The Slasher proved to be stable enough for straight airs, yet surprisingly nimble for throwing tricks.
And the landings were even better, thanks to the Slasher’s rockered tip. The early rise shape (which resembles the early rise profiles of the Salomon Rocker 2 and Dynastar Cham) not only planes when making turns, but is a great profile for landing airs in soft snow. As the rear two-thirds of the ski would sink upon landing, the tip maintained floatation, making it easy to rise out of bomb holes. This feature worked especially well on flatter landings (which I normally avoid at all costs, but sometimes a line presents a cliff that requires a drop).
My next test on the Slashers occurred in spring-like conditions a week before closing day at Taos. For a week, the mountain had seen 70-plus-degree temps, and I rode the Slashers for a couple runs in the Hunzkier Basin to test their performance on slush bumps and mushy groomers. The rockered tip was beneficial for planing above steady piles of slush, yet the lightness of the ski made it prone to ricocheting off the isolated piles. I also noticed some difficulty with edge control on icier sections and opted that night to put a full tune back on the skis.
A week later, Taos received yet another 15” of unexpected snow. Temps were slightly warmer, the snow a bit denser, and it was in these conditions I found that the Slasher performed surf-like slashes exceptionally well. But I also noticed the factory recommended mount location was less conducive for this style. After I found myself leaning back after several playful turns, I concluded that a -1cm mount would be ideal, perhaps even -2 or -3cm mount for denser, maritime snow.
Despite my factory recommended mount location, I was still impressed by the ski’s landing ability in various conditions. After floating a big 3 off the lower Juarez cat road, I landed forward on a sticky, late-afternoon patch that I was sure would send me over the handlebars. As I anticipated a full frontal tomahawk, the early rise profile enabled me to stay upright and ride away. I was totally amazed and was convinced again that the tip of this ski couldn’t have been shaped better.
Groomers are not the place for this ski, but once off piste, the Slasher is a true performer when the snow is remotely forgiving. In moguls, the overall size of the ski became a hindrance, but the light swing weight and direction control still allowed for rather quick turns for a ski of this magnitude.
The Slasher also performed well during a tour in spring conditions near the backside of Taos. A two-hour slog up the Wilderness Basin (a.k.a ”Wildy Bowl”) and the subsequent descent presented a mix of windbuff, powder, corn, and super-saturated snow. Throughout it all, the Slasher was able to transition between conditions with ease. The wide shovel and broad underfoot slayed the pow, while big open GS turns in the corn farther down were spectacular.
Overall, the Slasher is a fine powder ski. Backcountry, sidecountry, or resort-side, this ski performs well as long as the snow is soft and forgiving. I noticed the base material appeared fairly thin after sustaining a few base welds while navigating spines in West Basin. It’s a move that certainly keeps the ski’s weight down, but it does raise some concerns about durability.
As I finished off the season with a 17-inch weekend in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the Slasher was my pick of the quiver for soft snow. It consistently provided ample floatation, maneuverability, and was a joy for blasting through afternoon chop. The Slashers also provided a huck-friendly platform while airing and spinning off drops. I look forward to more skiing next season knowing that the Slasher will be along for the ride.
NEXT: ROCKER PROFILE PICS
So this is Good or a Bad Review ?
Seems very ambivalent ….
Hi Dave,
The Slashers crushed it in soft snow, but didn’t hold as well as well as I would have liked on hardpack. Since, however, Coreupt markets this ski as more of a backcountry freeride ski, this shouldn’t be terribly surprising. It’s an outstanding soft snow ski that’s good in the air and stomps landings. But for me, at least, it isn’t a one-ski quiver.
any chance you can give a short comparison to a Bibby Pro or the RMU apostle ?
I have yet to ski the Bibby Pro but I can weigh in on a comparison with the RMU Apostle. They both incorporate traditional wood camber underfoot, have a strong flex, and are quick edge to edge. The Apostle tends to be quicker edge to edge since it’s narrower and a has a slightly smaller turning radius (17.3 vs. 20m). The Apostle is more playful and tends to ski much shorter than the Slasher due to the incorporation of the five-point design and a longer rocker section in the tail. While the Slasher has some rocker in the tail, it’s minimal and I did not experience any washing out in the tails of the ski, which I experienced on the Apostle.
The other significant difference between the two is that you have to ski the Apostle rather centered or forward, whereas your weight can be shifted over a much broader range on the Slasher. The Slasher allows for leaning back in heavy snow; a centered stance for landings or more solid snow; and leaning forward when charging steep, high speed lines. It also has more girth, which yields better flotation on deep days. I’d choose the Apostle as an all-mountain ski since it tends to be more nimble and playful in variable conditions; and the Slasher for days when it snows more than a few inches.
Hi Garrett,
interesting review. I have already posted first thoughts on the slasher in Will’s review of the steep ride jacket. I had demoed the 187 a couple of days in diferent stages of the season and finally end of April I have received an email form a retailer that they sell all coreupt skis for EUR 99 (approx. USD 140) – we now know why, namely because the brand has filed for insolvency.
Although I was hesitant as regards the durability – I am in line with you impression that the base is thin and quite soft – at that price I immediately ordered a pair, which is now in my garage, yet unmounted.
I would like to add some comments on the specs: Coreupt has obviously measured at the contact points. The shovel is a bit more than 140mm at the widest point. Moreover, you will find information in the internet that the slasher weighs 3,800 kg for the pair in the 187. This is not correct: I have weighed them and they are more like 4,500 kg for the pair in that length.
Actual length is about 185 cm (184,8). Tip Rocker is about 40 cm, Tail Rocker about 20 cm and the camberline is about 125 cm, so it is about 35% Rocker and 65% Camber. Anyone who is not interested in these figures can just have a look at your amazing profile shots to get an impression of the rocker proifle (what device do you use in order to squeeze the skis together?).
I find it very stiff underfoot, so stiff that it is quite tough to squeeze the bases together with one hand – at least it takes a bit of effort.
The recommended mounting point is about 98 to 99 cm from the shovel, so about 6 cm back from the core center. Unfortunately I have not paid attention as to where the demo pair was mounted (I assume it was mounted at the recommende mounting point). Yet, what I have done is that I have laid the bindings I want to mount on the ski and put a mounted pair of my 185 scott mega dozers next to the ski. then I have balanced the ski and I have stood on it with socks to try to get an impression how much ski there is in front of me. From the impression I got I would tend to mount it at – 1 to – 1,5 cm. There has been some discussion on TGR and in German speaking forums and the majority says that the ski best perfoms for them in this range. So, although a ski review is always subjective, the ski seems to be balanced in a way that about 1 to 1,5 cm back from the recommended mounting point is the sweet spot for most skiers.
As for the skiing: I like the ski a lot from the few demo days and conditions where from windblown to 40cm fresh to slush. I found that due to the stiffnes under the foot it carved very well and due to the semi rocker tail it did not really tend to wash out that much. I found it ok even on hard groomers – I have not skied them on boilerplate. I found that due to the low rocker profile and the wide shovel it floatet as well as my mega dozers that have a 119mm waist. I found that the slasher planes and floats best with shins forward. Even if the tip may sometimes dive slightly, the ski pops up again immdediately, like a porpoising effect. I finally found the ski quite good in slushy bumps despite the stiffness; yet harder bumps are some work. Trees: I only took one tree run and I find my 2012 line SFBs in the 184 length the better tree ski from that first impression as they are amazingly quick edge to edge and have even less swing weight than the slashers.
Would I take this as a one ski quiver? I cannot answer this yet. I have bought the slasher, because I could not resist the deal and had a good first impression from demoing. I will have to spend more time on the ski.
It will be interesting to read your further thoughts once you have skied them in Argentina this summer. For me, the season is likely over now that it is finally getting warm even on the glaciers that offer 365 day skiing. Norway is sometimes an option till mid/end June, but if you are unlucky, it may rain for two weeks straight.
Thanks for the input, Hannes! I agree that the sweet spot for this ski is attained by mounting 1-2cm behind the line.
Hi Garret,
First of all let me say it was a pleasure to read your extensive review of the Slasher!
I ended up on this post following an ebay chase for a pair of slashers but since I am here now,
I would kindly want to ask if I can shoot you some questions in “private”, as I wouldn’t want to overturn the discussions and the comments on this post.
It is of course about skis :)
Thank you in advance for you time reading this and trully hope we can exchange a few lines.
All the way from …get ready…Romania (you know where that is?!) :)
Sincerely,
Puiu D.
Hi Garret,
The review was great and helps a lot. I have been looking at Rossignol S7’s Nordica Patrons and the Slashers and was wondering what to buy. I am mainly looking for a ski to bring on ski trips (being from the east) that will kill pow if there is but also will be enjoyable to ride in normal conditions if there is no fresh snow. If it can be an alternative to my park skis (with no edges) back in the east on the groomers than great, but that isn’t necessarily the priority. I was wondering what you recommend and how the ski stacks up to its more expensive counter parts.
Thanks a lot
Olivier
Olivier,
If you’re looking for something more comfortable in all types of conditions, I would suggest the Nordica Patron over the Slasher or S7. The Slasher is great when conditions are soft but lacks the quality construction of a traditional laminate ski, resulting in more chatter and less predictable edge hold on hard pack. In terms of quality ski construction and stability in variable conditions, you’ll be better off spending a few more bucks on another type of ski.
A surprise I recently stumbled upon in this category is the Scott Punisher. Stay tuned in the coming days for my review of this ski. The Punisher may be the answer to your query…
Cheers,
Garrett
Hi,
i have a fresh pair of the Slashers and a new Marker Duke EPF here and im thinking about where to mount.
Did you come to new conclusions on the Mountingpoint so far? Most Guys talk about setting it about 1cm more to the tail.
I’m a little late to party on the Slashers, but I picked up a pair and mounted a set of Blue Salomon STH 14’s on the bad boys. This is my first powder ski and I couldn’t wait to get on em. I’m not an Expert but Advanced skier, Weight 225, and am 5’11, Athletic build. I took these to Durango 1st rattle out of the box and headed straight to lift 8 skiing numerous blue groomers on the way with about 2″ of crusty powder. Awesome!!! Just flew making big GS turns all the way down. They were perfect for these conditions to play in. Arriving at lift 8 came the blacks same thing Moguls dominated. These arent exactly the idea mogul ski but every once in a while I would find a side stash untouched and rip it. I have never been on a ski that truly floats my big butt. They did it and it was so fun. Definately NOT a one ski quiver, but isnt that the fun of having a quiver. So for my 1st set of of over 100mm waist skis, I loved them. On icy days Ive got something for that. Now on pow days Ive got something also.
Thanks for you guys having great reviews. Mine is a little amateurish (Sorry), I just hope you can get what a new POW skier is trying to get across. They are fun skis and I hope to have a lot more on em.
Bo