G3 District 2013 Review

Introduction

The G3 District is a decently wide ski at 112 underfoot (dimensions are 140/112/130). It's the biggest offering in G3's touring oriented "Mountain" Series and with a 25-meter turn radius (179cm length tested) has moderated sidecut. For a biggish ski it's light at 1850 grams per ski. It's got camber underfoot, a fair amount of early rise at tip or tail, but is not a twin tip. Think of it as a cambered ski with mild rocker. It's got a square tail with a divot for skin attachments.

Duffy parking lot prep

Duffy pow

Review

I'm not a big shred-machine at just 160lbs but do spend 100+ days a season skiing with most of the days in backcountry. I managed to put 20 days on the Districts with almost all of the days spent in backcountry of Whistler, the Duffey, and the Rockies.

Initially I thought that the Districts were almost too fat for a touring ski, because I don’t mind actually skiing in the snow. As the season progressed and I got more into variable snow, and the District's power revealed itself—allowing me to pressure my boot cuffs, apply power and let the Districts mash through thin wind or sun crust while making me look good.

Despite the mid-fatness and turning radius, the District is reasonably quick turning. The tips and tails are softer than the mid-section, making it easy to mach through holes in glades with wide open turns and then reel in the speed while switching to bum-wiggle waddling when the trees closed in and the slope required more precision. I enjoyed the playful, responsive nature of this ski. It's easy to get cheap air with Districts. It’s versatile enough to move around downhill quickly to find pillows, and stable enough that you can land off the pillow without inelegant tomahawks.

Mounted with G3 Onyx bindings (as a sidebar these were problem free and did their job just fine), the District tours well. Being reasonably light and reasonably short, going uphill, skootching, skinning on flats and kickturns were a snap.

The G3 District won't be changed next year (except for topsheet graphics) so these impressions should hold true for next season's skis. If you need a mid-fat touring board that's a versatile, powerful performer which can truly handle a variety of conditions, the G3 District is a strong candidate.

Icefall Lodge trees in the western Canadian Rockies

Zen Glacier in the western Canadian Rockies

2013 G3 District in Action from G3 Genuine Guide Gear on Vimeo.