REVIEW: DP Lotus 120

[Glisseur]

wonder if SD can comment on whether next year's will be different (ie. dimensions, construction, etc) as they test these and evolve the design

so, if I order one today for October shipment, will it be a different ski is what i'm asking

SD?

next years skis will most prolly be the same as the ones for this season, with minor tweaks. mounting points are pretty delicate and will need input from a bunch of riders to get it right.

have skied my 138's for a few days now. without having skied the Spats I have to say that they absolutely shred. just moved the binding back to -1 which should be da bomb. will do some more testing in the Baker pow tomorrow. tough job but someone has to do it get back to you afterwards

I've also ripped the 120 for a few days. the current mounting lines on the skis are a bit off (as SD can tell you). will prolly move 'em back to -2 to get the most out of them without loosing butterability and quickness. I'd kind of love the jibby feeling to them, but they still float as hell. need more testing here as well

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

have skied my 138's for a few days now. without having skied the Spats I have to say that they absolutely shred. just moved the binding back to -1 which should be da bomb. will do some more testing in the Baker pow tomorrow. tough job but someone has to do it get back to you afterwards

Thinking about moving my mount on the 138's to -1 as well Glisseur (mounted at mid-sole now)...let me know what you think!

[Glisseur]

Thinking about moving my mount on the 138's to -1 as well Glisseur (mounted at mid-sole now)...let me know what you think!

-1 is the bomb, been skiing that for the past few days and I like it way better

[marshalolson]

i think i am going to move my 120's back. currently at -1. prolly -2.5 or -3ish

[KANUTTEN]

-1 is the bomb, been skiing that for the past few days and I like it way better

Have you skied both the new l138 and l120, or just the 138? If both; a comparison would be very much appreciated

[iggyskier]

Have you skied both the new l138 and l120, or just the 138? If both; a comparison would be very much appreciated

he briefly talks about both skis on the top of this page....

[Dirk Diggler]

Can someone comment on remounting the new generation carbon skis? I know redrilling a Goode ski voids the warranty. Is this the case with DP as well? Warranty aside, is remounting a big deal as far as structural integrity?

And does anyone know how long it would take to get a lotus 120 if ordered now?

[marshalolson]

carbon core = bad to drill into a bunch of times, as you will significantly reduce the sturtural integrity of the ski.

wood core (aka dp's etc...) = fine to drill in a few times. not too worried about it. generally, 3x is the rule, but super beefy skis (aka igneous) are cool as long as you can find a place for the holes

[SafteySquad]

And does anyone know how long it would take to get a lotus 120 if ordered now?

it says on their website

[dp]

thickness/mounting: these skis are unlike anything else ever built in terms of layup and materials. comparatively carbon is extremely stiff material, and if these skis were as thick as a conventional ski they would be ultra stiff (unbendable). carbon gets more challenging as skis get wider, as the stiffness is also augmented, and skis need to be designed thinner to be within a skiable flex range.

In any case, in this production batch, flex 2's came out about 10-15% softer (thinner) than intended due to the shift from cap to sandwich. In the next run, that will be tweaked, and all boards will take 9mm holes as intended. Currently, when mounting the Lotus 120's there is screw length issue in the forward screws when mounting at midsole up to about -2cm (depending on binding hole pattern), and on the rear holes on the Lotus 138's when using a binding with a long wheelbase or demo binding.

Using a 7mm bit is fine as long as the screws are ground down as well. Otherwise, the longer screw in the shorter hole could push the wood core into the base, potentially dimpling it. When mounting the Lotus 120 at -2.5cm behind the currently marked midsole, there should not be an issue with screw depth, as you are in a thicker part of the ski.

mounting points: Marshal/Kanutten, I'll be in touch, and marshal, sounds like you are thinking along the same lines, but the last two days have yeilded -2.5-3cm as a sweet directional point-- I have to measure in the morning the exact place I ended up yesterday. You still have access to the shovel for power, yet it's balanced- light and floaty, and you are centered on the stiffer underfoot and tail for amazing power. oh so very sweet.

delivery: october, with a new reservation cycle starting shortly, although we will try to squeeze in special deliveries during the summer for S.A./ N.Z trips. This season, we cramped an 8 month development cycle into 5 months (especially with carbon), which isn't the way. It's always been about trying to creating the finest skiing skis, and there are things to tweak before heading back to floor. We discovered there were some bad topsheets in this bunch that are brittle and subject to chipping. So, before releasing anymore boards for the remaining few weeks of the season, want to take a breath, take stock, address any latent bugs and make sure everything is absolutely perfect before the big summer run.

fading fast, more tomorrow...

[slim]

In any case, in this production batch, flex 2's came out about 10-15% softer (thinner) than intended due to the shift from cap to sandwich. In the next run, that will be tweaked, and all boards will take 9mm holes as intended.

Does this mean you're moving back to cap construction or staying with sandwich and simply making a thicker ski?

[KANUTTEN]

Does this mean you're moving back to cap construction or staying with sandwich and simply making a thicker ski?

I'm pretty sure the sandwich construction will remain the same, so only a thicker ski. dp should confirm this though.

[dp]

sandwich all the way...the current layup/construction is what we have been seeking for years: carbon's power, lightweight, snow feel enhanced by the extra plastic, and durability. Thickness on flex 2's will be bumped to stiffen up to intended spec.

[Glisseur]

Have you skied both the new l138 and l120, or just the 138? If both; a comparison would be very much appreciated

well, the shapes kinda speaks for themselves

L138: extremely floaty and predictible in pow. dictate your own radius in any speed, have yet to find the upper limit of these boards, super stable. butters like a hot knife in, ehh, butter. super easy to initiate turns. huge platform for landing airs (even Hospital air... was that your skis or butt touching the snow first Tyrone???) sucks a** in chunky, refrozen moguls...
binding sweetspot seems to be -1 off midsole

L120: still floaty as hell but with more versatilty. actually takes you down those dreadful chunky moguls with something that sort of resembles style... long radius but still quick in the trees. great for stomping airs. feels a little bit quicker than the old Tabla. the hateful swallow is finally gone, meaning you can both ski switch (if you can...) and get down billy goat lines without the tail catching all the time. not as über great in pow as the 138 (of course) but one great ride all the same
binding sweetspot seems to be -2.5 off midsole

W105: gimme another day to ski them and I'll post a review. feels like a sweet ride so far

[KANUTTEN]

After a lot of hassle with UPS (never use them - at least not in Norway) I finally got my newborn babies yesterday. Went straight to the shop to get them mounted. It was a pretty busy day at the shop, but I can tell you that not many other customers got service when I unpacked my skis. There was almost a skiingconvention around those Lotus120's .

My goodness, they look and feel sexy. Actually they are quite a bit softer than I imagined (flex 2). But the twin tip makes it feel softer than it is, especially in the tail. Very nice flexpattern; as others have commented the shovel is like medium soft whereas the area under the foot and back is stiffer. Looking forward to take them on their first ride, which probably will be in Engelberg during the euro minisummit :-)

[bad_roo]

W105: gimme another day to ski them and I'll post a review. feels like a sweet ride so far

You skiing the 190cm W105?

[Telepath]

You skiing the 190cm W105?

I'm sure he means the DP Wailer which is a 95mm waisted allrounder, not the old Nordica W105 if that's the one you were thinking about?

[marshalolson]

wailer come in a 105 and a 95

[Foggy_Goggles]

Can't deny, DPs give me a hard on.

Wailer 105 for touring and Lotus 120 alpine = best 2 ski quivier ever?

I'm hoping to check out the 120s while in Europe.

[marshalolson]

Can't deny, DPs give me a hard on.

Wailer 105 for touring and Lotus 120 alpine = best 2 ski quivier ever?

I'm hoping to check out the 120s while in Europe.

foggy- you can come fondle my pair anytime... just up in boulder

[PowderPig]

foggy- you can come fondle my pair anytime...

You should probably wipe off my drool first

[robokill1981]

Lotus 138 review here for future tech talk searchers:

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49121

[Telepath]

wailer come in a 105 and a 95

True dat. My bad.

[marshalolson]

just move to -3cm. i think it's where they need to be. they just look right now. @ -1, they looked and felt a shade forward.

:stoked:

[dp]

measured my thus far favorite spot at -2.3cm: 317mm shell. I also liked -3 at my shell length, but not quite as much all around access to the shovel. In that -2 to -3 zone is where they like to be for charging.