The new Atomic S9 is as close as a civilian should get to a true race slalom. Set it to a high edge once at the top of steep face and it will go off like a string of firecrackers, striking and recoiling with every pop, pop, pop. Despite the intensity of its grip, there’s nothing nervous about it; the ski remains calm, even at its fastest and most furious.

Like its stable mate, the G9, the Redster S9 is considerably slimmer than the Atomic that preceded it. This helps keep its orientation in the fall line even though its 12.7m radius sidecut (165cm) can pivot on a dime. Its talents require a pair of skilled feet able to follow its waterbug moves. The S9 isn’t interested in masking mistakes, but in rewarding excellence.

You’d expect the company that equips Michaela Shiffrin and Marcel Hirscher to make an extraordinary slalom and sure enough, the S9 re-sets the benchmark for short-turn supremacy. The few things it doesn’t do well, such as off-trail travel and slow-speed turns, are immaterial, as they have nothing to do with setting a faster time through a slalom course.

If you seek the new paradigm in SL performance, you’ve found it.