G3 Ski Line-up Lowdown for 2011/2012

The backcountryskiingcanada.com team is happy to have its HQ in the sleepy little mountain town of Nelson, BC. Also living in this town is Cameron Shute, all-around good guy, great skier and Product Development Engineer at G3. This later attribute means we get to pump him for information and beg him for gear. In the piece which follows, we’ve asked Cam for his thoughts on G3’s line of skis for next year. It’s an email interview that has been lightly edited. Cam also managed to send us some high-ish res. images of the skis so we can all see the sexy graphics for next season. These are, in our humble opinion, some of the nicest looking skis G3 has ever produced.

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BSC ~ What are you really excited about in the G3 ski program for next year?

Cam ~ I’m really excited about both the  descent collection (Highball and the Infidel especially) for more down oriented skis, and I think the Zenoxide and the new Saint are incredible touring skis….really good weight for the width and ski performance.

(We've included big images so you can gawk at the new graphics. It'll be great excercise for your scrolling finger too!)

From the Descent Series: Highball (140/116/127 – 4 kg),  Infidel (128/97/119 – 3.7 kg)

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From the Mountain Series: Zenoxide (131/105/123 – 3.3 kg) and Saint (122/93/112 – 3.1 kg)

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BSC ~ Which skis have rocker and why?

 Cam ~ This is all summarized on page 8 of the the catalogue (ed. which we have for you here) The entire descent, mountain and women’s collection have early rise tips. The simplest answer to why is that it makes turn initiation so easy. Going further with it as we have with our Sweetrise skis (Highball and Infidel) gives them a looser feel. The practical application of that is that it allows you to ski a longer ski than normal which gives you way more stability at speed, yet remains easy to manoeuvre.

BSC ~ Seems like there is a movement toward lighter, fatter skis for touring. What skis in your line-up are lighter/fatter?

Cam ~ The Zenoxide, the Tonic, and the Saint are all extremely competitive weight wise, and our entire descent series is relatively lightweight compared to other brands.

From the Mountain Series: Tonic (132 / 100 / 123 -  3.6 kg)

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BSC ~ Your super tour segment looks a little like a European approach. What was the thinking behind these skis? Who are they for?

Cam ~ These do have a euro flair to them, and are doing well in the European market…that said, for long ski traverses,  ski mountaineering and perhaps firmer/less deep conditions these skis will fit the bill.

From the Super Tour Series: Spitfire LT (123/89/111 ~ 3.2 kg), Soulfly (114/83/104 ~ 2.7 kg), 78 Stinger (112/78/100 ~ 2.4 kg)

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BSC ~ Is fatter better?

Cam ~ In this neck of the woods it is!

It’s a bit too simplistic of a question though. ”Better” is relative to what you need out of a ski. I view skis as tools…you gotta select the right tool for the job you’re working on. Depends what combination of region, snow depth, length of tour, fitness level, ski ability, etc. you’re talking about.

BSC ~ Do you expect anybody will mount your skis with alpine bindings?

Cam ~ Definitely (me being one of them) for the new Descent series.

BSC ~ Are any of these skis tele specific or are they all suitable for either AT or Tele?

Cam ~ All suitable to go either way. “Tele specific” is a marketing relic from the days when tele was a huge fad, and people used it to sell more skis. The only real tele specific skis I know of are scotty bobs…

Thanks to Cam for his insight into next year’s line of G3 skis. The backcountryskiingcanada.com team is keen to try the Highballs and the Zenoxides. We tried to demo either pair at the Coldsmoke Festival here in Nelson but they were so popular, they were always being used and never available. You can look forward to a review of the G3 Manhattans from us in the coming weeks. Like all skis, it takes a while (for us anyway) to figure them out and get dialled in. First impressions are good.

IF YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE G3 CATALOGUE FOR NEXT YEAR, WE TORE IT OUT OF CAM'S MITTS AND HAVE IT FOR YOU. CLICK HERE AND DROOL.