G3 Splitboard+ Glide Review

Performance Comparison

Skins can bring you to awesome places.

Photo: Laredo

Grip

The Glide skins are made up of 70% mohair, which helps glide, and 30% nylon to aid in durability and grip. That being said, don't expect to be looking at your friends behind you while motoring straight up; it's just not what they were designed to do, nor is it the most efficient way to skin. With good technique, these skins provide plenty of grip, especially when touring on the ideal skin track angle of 15-20 degrees. The skins provided enough grip to make it to where we wanted to go, with a bit of added focus in very steep sections.

Literally side by side comparisons.

Photo: Isaac Laredo

Glide

Glide is a critical metric that intermediate to advanced splitboarders appreciate for bigger days. The G3 Glide shines in this particular metric. Have you ever switched from a town bike with mountain bike tires to a bike with slick road tires? Riding to the bar or work instantly feels faster and easier. That is what using the Glide skins feel like after being on an all-nylon skin. The glide quality of these skins is excellent, and the energy efficiency gains associated with this are significant.

The Glide thrives in lower angle terrain where having additional glide is rewarded.

Photo: Isaac Laredo

Ease of Use

The Glide is equipped with the same user-friendly features as the Splitboard+ series. It comes with a pre-cut edge for the straight edge of your splitboard. G3 also provides our favorite trimming tool that is easy to hold and brace against the board when cutting. The goal here is to get you on the skin track faster with perfect cuts.

The folded Splitboard+ Glide.

Photo: laredo

As with most skins that have complex attachment systems, rolling can be a challenge and result in a bulkier or awkward package if done incorrectly. Since the Glide utilizes mohair and a consistently shorter hair length, the skin has a lighter weight and small packed size. This translates to having more space in your pack, less weight on your back, and less weight on your feet, all of which is a major addition by subtraction.

These features are discussed in greater detail in the review of our award-winning G3 Splitboard + Universal.

Attachment System

G3 has blessed the splitboard community by providing a camming tail clip with a versatile tip clip. The clips are user-friendly and secure. The metal tip clips hold the skin to the board with ease and are relatively easy to attach.

The camming tip clip of the G3 Glide is our favorite attachment system.

Photo: Isaac Laredo

The tail clip requires a specific sequence of steps to adjust the length, which we would recommend doing at home. Once we sized them appropriately, we never lost a tail clip, even on swallowtails or unique shapes. The Splitboard+ Series uses the same attachment system across the line.

The fixed steel hands for the tip attachment are very adaptable across shapes and is the easiest to align the skin with the board.

Photo: Isaac Laredo

Glue and Glop

When selecting the glue and waterproofing of the Splitboard+ Series, G3 prioritized environmentally friendly compounds without sacrificing performance. The Glide utilizes a PFOA free waterproofing that prevents or minimizes glopping, even when our partners were lifting glopped snow bricks with every stride.

G3 utilizes a non-toxic glue that stuck as good on the first day as it does today. Our experience with the adhesive and glop performance matched the results of the Universal skins, and we discuss that in greater detail in the Universal review.

Snow between the base and Splitboard+ Glide.

Photo: Laredo

Value

This skin isn't the cheapest, nor is it the most expensive mohair mix option on the market. It differentiates itself with its camming tail clip and overall ease of use. In the mohair category, the Glide provides a good value.

Conclusion