Heritage Lab Swallowtails (R, FR, & BC)

[Rob Stokes]

Yeah, I'm back as well. -8.75. I am a very forward skier I think, and also it was deep. Really deep chop. In shallower stuff it just plows through. It's probably more of a technique and fatigue thing!

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[The Iron Horse]

You most likely just hit the nail on the head: fatigue. That will do it!

[SnowMachine]

I finally got a really good day on my FR120. When conditions line up their mass disappears and they just go. Almost interchangeable with the Renegades. They are a bit better in chop, but not quite as good on soft groomers. Very similar in tight spots, similar float. I feel like the Rens want to go a bit faster. I am still enamored by the build quality of the HL and the damp, smooth ride. Probably redundant to have both of these skis, but..... Life is short. The only hard part is deciding which to ski and when. I think having the AM110 next year will make that decision even tougher.

[Rob Stokes]

I finally got a really good day on my FR120. When conditions line up their mass disappears and they just go. Almost interchangeable with the Renegades. They are a bit better in chop, but not quite as good on soft groomers. Very similar in tight spots, similar float. I feel like the Rens want to go a bit faster. I am still enamored by the build quality of the HL and the damp, smooth ride. Probably redundant to have both of these skis, but..... Life is short. The only hard part is deciding which to ski and when. I think having the AM110 next year will make that decision even tougher.

Yeah I really want to experience this layup in a narrower ski like the AM110.

The r120st are so stable and damp in snow that is way harder than they should be skiing.

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[TAFKALVS]

193 FR120 + 45 cm at Fernie = pure black metal nonsense.

Float goes to 11.

Chop = destroyed.

Slash/slide/pivot/straightline.

Reminds me of a more poppy lively Cease & Desist.

[pfluffenmeister]

187 R120STs destroyed Alta yesterday.
I love that place.

And this ski!

PS they've had ~30" in the last few days.

[K1mJ0ngTr1ll]

Alta delivered yesterday..

[2FUNKY]

Pics *loosears.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[K1mJ0ngTr1ll]

Pretty much I’ll I’ve got lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[2FUNKY]

Sick! Mmmm, soft chop!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Muggydude]

Anyone have time on R110 and FR120 (both 187cm lengths). Curious how the balance point is on the 186 FR120ST in comparison (and maybe R120ST too). Would think I would go -8.5cm mount point or so on those? I really dig the R110 at -7cm, lets me drive the ski (little more centered than than some of my more directional skis), but is very nimble and easy to get sideways. Weirdly stable too in that sense. With the FR110 I struggled with the balance point in deep/funky snow at my weight (230lbs geared up), but I think that may be due to the -6cm mount point. I am guessing, but cannot confirm, I would have gelled a lot more with the FR110 at -7.5cm mount, as I really really liked the ski in shallower 3D snow and pow, it felt similar to the R110 in those conditions, but more nimble/surfy/playful/fun. ----- More or less looking to replace my 191 2017 ON3P Cease and Desists, which have asym, tour layup, and the really long front rocker profile. They are godlike first few laps off KT for deep storms, but the length gets to be a chore for me in the afternoon, especially when things get more bumped out. Hoping the HL 120 could be a slightly more playful, shorter ski that does better in the dense tahoe snow we have and in the afternoons when its chopped up. Could even see them replacing my 191 Lhasa Pow Fats too, the flat tail can also get pretty tiring in the afternoon too in heavier snow, although I will probably never actually sell that ski haha.

[meter-man]

Anybody skiing the BC 120s in coastal snowpacks (California, PNW, BC, etc.)? Would love a review from the non-Utah/SWCO-blower parts of the world.

[L8APX]

I own both the Rdimes and FRbucktwentiesST in the one eight six/seven length. Bottom line, I think they work together quite well. Both are on MO’s req mount point, I’m six foot, two twenty packed up.
They ski very similar from a driver input ski output standpoint. Zero issues jumping back and forth between them. Like many said, they both feel so intuitive from the first turn.
Dimes for everything soft 0-8” with a perfect mix of engaged/slashy
Buck Twenty for anything over 6” with a strange ability to arc pow, slash, squiggle and giggle
I dig the Rdimes so much I have the BCdimes coming this fall.

[hoarhey]

Have you listened to the Blister podcast with Paul Forward talking about skiing his BC one twenty’s

[mr_pretzel]

Second season for me with the 187 BC120s, although I mainly ski the UT122 now.

They ski awesome in heavier snow, lots of float and generally easy to manage. I find they don't have the highest speed limit for me at 180lbs + 25lb pack, so I dont enjoy skiing them with good viz on open terrain in the alpine, however in the trees, on lower angle stuff or with light boots they are awesome. I skied a schmooy HN24 100cm day on them last year and they did amazing. Another big plus for them is they are easy to ski on shitty ski outs to the car etc.

If you tour with decently strong boots however I do think the UT122 is really sweet as it has lots of maneuverability for skiing in the trees while still having the ability to lay down the hammer and ski fast in open terrain.

[meter-man]

Thanks MO, ASmiley, and Senor Pretzel. Appreciate all the reviews. And yeah hoarhey, I heard those Paul Forward comments in the Blister podcast, which were pretty helpful too. But since I already have a C132, I decided to go for something totally different (i.e., not the UT122s), and ordered the 187 BC 120s for next fall. Can't wait!(I also grabbed a pair of the R110s for inbounds duty... Hell yeah!)

[ASmileyFace]

I've gotten my beta BC120s out a few more times since that last review... this ski is the real deal for midwinter pow touring. So easy to pivot and slarve in lower angle terrain, but they pick up speed and plane up quick when you point them down the fall line. With the terrible setup our San Juan snowpack has had this year, I have yet to get them on bigger terrain outside of one Silverton mountain day. I didn't think they held me back at all from going fast, but generally I ski slower these days. I listened to Paul's on the pod and agreed with almost all of his points except when he said he did not think the swallowtail impacted how they skied. At least in my continental snowpack, the tail on this ski is the easier to pivot than every other ski I have owned, besides the FR132. In higher density snow I could see that not being as noticeable, but the tails disappear behind me and help the shovels float more than any normal pin tail in my experience.

[eSock]

I'm bummed the 193 bc120s disappeared, that was top of list for a Japan mixed duty ski for me.

[Marshal Olson]

Today affirmed it for me. Lots of skis are fun in untracked boot top 35* pow. But none are more fun (for me), than the bc120.