Reviewer Reports: Powder Skis w/ Paul Forward (Ep.144)

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On Blister's GEAR:30 podcast, Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about a bunch of the powder skis Paul’s been reviewing this season in Girdwood, Alaska, including the Folsom Rapture, Moment Chipotle Banana, Whitedot Ragnarok ASYM, Faction La Machine, Blizzard Spur, Kye Shapes Numinous, & More
Paul Forward on the Folsom Rapture, Chugach Powder Guides, AK. (photo by Charlie Renfro)


Paul Forward and I talk about a bunch of the powder skis Paul’s been reviewing this season in Girdwood, Alaska.

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16 comments on “Reviewer Reports: Powder Skis w/ Paul Forward (Ep.144)”

  1. FWIW when I asked DPS what had changed between the “Spoon” and the “2.0” versions of the Lotus Alchemist 124, they responded:

    “It’s completely different. The entire shape/geometry/concept changed. Everything including rocker lines, effective edge percent, amount, and shape of tapers. They’re only minimally comparable.”

    Clear I guess if not particularly helpful. If you guys have anything more useful it’d be interesting to hear.

    • The Spur “review” is quite shocking to say the least. Will we get more feedback and maybe second thoughts about this ski or it will just stays like this ? Doubt Blizzard got it that wrong following the rustlers and the likes. What about construction, geometry, carbon in the tips/tails etc… This is very scarce and therefore a bit surprising coming from you guys.

      Just my two cents

      • I’ve now skied two different pairs of them and, unfortunately, my opinion holds. I’m also very surprised and disappointed. I’m going to try a new tune on them to see if that helps.

        • For such an iconic ski I think it would help if we could get a proper review with details and second opinions / testers. We don’t even know the conditions you have been skiing them in.
          Most of the other skis got that, this one only got an 8 mn trashing… Surprising from blister which prides itself from being very thorough (and usually rightly so).

          What bugs me is that they don’t feel stiffer than the previous one hand flexing them (talking abt the 189), apart from the tail which will always be stiff on the spur unless it’s a 125 rustler 11 like the asym one. Also read somewhere that the construction was different and it’s eventually lighter being wider so there is something wrong indeed.

          Cheers

          • We sent a fat pow ski to Alaska to be reviewed by a lead heli guide who spends more time skiing pow — and more time skiing a broader range of power skis in pow — than most people on earth. Plus, Paul mentioned that he had several other of his fellow guides on the ski, and they all shared the same opinion.

            This is a podcast conversation, not our full review. There is a difference. Sometimes we will drop a full review first, sometimes we will have a conversation about it first.

            Guess that needed to be explained?

    • Ha! Thanks Tjaard, I’d love to do that but despite many requests, the only current lightweight (sub 1200g) boot that we’ve been able to ski is the Scarpa F1LT and last years Backland Carbon . We’ve not been able to get our hands on the Dalbello’s or other boots in the category.

  6. Re Carl, Agree seems pretty stupid to call a ski 2.0 and in parallel say it’s a completely different ski. I have (and love the 1st gen 124A). A mate who bought the 2nd gen, based on trying mine, found it much less forgiving and didn’t enjoy it as much. Seems there is a new 124 coming out in the « Pagoda » construction, which the guy from DPS told me « the performance and stability will be much greater »

  7. Great breakdown on powder skis

    Any chance you guys could get your hands on a prior A-star?

    They make it in a 193

  8. Damn you, Paul Forward, I just picked up a pair of 180 cm DPS Lotus Alchemist 2.0 124’s!!
    Just kidding on the “damn you” part, but not on the ski purchase part…

    That and a pair of 182 cm Lotus 138 spoons Pure3.

    I am calling them part of my retirement investment.

    Japan is on the bucket list.

  9. 180 cm Lotus Alchemist 124 2.0 comes in at 2030 g per ski

    182 cm Lotus 138 Spoon Pure3 comes in at 2040 g per ski

  10. So I wasn’t too sure on your thoughts of the chipotle Banana compared to the Renegade. I may have understood incorrectly.

    You said you enjoyed the renegade in almost every other aspect, besides skiing chop in the resort? Did I hear that correctly? Or do you think the Banana is a better ski?

    Then to go on, you mentioned the La Machine is like a Renegade on steroids? You like it better? Is that because it punched above its weight in chop? Or because it skis better all around?

    Punching above its weight can sometimes imply that while it does better than you think, it does not topple such other products/skis/etc.

    I’m trying to gain some perspective here as I lay in bed wondering if I made a good choice buying Renegades or not haha.

    Tough to be a ski gear addict.

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