Zag Slap 98 — Review

The Zag Slap 98 is the wider, more freeride-leaning sibling of the Slap 92 in the French brand's all-mountain Slap lineup, built in Zag's Chamonix Lab and aimed at intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a single ski for soft snow, chopped variable and the occasional groomer cruise. At 98 mm underfoot with a partial twin-tip, paulownia/poplar core and a more aggressive 25% tip / 20% tail rocker, it leans noticeably more into freeride float than the 92 while keeping the playful, light character of the Slap range.

Sidecut radii of 16 m at 160 cm climbing to 21 m at 187 cm cover everything from medium-tight slashes to long open arcs in soft snow, and the moderate camber underfoot still bites enough for groomer transitions to the lift. With 25% tip rocker and a wide 127–130 mm shovel, soft-snow flotation is the Slap 98's natural habitat — it skis 10–25 cm of fresh and chopped resort snow with confidence. On hard piste, the lighter wood-core build asks the skier to drive more actively than a metal-laminate 98 would; reward is light swing weight in trees, on stalls and on transitions.

The Slap 98 uses the same paulownia–poplar wood core as the rest of the line — paulownia for low weight, poplar for stiffness near the edge — in Zag's "Heavy-Duty Light" Semi-CAP sandwich construction. Multi-axial fiberglass layers provide torsional stiffness and energy return, ABS sidewalls handle direct edge engagement, and the overall lay-up keeps weight per single ski between 1580 g (160 cm) and 2000 g (187 cm) — light to mid-weight for a 98, which is exactly why it stays touring-friendly and playful in trees while leaving a stability ceiling at very high straight-line speed.

The Slap 98 fits intermediate-to-advanced freeride skiers who prioritise soft-snow float and playful manoeuvrability over hard-snow precision. Compared to the Nordica Unleashed 98 it has a similar twin-tip-friendly shape but a lighter, more rockered feel; against the metal-laminate Head Kore 100 Ti it gives up some hard-snow stability for lower weight and more float; the Armada Arv 100 sits even more park-biased while the Slap 98 stays freeride-first.

Pros

• Strong soft-snow float for a 98.
• Light swing weight.
• Playful partial twin-tip shape.
• Touring-friendly mass.
• French build quality from the Chamonix Lab.

Cons

• Stability ceiling at very high speed on firm snow.
• Long radius at 180/187 cm is not for short-turn hunters.
• Limited brand presence outside Europe.

Verdict: a balanced freeride 98 for skiers who want a light, playful one-quiver soft-snow ski with enough piste manners to stay on the lift system.