know if it will make the over the bars / slowness issues better because there is more tip or worse because it'll sink the tails and slow the ski down that much more. They feel very center mounted, but that's because I never ski skis that are center mounted.
Wailer 112: I'm hopefully demo'ing these this weekend (will update this if I do). I have a feeling they will have all of the goodness of the s7, plus the goodness of DPS magic minus the badness of the s7.
Lhasa: I think I am going to continue to detune the crap out of them... or just continue to hit more rocks when I ski. I think the sharp edges may account for them feeling less loose than the 120's. Additionally, I'm wondering if a +1 mount will increase turn initiation on groomers. In a sense I don't really care because I'm not planning on skiing many groomers with them anymore (I did so for the sake of this comparison).
Lotus 120's: I would love to compare the Hybrid to the pure. I think that 120 shape + carbon lightness + the volume turned up could be a very fun ski.
