Rocky Mountain. Slayer Vs. Altitude

When the 2023 Slayer was released, I pondered how the extra 20mm of travel and beefy construction would act on the local trails compared to my 2021 Altitude C70. Would the fortified rear end be too stiff? There's a bike park version with a dual crown fork? Damn, cool. True to Frorider roots, the Slayer is purpose-built to send the biggest features you can envision.

My thoughts didn't matter, because the freeride lad himself, Ryan Walters, won the draw to ride it. You can check the detailed account of his first impressions here. Ryan’s riding style has always been fully pinned, with a healthy dose of sending nearly any feature he encounters. A new baby at home and a new job rendered Ryan's time on the Slayer low. So, he handed it over to me for the remainder of the test period.

My first ride on the Slayer was also my last ride on the Shore before we moved to the Sunshine Coast. My partner left no doubt that any injury I incurred would pale in comparison to the pain she’d levy if I returned in a state that made me unable to pack and then unpack our new home on the other side of the ferry. “No worries, I’ll take it easy!” I responded. It was the dawn of my 39th birthday, and I prided myself with careful decision making dedicated to self-preservation, having suffered only a few minor injuries over the last 5 years of riding my ass off.

I met up with three talented Shore veterans and while ironing out the ride plan in the parking lot, another high-calibre crew joined us. Don’t get excited and blow it, Graham, you got this. Then, a shiny Ford pickup approached. The window rolled down and some cats named Finn Iles and Rhys Verner asked if they can join. Shit! We're into World Cup territory now. The insanely stacked group (and me) chose a trail I’d only heard of. Natural, steep, with a cruxy slotted rock face and some manageable airs, a million miles away from the regular trail network. All of this was new to me, on a bike I wasn't familiar with, riding at double my regular speed while attempting to chase some of the best riders on the planet. Don't get hurt and mess up your impending move. What could possibly go wrong?

Luckily, the mood was light and everyone embraced the holiday spirit and positively insane dirt. I frantically kept the tail end of the group in my sights while trying to keep it smooth and not ride over my head. The Slayer felt familiar, like my 2021 Altitude, though much longer and slacker, with endless gooey travel from the 180mm Fox Performance 38 and DHX2 dampers. All was working well at speed until I psyched myself out on the slotted rock move. The red cherub on one shoulder told me it was fine, but the other reminded me this was the first ride on an unfamiliar machine, and stacking hard in the runout would not be an option. There’s no ride-around - fair enough. This trail ain't for the uninitiated. I’d overheard the builder remark how beautiful the electric green moss surrounding the line had been until scoping squids stood on the verdant patches, roto-tilling them into brown topsoil. My cautious, slow-moving ass decided safety would take precedent, so I hiked down adjacent to the gnar, trying not to fuck up the foliage. Then the A-team left the chat, casually shredding the spicy line. After much fuckery downclimbing the steep duff, I made it to the bottom of the crux section, swung my leg over the Slayer, and continued on, completely alone.

I blindly dropped into the remaining dirt wizardry with zero clue if any big features lurked ahead, hoping my hiking interludes were over for the day. I rode fast through some flowy and steep pitches without issue, committing to a short rock slab without fully realizing the consequences. Turns out it wasn't a rock slab but a 60-degree, bike's length takeoff to a landing five feet below and a few feet out. Too late to balk, I pulled and prayed. The Slayer took the reins, assuring me this was its intended territory. I nosed uneventfully into the transition and rode away cleanly, avoiding injury from both a miscalculation and a furious partner. Crisis averted.

The rest of that ride was a green blur, other than the closely bermed turns on the final steeply pitched ridgeline - some of the finest dirt surfing I'd experienced, inadvertently spraying dirt as cutties slashed from side to side. With dilated pupils and my pulse registering close to 2 bucks, the group finally came back into view on the flats. Geoff Gulevich raised his hand for a high-five, and laughed that I’d ridden the trail completely blind, impressed I emerged unscathed. Thanks, Gully!

Looking back, I was fortunate to not have my ass handed to me. The Slayer's familiar-ish 180mm of travel was the bike version of an airbag landing, even if I'd roughed in the suspension settings. Touché, Rocky.

And then there's the Altitude

I won't regale you with another report of being slower than pro riders while riding the 2024 Altitude C70 coil. We've already established that, regardless of what bike I'm on. You can look at my first impressions here, and my full review here. The Altitude is an enduro race bike, meant to go crazy fast downhill while being able to climb (relatively) efficiently. It's not an overbuilt freeride bike for endless sending like the Slayer, but is a capable steed for handling risky business in its own right.

In 2023, both the Slayer and Altitude shared the 4-bar Smoothlink suspension platform. In 2024, Rocky released the redesigned 2024 Altitude. It employs a radically different frame design, and the LC2R (Low Center Counter Rotating) suspension platform is aimed at stiffening up the rear end, lowering the center of gravity, and altering the suspension kinematic to better suit enduro riding. Rocky wanted to retain their trademark small-bump sensitivity, with a more linear suspension curve, and offer more midstroke support. Geometric adjustability stayed on board with the Ride-4 flip chip, reach-altering headset cups, and 29/27.5-inch rear wheel compatibility.

Geometry

The Slayer and Altitude have very similar geometries, minus the much higher BB height of the Slayer, and this plays into the ride feel. The lower-slung Altitude feels better suited to cornering domination, and proof of its low BB is referenced by scars on the end of the cranks.

I rode the large size of each bike. I primarily rode the Slayer in Position 3/short CS configuration, and the Altitude in Position 2/neutral headset cup position. Check the charts below to compare the numbers.

The parts spec of the Slayer and Altitude is obviously different. I changed many components on both bikes, so I won't get into the granular comparison of anything other than the beating heart of each bike - the Smoothlink platform of the Slayer, and the LC2R platform of the Altitude.

It is worth noting that these bikes share a Fox 38 fork and DHX2 coil shock. The Slayer features the more pedestrian Performance dampers (restricting the user to rebound and low speed compression adjustment), vs. the Altitude's Factory dampers (high and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment). The general DNA still lives within the Performance level suspension, but with less precise tuning possibilities.

Suspension and Ride Comparison

When I spoke with Rocky Mountain Product Manager Ken Perras, he talked about the Smoothlink kinematic capabilities being maxed out on the desired changes for an evolving enduro bike. So, is the Slayer then rendered useless and obsolete? Hell no, not even close.

The Slayer's 180mm of travel offers tons of small-bump composure, feeling glued to every snotty off-camber pitch or through brake bump chatter. Riding jumps, drops, or through brutal chunder, the large amount of end-stroke progressivity feels comfortable and bottomless. There's a reasonable amount of support when pushing into takeoffs and compressions. The long travel reserves mated to a progressive suspension curve builds a rig well suited to the bike park, big jump lines, or feature-riddled freeride trails.

Only after spending time on the Altitude did I notice the Slayer's tendency to live in the latter half of its travel on repeated medium to large-sized hits. This would lead to the Slayer occasionally feeling overwhelmed, and bogged down. Trying to maintain speed on blown-out trails littered with holes - akin to enduro race courses - is where the Altitude impressed me most. It wants to eat and keep moving forward with excellent composure. The LC2R platform has far more mid-stroke support than the Slayer, which feels more predictable for my riding style.

With 20mm less travel than the Slayer, the Altitude platform tells a story of a well-tuned suspension design that offers bump-swallowing composure often associated with higher travel numbers. I can only imagine what capabilities hold in store if travel numbers scale up - will Rocky Mountain throw down in the DH race arena? Time will tell!

Which Rocky Mountain High?

The Slayer is an unapologetic freeride machine. It's brawny enough to handle Freeride Queen Vaea Verbeeck hitting 110ft jump lines at Darkfest, or to get your kid through their first Phat Wednesday race in the Whistler Bike Park. It's a reasonable climber but is likely better suited toward shuttling or chairlifts.

The Altitude showcases the newest suspension platform from Rocky Mountain, LC2R. It will cart you efficiently to the top of loose, steep, technical gnar, while chowing down and accelerating through it.

Overall, I'd say both bikes can trade places on comparative terrain, but the composure of the Altitude takes the cake for my riding style.

Rocky Mountain Slayer

Rocky Mountain Altitude