G3 SLAYr 114 Skis

G3 uses a unique balsa wood core in the SLAYr 114’s which is surrounded by two layers of carbon fibre and two tips-to-tail layers of titanal. The balsa wood makes for a light core while the carbon fibre keeps the skis strong, light and torsionally stable and the titanal aluminum improves both dampness and power. In the core, the balsa wood is positioned with a 45° wood grain configuration with each strip laminated in an opposing direction to the other to maximize strength to create a light yet noticeably stiffer flex pattern. This construction allows for more playful skiing from such a wide ski yet maintains the ski's stability at higher speeds.

To further dampen the skis and make them more fun, a layer of polyurethane (PU) is embedded in the sidewalls to help diminish chatter. Pouring the PU as a liquid allows it to set up as a solid permanently bonding the wood core and the sidewall. Because PU is more durable and damp than ABS (which most other skis use) it means that the SLAYr 114’s are less chattery which is a good thing for such a wide ski. PU also absorbs more energy and is more elastic than the same amount of ABS material—so it makes sense to use PU when trying to keep a ski light and damp.

At 114 underfoot with a progressively rockered 143mm shovel, the SLAYr 114 Skis float like nothing else. They have a relatively flat camber underfoot and a slight upturn in the tails which creates a fun and playful ski (for a ski with these fatter dimensions) while still maintaining some stability at higher speeds.

Most at home on big pow lines buttering and starving turns, the SLAYr 114 Skis are an aggressive ski best suited to advanced skiers. To make this freeride ski more backcountry friendly G3 kept the weight to an absolute minimum so they can climb up as well as they ski down. At only  3,320g or 7lb 4oz for the 185 length, the SLAYr 114’s are an ideal melding of lightweight construction, a playful shape, and downhill prowess.

The SLAYr 114 Skis use G3's signature textured nylon top sheet which is impressively durable and wards off scratches and nicks with relative ease.  It also helps shed snow and ice which limits any additional weight added to the skis from sticky snow which is a benefit when trying to crush vertical on bigger days.

Like all of G3’s other skis, the SLAYr 114’s have embedded magnets in their tips and tails. This innovation provides solid contact points which eliminate the need for a ski strap on your next boot pack up a steep couloir or simply walking from the parking lot to the ski lifts.

G3 is a proudly owned Canadian company that designs and produces a wide array of backcountry skis, skins, bindings and safety gear—so be sure to check them out to build your next backcountry kit.

• Semi-Cap Carbon-Hybrid Construction 
• Textured co-extruded nylon top sheet for durable & sheds snow/ice
• Polyurethane Sidewalls for durability & dampness
• Full Carbon Fibre Construction with 2 layers triaxial stitched to make the skis strong, light &torsionally stable
• Two Tip-to-Tail layers of 7000 series Titanal Aluminum for dampens and power
• Ultralight Custom Wood core consisting of Balsa wood with a 45° wood grain direction for  unparalleled weight to performance

• Long early rise tail for easy turn release
• +1mm of camber for power in each turn
• Large shovel for effortless turning
• Long early rise tips for smooth engagement in mixed conditions.
• Magnetic Contact Points at Tip & Tail

At 114 underfoot, G3’s SLAYr Skis easily qualify as a freeride powder ski. Add to this their huge progressive early rise tips and lightweight construction and it’s easy to see why they are most at home in deep pow. They were designed for big touring days in deep snow and the use of carbon in the layup keeps them light, strong and torsionally stiff while the polyurethane (PU) sidewalls provided some dampness and personality—bringing out the best quality in each of these materials. I would qualify this ski as more rigid than damp but considering how wide and light they are I was still pretty impressed with their performance. You do, however, have to stay on them or they will run away on you as they are less forgiving than other heavier skis in their class. If you don’t drive them with intention you’ll end up paying for it, especially on hardback and in broken snow. With only about 10cm of the soft fluffy white stuff and they reward you with unmatched float and surf like nothing else.

These skis are obviously at home in power and that's what they were designed for but to me a good touring ski must also be able to tackle firm snow as the backcountry ain’t all soft-n-fluffy. Backcountry skis need to be light, but by reducing the weight of a ski you also reduce their ability to drive through variable snow and lay down an edge and bite into hardpack—hence their stability and control generally suffers. The SLAYr Skis were able to ski groomers when needed but it's not a 50/50 ski in my mind. Like the DPS Pagoda Tour 112RP’s, Line Vision 108’s and Volkl V-Werks BMT 109 skis, the SLAYr 114's are best with a little fresh snow—and the more the better. This is when the fun really starts.

With a huge progressive early rise in the tips to maximum float, you can easily surf and butter the SLAYr 114 Skis in soft snow but this also means that on firm and broken snow the tips will naturally chatter a bit and this is where the PU comes in to help quiet them down a little. With the tips having such a progressive early rise the ski’s effective edge is shortened which means they don’t have the longest effective edge so railing on groomers takes some determination. But then again these skis are not designed for this—they like to play in powder.
I found they had good grip underfoot but the tip and tail rocker allowed them to stray from where I pointed them so I had to ensure I was centred over them and skied them with focus and determination on firmer snow. 

Having skied them out of bounds most of the time on deep powder days I absolutely fell in love with their ability to easily climb up and also surf down anything I set my sights on. The subtle camber underfoot helped with rebound and edge-to-edge transitions (for such a wide ski) but they were definitely not as comfortable on broken snow and hardpack as they were in the soft stuff. Given that I mostly ski tour in the Selkirk Mountains of BC these days, the SLAYr 114 Skis are a great choice as it is rare that there isn’t fresh snow to be had. This is the main reason why I decided to mount the SLAYr’s with Marker’s Alpinist Bindings, to further enhance the ski's lightweight touring capabilities rather than their all-mountain prowess which is not really my style of skiing.

A feature that G3 has integrated across their ski line that I have to mention is magnets. Yes, magnets. Located in the tips and tails of the SLAYr Skis are small magnets to keep the skis together with the help of the ski brakes. These magnets pretty much eliminate the need for a ski strap when carrying your skis to and from the car or lodge—although the magnets are not foolproof and sometimes release so they could be a little stronger but this would add to the ski's overall weight so I think G3 found a good compromise with their current strength to weight ratio.

If you are a shorter or smaller skier G3  has you covered with their Swift Version of the SLAYr Skis. These are available in shorter lengths and have a different colour scheme than the regular SLAYr Skis but will make you equally as happy surfing the goods in the backcountry.