Zag Slap 104 — Review

The Zag Slap 104 is the playful mid-fat freeride ski in the French brand's Slap line, built in Zag's Chamonix Lab and aimed at intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a soft-snow-leaning daily driver that still tolerates the lift line back to the goods. At 104 mm underfoot with a partial twin-tip and a paulownia/poplar wood core, it sits firmly in the playful freeride space — more forgiving than a typical metal-laminate 104, more directional than a true twin freestyle ski.

Sidecut radii of 16 m at 164 cm up to 20 m at 188 cm cover the full range from medium-tight tree slashes to longer open arcs. With 30% tip rocker and 25% tail rocker plus moderate camber, the Slap 104 is happiest when there is something soft under the edges — chopped resort snow, 15–30 cm of fresh, or wind-affected variable all suit it. On groomers the lighter wood-core construction asks the skier to drive the ski rather than let it carry; reward is light swing weight in tight terrain and easy slarves. The 2/5 manufacturer flex rating places it on the forgiving side of the 104 freeride segment.

Under the topsheet, Zag uses the same paulownia–poplar wood core as the rest of the Slap line — paulownia for low weight, poplar for stiffness near the edge — inside a Semi-CAP sandwich. There is no metal laminate; multi-axial fiberglass provides torsional stiffness and energy return, ABS sidewalls handle edge engagement, and the overall lay-up keeps weight per single ski between 1620 g (164 cm) and 1990 g (188 cm). That is light to mid-weight for a 104, which is what keeps it tour-capable and playful, but also what defines its stability ceiling at very high speeds on firm snow.

The Slap 104 suits intermediate-to-advanced freeride skiers who value playful swing weight and soft-snow float over hard-snow precision. Compared to the Nordica Enforcer 104 unlimited it gives up some metal-laminate stability but adds playfulness; against the Head Kore 104 Ti W it is more freeride-rockered and a touch more forgiving; the Armada Arv 100 is more park-biased while the Slap 104 stays freeride-first.

Pros

• Strong soft-snow performance.
• Partial twin-tip versatility.
• Light swing weight for a 104.
• French build quality from the Chamonix Lab.

Cons

• Stability ceiling at high speed on firm snow.
• Long radius on the longest size not ideal for short-turn hunters.
• Limited brand presence outside Europe.

Verdict: a balanced playful freeride 104 for skiers who want a soft-snow-leaning one-ski quiver without slipping fully into a dedicated big-mountain board.