I mounted Armada Shift MNC 13s to them, so in all, this was a heavier-than-average setup.
However, a comparable length Sir Francis Bacon is 100g per ski lighter and the Vision 108, a more dedicated touring option, is lighter again. The Slacker sits just under the 2kg mark, meaning it’s not the lightest touring ski available, yet a relatively light all-mountain freestyle ski. This being the first touring ski for J Skis, the uphill experience needs to be examined. I’ll elaborate on how they compare further down. While it may be an odd comparison to bring up, the Slacker’s weight and flex remind me of Armada’s ARW 106 UL, one of my favorite skis from the Newschoolers ski test. Conceptually, the Slacker is a lighter, stiffer, and slightly wider version of J’s Vacation with a tighter turn radius. The Slacker is relatively lightweight with an Aspen core, and maple running along the edges to retain stiffness.
They are also J’s first ski with a notch for better securing skins in place.Ī full sidewall keeps this ski damp, while it tapers towards the tips and tails to shave weight and add some flex and playfulness. The tails are rockered as well, but visibly less than the tips. You will see it has a little bit of camber with a 3mm lift, leading into a significant early rise and rocker at the tips. That’s a lot of categories for one ski, so naturally, it is meant to be versatile. The objective was to build a ski light enough to keep up with other uphill-focused alternatives while maintaining appealing features for skiing down.Īt 110mm underfoot, with 136mm tips and 128mm tails, the Slacker is has a fairly traditional footprint for a wide, directional, all-mountain freestyle (touring) ski. They already had park/urban, all-mountain, and powder covered in the line-up, and J Skis have now entered the backcountry realm. To me, the Slacker fills the gap in their line of skis so that it now covers all of the fun facets of skiing. The category exploded in 2020-21, so their timing was on-point, as ever. Review location(s): Red Mountain (BC), Orford (QC), other side-country spots in QuebecĬonditions skied: Park, groomers, hardpack, moderate pow (10-12cm fresh)įor the first time ever, J Skis designed a touring specific ski. An in-depth look at the Slacker by J_skis for 2022, with ski specs and full review discussing pow, park, durability, and more.