What’s really strange about the Bent Chetler is how weird it isn’t. It takes about two runs to adapt to life à la Chetler, rotating around the multi-axis tip to start a turn, riding the solid midsection for a touch of directional influence and spinning to a conclusion. When it can’t be in the powder that it’s natural habitat, the Chetler keeps its composure where it’s cambered underfoot, so you can ride it comfortably on just a sliver of edge.
In its prior life as the Century 102, the Backland FR 102 W offered the best cost/value relationship in the genre; for 2017, Atomic sweetened the deal. The addition of the Carbon Backbone adds more muscle and pop without any negative side effects. The Backland with a Backbone is still a superior choice for the lighter weight woman, such as a teenager getting her first off-trail ski.
The Backland FR 102’s blend of agility with stability give it an All-Mountain accent with Big Mountain dimensions. It hooks up earlier in the forebody than wider Big Mountain models and its cambered midsection, in conjunction with its absence of metal laminates, injects energy into the end of the turn, an uncommon sensation in the Big Mountain armada of floaty boats.
The Atomic Cloud Nine earned its way to the top of our ladies’ Power Picks pile by staying focused on the Frontside. It doesn’t feign interest in off-trail pursuits so it can put all its talents to bear staying connected to the groom. Its tip has only a hint of early rise so it latches onto a carving edge much earlier in the turn than is the norm. The tail is all business, never quitting early but always hanging onto an etched arc until closing time.
Like everyone else, we have no idea why Michaela Shiffrin is so preternaturally talented and unflinchingly poised, but we’re pretty sure of one thing: her equipment isn’t holding her back.
As with the Head iSL RD, to ski the Atomic Redster Doubledeck 3.0 SL is to fall in love, hard. One tester felt a 10-point scale couldn’t do the Redster justice, awarding it 11’s for rebound and short-radius turns, two traits that epitomize what makes race slalom skis such a kick to cut loose on.