G3 updated the Roamr 108 since our test period. The latest version, shown above, has new topsheets and magnetic contact points designed to hold the skis together and negate the need for a ski strap.
February 2021G3's Roamr 108 is a big, heavy touring ski or a lightweight resort ski. Their branding sort of reflects this. G3 describes these as “a great choice for anyone looking to ski in and out of bounds”. Further, they say the G3 Roamr is “perfect for that skier spending 70% of their time in the backcountry and 30% at the resort”. Our backcountry ski test team takes issue with the idea that one can select ski gear that will work well inbounds and out, but here isn't the place to really expand on that soapbox. (well, ok, we'll reach a little bit). A “quiver of one” resort/backcountry set-up will ski the resort-like budget resort gear and be twice the weight of basic backcountry gear. Your total cost for this quiver-of-one thanks to the greater expense of this “crossover” gear, won't be much less than two sets of dedicated budget gear. On the topic of value, your expensive BC gear will last much, much longer if you aren't using it at the resort).
On our calibrated, digital scale, we found each of the tested G3 Roamr 108, in size 185cm length, to weigh an average of 1933 grams. This adds up to a total weight of 8.5 lbs for the pair, and it's the heaviest ski we tested. It is also the absolute heaviest ski model we would consider appropriate for backcountry skiing. If you pair it with beefy “crossover” bindings, and you will surely be tempted to do so by current trends and branding efforts, this ski can be part of a setup that weighs more than some resort setups. Proceed carefully.
That weight lends great stability. Weight and stability are directly related, for the most part. In commenting on stability, one tester pointed out that this G3 “has the similar stiffness of a playful alpine ski”. That impression is borne of the weight and stability. Whether in the steeps or at high speed, or both, the G3 rides more similarly to a resort ski than a backcountry ski. This is cool.
The Roamr is stiff, torsionally and longitudinally. This stiffness, as verified by your typical “hand flex” test, is correlated with the rather favorable firm snow performance we found. Now, the firm snow performance is good for wide skis. Narrower skis, all else equal and to a point, will work better on ice and hard snow than wide ones. If you want the width for the soft snow portions of your skiing, but demand firm snow performance too, you'll be psyched with the Roamr. Essentially, the mass of the Roamr lends high-level ski performance in all settings, especially as compared to lighter BC gear.
Big, sized long, with all the right trendy dimensional attributes, the G3 Roamr 108 is a delight in excellent soft snow. Whether your technique is honed and modern, sloppy and out of date, or anywhere in between, you'll find something to love about powder skiing with this Canadian sled. We sure did. January of 2020 brought record snowfall to Wyoming's Tetons, and our test team was in exactly the right position to take full advantage. Deep powder days with the Roamr were worth the effort required to get them to the top of each run. On the other hand, the same sort of deep powder days were just as enjoyable on lighter skis. Good powder snow is good skiing, regardless of your equipment.
We like these skis in poor snow. Breakable crust, deep-and-slushy, or tracked out, the G3 blasts through. Most of our testing is in the backcountry, but it is worth commenting on a unique resort skiing experience we had on the G3 Roamr. It is uncommon to ski true breakable crust in a resort. Breakable crust takes some time to form. You need fresh, soft snow, and then weather events over time, either sun or wind, to crust up the surface. Operating resorts don't leave their snow undisturbed long enough to generate truly rugged breakable crust conditions. However, early this testing season, as Grand Targhee resort was incrementally opening its terrain, they got a perfect sequence of events to generate such conditions.
The entire upper section of their terrain received a big dump, followed by rain and rime, just before they could open the main lift for the season. A bunch of us lined up for the announced, impending opening of this lift and summitted to thousands of acres of the most gnarly trap crust. Our lead tester was riding the Roamr 108 that day. He's a little twisted and loved a handful of runs of “testing” and skiing crust-over-pow-over-gravel. His technique improved that day, and his comfort with the poor snow performance of this G3 benefited. In short, they did real well, and we recommend seeking out those super rare opportunities to ski miles of heinous snow. As compared to lift-served, untracked breakable crust, perfect powder days are a dime-a-dozen.
Ski prices are largely consolidating. There are the outliers on the upper end, for sure. The middle to low-end of the price spectrum is pretty clustered together. The G3 Roamr is right in the mix with the middle to low end of the price spectrum. Within about a hundred dollars of the price of the Roamr, you will find 90% of the skis on the market. Shop for performance and weight, within this narrow price range, and you can't go wrong.
