2020-2021 G3 FINDr 102

Intro

The FINDr series is G3’s line of lightweight touring skis, first introduced a few years ago. We reviewed the original FINDr 102 and found it to be a solid option for backcountry skiers and ski mountaineers who value low weight and prioritize strength and edge hold over things like high-speed stability and damping.

But while the FINDr skis remained unchanged for several years, they’re getting tweaked for 19/20. And, in addition to a few other new things, they happen to include one particularly interesting construction element…

What G3 says about the FINDr 102

“The award-winning FINDr is now made in Canada and features magnetic contact points, speeding up bootpack transitions and eliminating the need for a strap when shouldering. This freeride-inspired ski balances weight and edge hold with a damp and powerful ride. The FINDr 102 is light but strong and is exceptionally fun to ski anything from soft snow to hardpack conditions. Built to excel in ski mountaineering applications, hard and mixed snow conditions, and to give maximum edge control, the FINDr features a traditional camber profile. This true alpine touring ski includes an early-rise tip to give additional float in deep snow.”

There are a few key points here:

First, the entire new FINDr series is now made in Canada (as opposed to overseas).

Second, G3 talks about the FINDr 102 being a “freeride-inspired” ski with a “damp and powerful ride,” while also being designed to “excel in ski mountaineering applications.” “Freeride” skis aren’t often talked about in the same vein as ski mountaineering, and if we were to classify the FINDr 102 based on its specs, it seems a lot more similar to most ski-mo and touring skis than it does to “freeride” skis. But I think the main point here is that G3 doesn’t want the FINDr 102 labeled as some dainty, uphill-only ski — this thing is supposed to deliver power and edge hold on the down.

Lastly, these FINDr skis have magnets. That warrants more explanation:

The FINDr Series’ Magnets

All of the 19/20 FINDr skis feature magnets at the contact points where the skis meet when matched base-to-base. This is designed to make for quicker transitions and less gear to worry about since, in theory, you wouldn’t need to strap skis together with some sort of ski strap.

The value of this feature will obviously vary a lot depending on what kind of skiing you do, but for ski mountaineers and backcountry skiers who are frequently putting their skis on their packs or just don’t like dealing with brake-less skis being difficult to carry, there’s definitely some benefit to the magnets.

After playing around with the new FINDr 102, we can confirm that the magnets definitely work, and they’re quite strong. You just need to hold the two skis a few inches apart and the magnets will suck them together, holding them strong enough to carry around pretty recklessly without them detaching. In terms of serving as a replacement for ski straps, our initial conclusion is that these magnets do their job.

As with any new-to-the-market tech, we’re curious about any downsides to the magnets, so we’ll report back during our full review if we notice any.

Shape / Rocker Profile

The 19/20 FINDr 102 has a very similar shape and rocker profile compared to the 18/19 version, though there are some subtle differences.

First, its tips are now a bit more “pointy” — the taper lines start in a similar spot on the ski and the dimensions are almost identical, but they now taper to more of a point, whereas the previous ski had more of a “blocky” tip shape. Overall, the new FINDr 102’s tips are a bit more tapered than some skis like the Blizzard Zero G 105 and Line Vision 108, though the FINDr 102’s tail still isn’t very tapered.

The new FINDr 102’s rocker profile looks almost identical to the previous version’s, with a moderately deep tip rocker line, pretty shallow tail rocker line, and low tail splay. Overall, the FINDr 102’s rocker profile looks pretty similar to the Zero G 105’s and Atomic Backland 107’s.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the FINDr 102:

Tips: 7.5
Shovels: 7-8.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 9-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 10-9
Tails: 9-9.5

This is a strong flex pattern, with a smooth ramp up from moderately stiff shovels to a very strong midsection and tails. While we don’t have the old FINDr 102 to directly compare to, based on Jonathan Ellsworth’s flex pattern numbers for the old ski, it looks like the new ski’s tail is stiffer.

Compared to the Blizzard Zero G 105, the new FINDr 102’s tail is stiffer, but the two skis’ front halves feel very similar. Compared to the Atomic Backland 107, the FINDr 102 is stiffer at the ends, and it stiffens quicker as you move toward the middle of the ski.

Weight

The FINDr 102 is a light ski. At an average measured weight per ski of ~1517 g for the 179 cm length, it’s one of the lighter skis we’ve reviewed for its size.

At least for our pairs, the 19/20 FINDr 102 is coming in a bit heavier than the previous version. But when it comes to weight, the new ski still falls in line with other dedicated touring skis like the Black Diamond Helio 105, Blizzard Zero G 105, and Atomic Backland 107.

For reference, here are a number of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. And as always, pay close attention to the length differences to keep things more apples-to-apples.

1476 & 1490 K2 Wayback 106, 179 cm (18/19–19/20)
1477 & 1482 G3 FINDr 102, 184 cm (17/18–18/19)
1489 & 1545 G3 FINDr 102, 179 cm (19/20)
1547 & 1551 Black Diamond Helio 105 Carbon, 185 cm (17/18)
1562 & 1566 Scott Superguide 105, 183 cm (17/18–18/19)
1605 & 1630 Line Vision 108, 183 cm (19/20)
1606 & 1641 Blizzard Zero G 105, 188 cm (19/20)
1642 & 1651 Renoun Citadel 106, 185 cm, (18/19)
1642 & 1662 Atomic Backland 107, 182 cm (18/19–19/20)
1706 & 1715 Volkl BMT 109, 186 cm (17/18–19/20)
1733 & 1735 Blizzard Zero G 108, 185 cm (17/18–18/19)
1745 & 1747 4FRNT Raven, 184 cm (16/17–18/19)
1752 & 1771 Amplid Facelift 108, 189 cm (18/19–19/20)
1755 & 1792 Line Sick Day 104, 179 cm (17/18–19/20)
1806 & 1862 Armada Tracer 108, 180 cm (19/20)
1814 & 1845 Elan Ripstick 106, 181 cm (17/18–19/20)
1825 & 1904 Black Crows Corvus Freebird, 183.3 cm (17/18–19/20)
1843 & 1847 Head Kore 105, 189 cm (17/18)
1848 & 1903 Line Sick Day 104, 186 cm (17/18–19/20)
1849 & 1922 Elan Ripstick 106, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
1898 & 1893 Armada Tracer 108, 180 cm (18/19)
1913 & 1943 Sego Condor Ti, 187 cm (18/19)
1923 & 1956 DPS Alchemist Wailer 106, 189 cm (17/18–18/19)
1941 & 1965 Fischer Ranger 108 Ti, 182 cm (17/18–18/19)
1950 & 1977 Blizzard Rustler 10, 188 cm (17/18–18/19)
1970 & 1979 Atomic Backland FR 109, 189 cm (17/18)
1980 & 2016 Liberty Origin 106, 187 cm (17/18–18/19)
1996 & 2012 Dynastar Legend X106, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2005 & 2035 Liberty Origin 106, 187 cm (19/20)
2022 & 2047 Faction Dictator 3.0, 186 cm (17/18–18/19)
2026 & 2056 Black Diamond Boundary Pro 107, 184 cm (17/18–19/20)
2030 & 2039 Rossignol Soul 7 HD, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2036 & 2064 Salomon QST 106, 188 cm (18/19)