REVIEW: DP Lotus 120

[upallnight]

What is the recommended midsole line for 06/07 lotus 120 flex 2 178cm with AT binding (fritschi freeride plus)?

Is it +.75cm for that setup too?

not sure. didn't dp send you an email with the information? if not, you should just give them a holler.

[gamma]

I wanted to write some more here after 2 days of skiing the Lotus 120 in A+ blower powder conditions.

my thoughts: WOW. HOLY SHIT! IVE NEVER GONE THAT FAST ON SNOW SKIS IN DEEP SNOW! these sticks have no speed limit at all!

really, these things have exceeded every expectation I had. u point them, the fly ( I mean fly, like ur surfing snow not skiing it) , and they turn on a dime. when i was straightlining them, they were slapping snow like nuts, kinda like waterskiing...

they have a HUGE roostertail in blower snow. my ski buddy was saying it was difficult to ski behind me because couldnt see anything due to all the spraying snow! I would let people go for like, 2-3-5 minutes ahead and then still beat them to the end of the run with no problems. more like blow by them at mach insane.

the other really nice thing, is that they handle ICE really well. if u want, u just lay them right into the hard stuff and they hold with no issues.. really, this ski handles variable conditions with ease..

trees&tight spots: a little difficult for me, but I think thats my level of skiier rather than the ski. u can scrub speed and slarve real easy with them..


I don't see a need for anything else for skiing powder. I havent skiied the 138, but now that I see the value in the dart shape, I am more and more interested in trying it out.

[Deep Days]

i feel it is an easy ski to get around, but i don't feel it is the 'easiest'. spats -- in my experience with probably 50-100 days one them -- are far easier in slow and/or very tight spots. i've only skied the 120s 2 days, but i did not find them as maneuverable as spats.

I think the consensus is that they are much easier to turn than a traditionally shaped 120-waisted (or even 100-waisted) ski but more difficult than a true reverse-camber/reverse-sidecut ski.

I'm hoping to get on a pair of spats and confirm this, comparing with say, a B3, which I found much harder to turn in 10" deep, heavy, creamy snow in trees. If I could ski the same type of thing on spats, I'd be happy to share my results.

These skis do not suck. The gumbo later this week, schral, is partly to thank you for fixing my BROs, but mainly to say thanks for a great ski recommendation.


I am also a man who would be interested in testing the effects of weight on crud performance. My supersoft BROs got bounced around a whole lot (less than my B3s when they were mounted alpine), and I attributed part of this to the very light weight (as well as to user error). Skiing an LP and a W95 (in the adolescent's length of 185) in the same day would definitely pique my interest.

[AK Rev]

Gamma, very interesting report. I have some 120's coming this week and I was interested to know how they do on ice. Seems like in AK, we have powder or ice. That's funny about you giving people a head start on runs.

Great topic. I've read it several times and will continue to do so.

[upallnight]

I wanted to write some more here after 2 days of skiing the Lotus 120 in A+ blower powder conditions.

my thoughts: WOW. HOLY SHIT! IVE NEVER GONE THAT FAST ON SNOW SKIS IN DEEP SNOW! these sticks have no speed limit at all!

sounds like you had awesome conditions & the skis to match, gamma!

have you ever been on any other reverse camber/rockered and/or reverse sidecut/pintail designs to compare -- or other (traditional shape) skis over 110? what i would wonder is how much is specific to the 120 vs just any ski in the, say, 105mm or below class.

when i was straightlining them, they were slapping snow like nuts!

is that a good thing?

[AK Rev]

One of my favorite DPS photos...

[gamma]

sounds like you had awesome conditions & the skis to match, gamma!

have you ever been on any other reverse camber/rockered and/or reverse sidecut/pintail designs to compare -- or other (traditional shape) skis over 110? what i would wonder is how much is specific to the 120 vs just any ski in the, say, 105mm or below class.



is that a good thing?

Other fat skis I have rode would be:
Igneous FFL (98)
Rossignol BSquad (95?)
Armada ANT (105)
Rossignol Scratch BC (98?)

ANT & the Scratch are the only other twin tips and they are NOT pintails.


my experience is that they are ALL slow, less responsive and cumbersome compared to the 120. the light weight of the lotus makes them just much easier to control. the 120 waist and the rocker allows them to float, fly and surf instead of carve and sink like a normal ski(keep in mind, im a big dude, 225lbs dry). the reverse sidecut in the tip and the pintail as well allows the ski to deal with variable conditions.

they were demoing the 07/08 backcountry/powder/AT skis saturday at Jay and I would gander there was not one person out there who could match the speed and control I had in the deep/crud/cutup. there were peeps on karhu jak, atomic janak bro, pfd's, a lot of different fat skis..

[eb]

not sure. didn't dp send you an email with the information? if not, you should just give them a holler.

Here's the response that I got from Stephen Drake for lotus 120 178cm:
------------
Yep, midsole should do it, unless you feel like with your At setup that you
have a hard time powering the shovel on other skis. In that case, if you
normally run your AT setup ahead of alpine, then try +1cm
-------------

Now my next question, does anyone know a shop in South or North Lake that would mount these to an Fritschi free ride plus?

Backcountry Store in Truckee recommended Dave's, but they don't work on AT setups and Backcountry Store won't work on the DPs.

[marshalolson]

the standard firschi jig fits on the 120 fine. what is the problem?

[dk_alaskan]

Backcountry Store in Truckee recommended Dave's, but they don't work on AT setups and Backcountry Store won't work on the DPs.

Why won't they work on DP's?

[eb]

Why won't they work on DP's?

Carbon fiber and not what they're used to so that's why they recommended the other place. I guess they also had trouble with setting up a Goode ski too once.

[marshalolson]

its a wood core ski with a thin sheet of carbon instead of a thin piece of metal (and def. not a goode carbon core ski...). they mount the same. put a jig on it, drill it with a 3.5mm bit, put some glue in there and screw the bindings in. not hard.

[upallnight]

Carbon fiber and not what they're used to so that's why they recommended the other place. I guess they also had trouble with setting up a Goode ski too once.

eb-- fritschis are one of the easiest bindings to mount. if you own a drill and feel confident in your ability to draw some lines and measure, i highly recommend doing it yourself.

the ability to measure carefully is the #1 skill. If the Truckee shops are giving you a tough time (which is odd), then I'd say just roll up your sleeves and get it done. if you intend to do it, post up and i (or any number of folks) can provide you with good info.

Peruse these instructions from Lou Dawson to see if you have what it takes.

[eb]

Once I passed on the info about the carbon only being in the plate the tech felt more comfortable setting them up. I gave him misinformation initially since I didn't really know where the carbon was. Thanks both of you for the info - it was helpful. Some day I'll get around to setting up my bindings, but didn't want to risk it myself on DPS with my lack of experience.

Now just trying to find a look brake or other wide brake to fit on the fritschi. Otherwise I'm going to bend a pair of wide brakes.

[marshalolson]

the fritshi brakes are fairly easy to bend. give it a go.

[upallnight]

i have a pair of fritschi brakes (i think they are actually the 85mm brakes) that work OK on spatulas, which are even wider.

one easy way to do it is to put a boot in the binding (i.e., retract the brake), then use the circular end of a combination wrench to bend the brake arms so they curve outward. there won't be a dramatic 90* bend but, rather, a more gentle curve.

if you are starting with the fritschi 100 brakes (which are actually about 108mm when you factor in the height of the fritschi), then it should take very minimal bending by the method i describe above.

[eb]

Thanks again. I didn't have any tools around, but I was able to bend it enough at a single point quite easily.





On a different note, damn these skis are light!

[marshalolson]

nice, looks great! enjoy!

[CarlE]

One of my favorite DPS photos...

Just want to tell that those sticks will end up at my house in a week or two... Stoke-meter: blown!

[altasnowbirdripper]

Hey Marshall & everyone else,

What seems to be the preferred mounting point on the 120 in a 190? Has anyone had the chance ski the 200 120 yet? I am wondering if you or anyone knows what the flex & feel of the 200cm 120 is like and what it ski it might compare to. I am having a REAL difficult time deciding between the two. I think the 190 in a flex 3 would just kill it as an all day every conditions stick in Little Cottonwood Canyon & the occasional trip out back. But then the thought of a 200 120….decisions sometime suck!

Thanks!

[memysoulandi]

i'll tell you my dream quiver:

195 wailer 95 flex 3 - everyday inbounds ski.
lotus 120 flex 2 w/ AT - touring - they are so light and turn so well that there is really no reason to tour with anything else.
lotus 138 w/ alpine & trekkers - sidecountry, inbounds POW, and mini-golf. they rip and stomp the shit out of stuff.

yes sounds really like a dream quiver. to build up a similar dream quiver i ordered a lotus 120 in 190 cm and flex 2 this september first. i hope they will arrive before season gets started.
i want to put a pair of dukes on them. now i'm thinking about the mounting point. i saw here, that for the 06/07 lotus 120 +0.75 cm from the midsole mark was recommend from a few guys.
does anyone knows if this is still valid for 07/08 lotus 120?

thanks in advance for your input.

[marshalolson]

yes sounds really like a dream quiver. to build up a similar dream quiver i ordered a lotus 120 in 190 cm and flex 2 this september first. i hope they will arrive before season gets started.
i want to put a pair of dukes on them. now i'm thinking about the mounting point. i saw here, that for the 06/07 lotus 120 +0.75 cm from the midsole mark was recommend from a few guys.
does anyone knows if this is still valid for 07/08 lotus 120?

thanks in advance for your input.

pm me when you get them before you mount, and i'll have your answer.

[The Dark Side]

What is the mount point recommendation for the 07/08 Lotus 120 190cm?

I looked around a bit and only found one suggestion (which was for +1cm I guess, although his were on the line).

Is the line in the same position on the 06/07 and 07/08? If so then the recommendations from last year could be useful.

Thanks

[marshalolson]

What is the mount point recommendation for the 07/08 Lotus 120 190cm?

I looked around a bit and only found one suggestion (which was for +1cm I guess, although his were on the line).

Is the line in the same position on the 06/07 and 07/08? If so then the recommendations from last year could be useful.

Thanks

go boot center on those for this year.

[mr_gyptian]

Guess this thread is for the 190's, but I had Marshal mount my 200s with some p18's on the line.

skied UT last weekend, Snowbird, Snowbird, Brighton (I lobbied for Snowbasin to no avail).

these skis perform at a whole other level than anything I've ever had on snow. the majority of my days over the past year have been on Big Daddy's and even though the measurements of these two skis might make you think they are redundant in a quiver. They are not. Honestly the Big Daddy's were engineered by the A-Team and the Lotus 120s by DARPA.

the 120s railed everything, whether it was tight trees and chutes off the traverse at Snowbird or open pow fields (the one you can see from the road). On the open pow fields I've never skied a ski that held its energy through a pow turn like the 120. it's like being catapulted out of a turn.

on everything else they are extremely skiable. groomers were as easily turned on as the Big Daddy's. I'd say the big daddy has a longer radius.

can't believe I almost forgot. Thanks to Marshal for getting my binders squared away. A number of shops in Summit county and vail looked at me like I was crazy. That it was going to take hours of work. My skis went to denver and back in three hours. done and done.

I'll be skiing either snowmass or highlands on sunday so we'll see how they do on some different terrain.

All in all I've got to take my hat off to the guys at DPS they have made one hell of a ski. Worth every penny.