DPS Lotus 124 - These Look Fun

[khyber.pass]

IIRC a DPS rep in Canada liked his mounts way forward; like +3.

Probably be me, but my mounts vary:

08 L120 190cm Pure: +3*
12 W99 191 P2 191cm: +1
13 W112RP P3 192cm: +1
13 RPC P3 192cm +1.5
13 L120 P3 Spoon 190cm: +1.5
13 L138 Spoon 191cm: on da line. always.

*DPS moved up the line on later Lotus 120 mounts closer to where I was mounting

Keep in mind I ride PNW snow (though Whistler can be blower...) in often tight trees, ski with a neutral ramp binding (Duke), ride like a flatfoot bigfoot in a relaxed stance, and like to smear the fuk outta the shmoo.

[khyber.pass]

So I haven't ridden the 124 yet either.

But — I have been fondling the pairs at Escape Route in Whistler and will snap pics next time.

The P3 and Foundation versions have different shapes. From what I can tell the Foundation Chassis doesn't use 5-point on the tip. Foundation seems like: more sidecut, more of a trad spearhead tip, softer flex tip and tail, damp and heavier ride. This is tempting for a lot of resort conditions and the price point is much more competitive.

Preliminary 124 observations:

*tips*
—The P3 tip is 5-point paddletech, like the Tour1 from what I can see in the pic above.
—The Foundation tip is like the Foundation W106, more of a big fat co– spearhead.

*tails*
—The P3 has a flatter, more Lotus 120-like tail, though with a bit more rocker and splay. It's subtle though.

—The Foundation has more rocker in the tail, closer to the RP 2.0, though not quite as much splay or rise.

Me I'd dig the Foundation tail with the P3 tip, ironically. If I want a flat tail I'll stick to my Lotus 120s (and yah I got two pairs too: the 08s with the original early rise but UHMW sidewalls, and the 13 Spoon edition; I like both and still can't bring myself to sell the 08s, they're like mad light ninja sticks and kill it in blower).

I know a friend with a pair of the L124 P3s so I'll see if I can get more feedback in a few weeks. He's out at one of those mountain lodges I hear so much about right now... somewhere off the interwebz.

[tallandmanley]

I have a pair of Protests getting built by Kieth and will have to A/B them but not about to give them up just yet.

Any A/B feedback between the 124 and the Protest?

[Andeh]

If anyone cares, my old man bought a pair of Lotus 124 Tour1s after seeing my 120 Spoons. I haven't skied them myself, but did hold them side by side and hand flex. The mount point is slightly more forward (such that his 184s nearly line up with the mount point on my 189s for similar BSL). They are definitely softer, probably around a 3.5 on the Praxis scale. I have a pair of UL BCs with stock (3) flex. I'd put my 120s at a 4 in comparison, and his 124s midway between. Weight on the 124s is significantly less.

He's really happy with them so far in the heavy Sierra Cement we've been getting. I don't have any regrets about getting the 120s last season on clearance. I like their additional stiffness, and am younger and a lot fitter than him, so don't mind the extra weight.

[skibass]

Not yet. Keith just got them out the door. I have a week in BC in mid-march. Just bringing those two skis. I"ll report back then.

FYI- my protests are 187 MAP- with carbon Flex 3. Maple Veneer.

Any A/B feedback between the 124 and the Protest?

[whyturn]

Found a pair of spoon pure 3 124. Any updates. Would use for deep resort days and cat. Thoughts?

[skibass]

I haven't gotten them in tracked out inbounds conditions so can't speak on how they handle chop.

Great choice for cat and heli

[whyturn]

What about the new foundation? I can get drilled spoon 124 pure 3 for $550. Foundation 124 no spoon new is $500. Also the 124 185 measures 182. So 191 should be 188. Seems better length. Did not like wailer 112 due to abrupt tip plow. Seems like tip is better on new models. Want to give a chance.

Marshal had talked about demo but that never materialized. So any new comments. Likely it's an inbounds ski but we get a lot of soft pow that is usually not to tracked.

[STLHD]

FWIW, I went from the hybrid lotus 120 to the pure3 spoon lotus and didn't notice a difference w/the spooned tips.

What about the new foundation? I can get drilled spoon 124 pure 3 for $550. Foundation 124 no spoon new is $500. Also the 124 185 measures 182. So 191 should be 188. Seems better length. Did not like wailer 112 due to abrupt tip plow. Seems like tip is better on new models. Want to give a chance.

Marshal had talked about demo but that never materialized. So any new comments. Likely it's an inbounds ski but we get a lot of soft pow that is usually not to tracked.

[XXX-er]

FWIW, I went from the hybrid lotus 120 to the pure3 spoon lotus and didn't notice a difference w/the spooned tips.

I have a picture of me skiing in half a meter of blower and the tiips where the spoony bits would be are so far out of the snow that you can see the dps logo on the bases

I am curious what the difference might be between the old red hybrids and the newer 120's ?

[Wetdog]

I bought a pair of Lotus 124 Tour 1's on the dream time promotion this summer. They are apparently a limited production edition and are planned for regular production next year. Mine are serial number 001. They are 185cm, the longest the Tour 1 come in, and have a similar profile to the pure 3's, but with with no spooning. They weigh in at 3.2 kg and are lighter than my 190 Pure 3 Wailer 112's. I was going to take them to Japan this year, but didn't have a chance to test them before hand and chose my 112's instead. I got them out finally today on a short tour in some relatively deep new snow. The terrain was not ideal for them as it was a lot of tree skiing, but they obviously floated quite well and, while the turn radius is longer than the 112's, which just want to turn all the time, they are more centre mounted so they pivot easier and are just as maneuverable, but in a different way. It's too early to give a full review yet, but I was impressed. They showed a willingness to do wider radius turns without the 112's tendency to want to cut across the fall line, but were non the less quite willing to be driven through tight spaces. They reminded me of my Praxis Ullr's which are similar dimensions and more centred mounting point, which I love for resort powder and side country. We hit some icy crust under the fresh at lower elevations and they seemed to grip Ok for such a wide ski. Obviously, these will not be as good at variable conditions as the regular constructions, but they seemed to handle all I threw at them on their first outing quite well. I will report back when I get some more time in on them.

[whyturn]

So where is everybody mounting 124 spoon 185 cm? Midsole seems forward but good. One guy said he had floatation issues which I find hard to believe.

Could go 5mm back at max due to hole conflict. Thoughts and comments?

[cstefanic]

I actually just bought a pair of Foundation 185s. Skied them on a 12" day at Revelstoke this weekend and honestly yeah, felt they were really far forward and didn't handle charging very well at all. I'm on demo Jesters so moved them back about 1.5cm and felt they skied a lot better there. -1.0 may be the sweet spot to me. Currently ski 186cm RPC hybrids on the line and love them.

[Doremite]

I also heard they "ski short." I'd take that .5cm. Doubt there is a down side. I have no first hand knowledge tho.

[criscam]

I've heard -1.0 cm.

[skibass]

So where is everybody mounting 124 spoon 185 cm? Midsole seems forward but good. One guy said he had floatation issues which I find hard to believe.

Could go 5mm back at max due to hole conflict. Thoughts and comments?

I had the bad tip dive experience. Was on the line, then moved to -2.5. If I were re-drilling (which I will be when I put on kingpins) I would go -1.5.

[Wetdog]

So where is everybody mounting 124 spoon 185 cm? Midsole seems forward but good. One guy said he had floatation issues which I find hard to believe.

Could go 5mm back at max due to hole conflict. Thoughts and comments?

Skiing 185 Tour 1 124's mounted on the line and no tip dive in deep fresh powder skiing trees. That is where I would expect to get it as I'm forced to slow down and turn a lot. I wouldn't say they ski short, but if I was buying a pair of Pure 3 or Foundation construction for resort use, I would probably go 191. 185 Lb's and 6'3"

[whyturn]

An update on the pure 124 spoon from today in way variable refrozen death cookies off trail and a few soft inches on the groomers. Mount at midsole with pivot.

So I went around a group by venturing into the death cookies and then back on groomers. Strong enough to power through with quick acceleration. Passed the cluster test.

Threw them sideways and slid down a few hundred feet with no hooking. Passed the slarve test.

Hit mainline on full straightline, passed the stability test.

Very easy to turn mounted at midsole and able to carve tight turns or GS. Passed the variable turn test.

So far so good and I like them. They look short in front of boot but they ski fine. Can't wait for true pow. But the real test of a powder ski is how it does in crap.

I hated the Yellow banana 112 but these seem different and hope to ski some April pow. More to follow.

[Wetdog]

I got my Tour 1 construction, 124's out again. So far, I have had them out only 3 days. The first two were skiing trees, which I commented on above and the last time in wider open alpine terrain. Last week there was three days of snow in the Alpine followed by a bluebird day forecast for Friday so we went out for a tour hoping to get some fresh. I was anxious to get the 124's out in some open terrain and really let them run as my only experience with them was in tight trees. We had to ski some resort groomers on our way to the BC and the 124's carved well enough when there was a soft surface, but they did not give me much confidence on any icy sections we encountered. Remember, these are the Tour 1 construction, not intended for resort skiing like the Pure 3's and Foundations which I hear are pretty good at holding an edge. All the DPS Tour 1 skis exhibit less than stellar manners in resort conditions I'm told because of the light cap construction. When I got them up to speed on the cat tracks they were pretty good. The tips would flop a bit and I felt they had a speed limit for sure and found myself holding back a bit. I had no illusion that the Tour 1 version of this ski is more of a dedicated backcountry ski.

The conditions in the BC was about 20-30 cm of soft storm snow, but with a nasty 2cm of refrozen breakable crust on top. It was not the deep powder I had hoped for and the skiing was difficult. I thought the 124's did quite well cutting their way through the crust, better than many skis I've had in this kind of snow. There was no tendency to hook do anything unexpected even when I caught myself instinctively riding the tails a bit at times, having flash backs of catching and stuffing the tips on old full camber skis, something you never quite shake. In fact, the tails are quite supportive, more so than the heavily rocketed tails of my 112RP's. It took a bit of time trying to find the sweet spot in the funky snow, but they like a centre weighted stance. As the sun got at the snow, the crust softened up and the skiing got easier despite the snow being quite heavy. I was able to open up the 124's a they reward being pushed and they will do wide radius high speed turns with good stability as well as shorter radius carved turns with no protest. They seem more comfortable doing wider radius turns than my 112's which want to turn all the time. While the heavily sun affected snow we were skiing didn't really present a good opportunity to do slarved turns, my past experience in lighter fresh snow was that they can be pivoted and slarved reasonably easy, but are not as loose as the 112's.

Coming back into the resort late in the day, all the groomers especially down lower, had turned to mashed potatoes and mushy corn snow. These skis absolutely ate that stuff up. They just surfed on top of it all and they could be carved or slarved about as I desired. They we effortless. I had an absolute blast on them while my partner on an older pair of much narrower Manaslu's was struggling a bit.

So, I still haven't got them out in bottomless powder on steep open slopes, which is what they are made for, but I seem to have now skied them in almost everything but. They are definitely a dedicated backcountry ski. I wouldn't really want to spend any time in the resort with them except skiing through to get to the back country. They are really light for their size, even lighter than my Wailer 112 and 105 Pure 2 skis and it's noticeable in the skin track. Mine are 185 cm, the longest size in the Tour 1 construction. At 6'2" and 185 I always look for 190ish skis, but I can't really say so far that I'm feeling like I'm wanting for more length. The Blister ski review on the new Alchemist construction 191 Lotus 124's give a raving review and the author, Paul Forward, about my size, feels 191's are perfect for his needs as a heliski guide in Alaska and wouldn't want to go shorter. I would urge anyone interested in the the Lotus 124 to have a read. http://blistergearreview.com/gear-re...mist-124-spoon. I look forward to reading more reviews on the 124's. So far, for what I bought the Tour 1 version of the ski for, I'm impressed.

[Adrgha]

I can get my hands on a pair of cheap, unused 16/17 Pure3 Lotus 124's. As I understand it, the Pure3 construction is no longer. How does this compare to the new Alchemist construction that Blister seems to love? They seem very light for such a big ski.

Don't really have any experience with DPS from before as they seem way overpriced for my taste, but at 50% off, perhaps they it would be worth a go.

[skibass]

Haven't been on the Alchemist construction so I will leave that question up to someone else. However, the Pure3 construction is, in my opinion, more than adequate for the purpose of this ski. I'm pulling these skis out for cat/ heli/ good snow touring days and they perform well in those conditions. I wouldn't bring them into the resort and if you were thinking of doing so then I would consider the Alchemist construction.

[Olympus]

I've have both the 185cm pure3 and the 191 Alchemists.
It was my understanding the the pure3 will still be in the production line.

In my opinion the length makes such a huge difference in performance it kind if blurred my ability to give a microscopic difference between Pure3 and Alchemist construction. I love them both and for me the two lengths make completely different skis.
I'm 5'11" 215lb. I typically like a longer, more charging profile, like a 192 BD zealot, 192 mothership, 191 billygoat, for daily resort sessions.
The 185cm Pure3 are fun and for me the were extremely playful and intuitive. So easy and fun to make these turn without effort. I used these to chase my kids through the tree trails kids love to ski and usually turn into almost bobsled tracks. They can turn so fast and easy I felt like I could do a slalom track any day if the week and in any condition I put it on. I also couldn't find a boot midsole like I didn't like. And I really wanted to find one. I had a pair that had a demo binder on it so I could move boot positions before I mounted it up and for me I couldn't find a bad position. Mentally I liked way back but I was only try to get come tip out in front of me because mentally they looked like kid toys when I was mounted forward. For me these did not ski like a powder only ski at all. In fact I use this ski more like an everyday play because you could rage a straight like and then carve the tightest little S's and tight circles if you wanted. For my size I had to force and help the 185cm ski powder without burying the tips. For reference... I also have to force and help a 191cm billygoat if I want any tip to float. So neither of these would I pull from the locker for deep Wasatch powder with other sticks from my quiver being available.

I'll continue a little later with my impression of the 191cm Alchemist





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[auvgeek]

I also have to force and help a 191cm billygoat if I want any tip to float.

Interesting! Which version of the 191 BG? The original 11.12 model or 12.13 onward?

You have like 50# on me, so I don't expect our experiences to be the same but I am curious because IME tip float of the RES is one of the major strengths of the 191 BG.

[Banh Mi]

I dont think the BG is the floatiest ski either. I feel it needs speed, which usually isnt a problem for me, but in certain tree runs at Heavenly I definitely had to be careful of loosing speed or risk flailing a bit. A little technique change solved that for the most part though, and it was quick to figure out. Not "unfloaty", just not the most floaty

Its a great 3D/pow ski, but by no means the floatiest. The reason I love it in those conditions is the way it feels, not because it puts me "on top" of the snow most efficiently.

I got some Hellbents and C&Ds for messing around at slower speeds and flatter terrain.


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[Banh Mi]

Damnit. Double post by accident