K2 Dispatch series

[SirVicSmasher]

Lol . You guys crack me up. The sky is falling !


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[kid-kapow]

Lol . You guys crack me up. The sky is falling !

hm, that is a bit of a weird take.

I cannot recall a major (or any) ski brand pulling a series off the shelves and now longer having it on their webpage one year after it is launched - especially after at five year prototyping process.

It will be interesting to get info on what the issue is - the new bio resin (that Line is now using too no?), flax instead of glass, that the core cannot take the load from the titanal ( I remember this being mentioned in the Blizzard thread, the cores exploded due to too much tension), or all of the above / none of the above and just production issues due to scaling up the production.

Time will tell. D120s at least are awesome soft snow skis

[ASmileyFace]

One of the most prevalent problems was snapping the tip of the ski right above the titanal. I saw that in both the pairs I mounted.

Bummer that they are on hold, but I can't imagine K2 is going to kill the line for good. There is a lot of money in the development and mold of these.

[meter-man]

hm, that is a bit of a weird take.

I cannot recall a major (or any) ski brand pulling a series off the shelves and now longer having it on their webpage one year after it is launched - especially after at five year prototyping process.

It will be interesting to get info on what the issue is - the new bio resin (that Line is now using too no?), flax instead of glass, that the core cannot take the load from the titanal ( I remember this being mentioned in the Blizzard thread, the cores exploded due to too much tension), or all of the above / none of the above and just production issues due to scaling up the production.

Time will tell. D120s at least are awesome soft snow skis

Total bummer.

Interesting that it might be related to the titanal. I had 3-4 pairs of 1st gen Cochises have a top-sheet delam due to the titanal layup. And I snapped a pair of Rustler 11s right at the tip-end of the titanal. Not surprisingly, the change in layup densities appears to have created a hinge point. My guess is that the same thing happened here with the Dispatch.

Great concept - and I heard they skied really well.

[kid-kapow]

Total bummer....
Great concept - and I heard they skied really well.

the D120 was one of my highlights for 22/23 -> so much fun in soft snow (even if they sucked in slush).

DPS Lotus 117 was the other standout in the same segment, so damn much fun.

[griffinmyers]

Via snowcountry:

Dear Customer,

We are contacting you regarding your purchase of a K2 Dispatch ski.
K2 Skis recently determined the 22-23 Dispatch Skis are not meeting their standards.
In coordination with Snowcountry, K2 Skis decided they will get in touch with Snowcoutry customers having purchased a Dispatch Model ski.

Hugely bummed.

[kid-kapow]

so recall and refund, or recall and replacement?

[MoeSnow]

Woah, surprised to hear that K2 is discontinuing these skis. I had so much fun on the 101s and am looking forward to bringing out the 120s. I hope mine don't explode on me this season...

[kid-kapow]

Woah, surprised to hear that K2 is discontinuing these skis.

They are saying the 22-23 run is not up to snuff - aka working on reworking the layup to not do whatever it might be doing now - not discontinuing the line. The shape and design goals are golden, especially for the 120, now just make it work at scale

[slashy]

Via snowcountry:

Dear Customer,

We are contacting you regarding your purchase of a K2 Dispatch ski.
K2 Skis recently determined the 22-23 Dispatch Skis are not meeting their standards.
In coordination with Snowcountry, K2 Skis decided they will get in touch with Snowcoutry customers having purchased a Dispatch Model ski.

Hugely bummed.

Please keep us posted. I have a pair of the 110's sitting still in the wrapper that I picked up this summer (not via Snowcountry though). will delay cutting my skins for sure :-).

[ezgzy]

2024 models are starting to pop up online, hopefully they resolved the issues


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[mntlion]

2024 models are starting to pop up online, hopefully they resolved the issues


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nice: where are you seeing them?

[ezgzy]

nice: where are you seeing them?

Ski essentials has a lot of 2024 k2 stuff up but it looks like it’s all pre order


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[MoeSnow]

They are saying the 22-23 run is not up to snuff - aka working on reworking the layup to not do whatever it might be doing now - not discontinuing the line. The shape and design goals are golden, especially for the 120, now just make it work at scale

Sweet. Well, if my 101s implode it's an excuse to try out another pair of skis .

[kid-kapow]

I had a chat with K2:

the 22/23 + 23/24 construction has been nixed and the ski's construction has gone back to the drawing board. It will not be offered for sale for 23/24, in spite of shops listing them currently.

I am not aware of any general recall as of yet.

The problem seemed to have been partial delamination, especially in the front of the ski. I do not really get why they are being pulled - especially the soft snow specific 120s - rather than K2 having more people get time on them to see how they hold up. Then again - it kinda sucks if you are in the backcountry and the ski delaminates on your way down a big face, especially if you are off the grid for a few days out there touring.

The new bioresin is not to blame - it is stronger than the glue / epoxy resin it replaced (based on lab tests).

So the issue could be due to the titanal and core not mixing ( re the Blizzard-thread), or something to do with scaling production - I have no idea, K2 didn't seem to either. The number of failures is supposedly really quite small, so again, weird that they do not just keep them out there in rotation whilst being very, very accomodating with warranty replacements (as delams without impact damage = 100% and always something that should be replaced under warrenty).

[alton0214]

the D120 was one of my highlights for 22/23 -> so much fun in soft snow (even if they sucked in slush).

DPS Lotus 117 was the other standout in the same segment, so damn much fun.

Hey there, I would love to pick your brain on the DPS Lotus 117, among some other powder skis. Let me know!

[kid-kapow]

Hey there, I would love to pick your brain on the DPS Lotus 117, among some other powder skis. Let me know!

sure thing - I'll reply to the best of my abilities

My hot take on the Lotus 117 is that it is kinda like the ON3P BillyGoat, but a lot softer torsionally (mainly noticable on hard snow, probably makes for increased compliance in soft snow and variable), softer tips and with standard sidecut - and a lot lighter. As such they are both loose and easy to ski in soft, but L117s do not have nearly the same capacity to smash through stuff like BGs. The other major difference is where they generate float - Lotus 117 underfoot and slightly back, BillyGoat slightly ahead of the toe binding to underfoot - so the balance of the ski is a bit different. L117s are quite a bit more fun on the groomers on the way down to the lifts, but are not groomer slayers either due to their moderate torsional flex. I am kinda surprised at how much I ended up like the Lotus117 to be honest. Not 1550 worth of stoke, but they are really fun, asy to ski skis - especially at Powder7s current pricing for 22/23 skis (the only difference for 23/24 is the color on the topsheet).

As for L117 vs D120s to keep it a bit on thread, Dispatche 120s skis encourages you to be a bit more on it, to make them turn, slash and pivot your way down, whereas L117s are a bit more turny or want you to schmear your tails around. The MOP analogy for D120s is apt, just imagine putting on Ante Up, and ski with that energy in soft snow and they are a ton of fun. No, D120s are not hard to ski, they just reward aggression / energetic skiing

[alton0214]

Thanks for the great info! I'd love to get more into some details. Are you able to direct message me or email me. (username at gmail)

[kid-kapow]

Thanks for the great info! I'd love to get more into some details. Are you able to direct message me or email me. (username at gmail)

sure, I can PM you - but as a general rule I prefer to do the 2c part on the forum as it might be of interest to other mags as well

[griffinmyers]

So, where do we go from here?

I'll take obvious interest when K2 gets the Dispatch series back out, but in the meantime what are some good options for touring skis that are:

* Directional
* Powder-specific (~120)
* Damp
* Reverse camber
* Not too heavy

?

[MHSP1497]

So, where do we go from here?

I'll take obvious interest when K2 gets the Dispatch series back out, but in the meantime what are some good options for touring skis that are:

* Directional
* Powder-specific (~120)
* Damp
* Reverse camber
* Not too heavy

?

Heritage Labs carbon series skis?

[slashy]

so what happened with Snowcountry ? they had you send back your pair ?

[Shorty_J]

Heritage Labs carbon series skis?

I was going to say this, or maybe bmt 122.

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[meter-man]

So, where do we go from here?

I'll take obvious interest when K2 gets the Dispatch series back out, but in the meantime what are some good options for touring skis that are:

* Directional
* Powder-specific (~120)
* Damp
* Reverse camber
* Not too heavy

?

Renegade? Lil heavy…


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[kid-kapow]

SGN Togga Carbon, WNDR Reason 120, Renegade, InThayne, Faction La Machine for full rocker skis.

Moment wildcat tours, BC120s, Line outlines and vision 118, BG118tours, Jeff118tour, Mindbender116c, Head Kore117, Elan Ripstick 116s ++++ for mustachio rockered skis that are still fairly light

so there are already arguabbly lots of skis that will make for a reasonably light touring setup if paired with light bindings and appropriate boots.

And yes, Dispatch120s are not fully rockered