G3 Splitboard LT Glide Review

The G3 Splitboard Glide LT is a very lightweight and packable skin that allows for a decent amount of glide and grip. The tip attachment of this skin is easy to align on nearly any board shape, and is one of our favorites in the industry.

Grip

The Glide LT skins use a blended plush made from 70% mohair and 30% nylon. The mohair enhances glide and reduces weight, while the nylon increases grip and durability. While touring uphill and using good technique, we had no issues with traction on steep or icy slopes, and we were even able to switch back up at a 35-degree pitch with our risers on and maintain good traction. That said, it's not the same kind of grip that you would get from an all-nylon skin, and you will need some knowledge of skinning technique to make this work. If you are touring along an average skin track angle of 15-20 degrees, which is the most efficient for the body, the Glide LT will suffice. However, proper technique is essential to keep from slipping in steeper sections of the track.

Glide

Skins with great glide provide notable efficiency benefits as they reduce the friction between your skin and the snow, making every stride easier. Intermediate to advanced splitboarders prefer more glide, especially as they start tacking on more miles to their routes, as these benefits are mainly felt on longer days where speed is important. The G3 Glide LT provides good glide, and compared to other blended skins, they are above average. The snow condition also plays a part in how much glide you can get from your skin. We used these in some colder snow in the Sierras and got better glide than we did during a warmer ascent of Mt. Rainer. Either way, these offer noticeably more glide than nylon skins thanks to the mohair percentage.

Ease of Use

One of our favorite things about the G3 Splitboard skins is their user-friendly approach, and the G3 Glide LT has the same feature set as all the skins found in the Splitboard Series. We especially love the attachment system and skin-cutting process. Each skin has one pre-cut straight edge, which helps you align the skin on the board and requires you to only cut one side of the skin. G3 also includes our favorite trimming tool because it's easy to handle and securely brace against the board when cutting the skin, which ensures a near-perfect cut.

The simple and Minimalist tip attachment system helps make rolling and storing the skin easy as it has a smaller footprint. The mohair, short hair, and general materials give this skin a lightweight of 241 grams per skin and reduce its overall packed size. This means you will have more space in your pack or you can quickly stow them in your jacket.

Attachment System

The Minimalist tip attachment is one of our favorites in the industry because it's very easy to align and never gets caught on the tip clips of the snowboard. It has one fixed arm aligned with the straight/inside edge, and one rotating arm that articulates to grab the outside/curved side of the tip and helps the skin adapt to different nose shapes. This creates a self-adjusting system in which the rotating arm helps align the skin automatically.

While we love the tail clip of the Splitboard system, the camming tail clip found on the Glide LT did not provide the same degree of security as the standard system. The camming tail clip captures the tension and provides multi-directional security. However, we found that the clip itself would loosen along the strap while touring, which occasionally resulted in the tail clip falling off; one day it fell off 5 times because of the adjustment. The camming tail lacks security in the sizing notches found along the adjustment strap. After two months of use, the tail strap is showing signs of wear from ripping skins. We have been diligently avoiding ripping skins using solely the tail strap. We believe this wear is from tensioning the skins on the board to keep the clip from moving. This is our biggest complaint with an otherwise good skin, and if this sizing issue is remedied, this skin could be one of the best on the market.

Glue and Glop

G3 selected a PFOA-free waterproofing and non-toxic glue, which gives it some environmental bonus points. The waterproofing visually minimized the saturation of the mohair when spring touring and resisted glopping. We did have one day where we experienced frequent glopping. However, the conditions were such that everyone in our touring party was majorly glopped up.

G3 utilizes non-toxic glue, which provides a good happy medium. The glue-based adhesive takes a little bit of effort to pull apart, but is plenty tacky when placed on the base of the board. During our testing period, we have observed some glue transfer/loss on the nose and tail side of the skin.

Value

This skin is moderately priced in the world of blended skins. The tip attachment is a huge value booster due to its ease of alignment and ability to support a smaller pack size. Ultimately, better performance exists at a lower price point.

Conclusion