2022 Atomic Redster G9 Revo S

Fast, powerful, and precise, the Atomic Redster G9 has a bit of a new twist for 2022, and speed demons could not be happier. With a 68 mm waist, these skis are a bit wider than their true racing counterparts, offering us mere mortals a bit more of a platform to stand on, and more of an accessible turn radius for pure carving down the fall line. Advanced skiers, experts, and former racers will love the strength and balance of these skis, and they make as great of an early-morning carver as they do a beer-league race ski. Built with Atomic’s power wood core and Revoshock technology, these skis are stable and hold true to the intended line. The Revoshock plates extends from the front of the binding piece into the forebody of the ski, and adds an external enforcement to help mitigate vibrations and keep the ski glued to the snow. It works, and since it’s filtered down from the World Cup level, it will certainly help keep recreational skiers on their intended line. In the 177 cm length, these skis generate an 18.4-meter turn radius, so when compared to a race arc, these G9’s come in quite a bit shorter. This is better for the vast majority of recreational carvers and racers, as you don’t have to get up to top speed in order for the ski to come around. When paired with either the X12 or X14 race-style binding, you’re getting a fantastic setup that’s ideally suited to fresh corduroy and firmer snow.

Andrew Ruschp brought his racing heritage to the test this year, and was able to get out on some of the earlier-morning firm snow on these G9’s. He skied the 177 and noted that while “it skied great. I would normally like longer but it was rock solid under me.” As expected with a ski like this, scores were all over the board, with 1’s for flotation and versatility, and 5’s for just about everything else, with a lone 4 for forgiveness. Of course, these skis are going to be stable and have amazing torsional stiffness and edge grip, that’s their intended use, and of course they’re not going to float well in powder or be well-rounded skis—they're built to carve, and carve well. Andrew notes that “this ski charged and I could really hammer turns and turn really well with varying levels of pressure. Never bottomed out but could also handle lighter turns.” So, within that carved turn, these skis are versatile, but outside of a pure arc, they’re on the single-minded side, and that’s good for a ski like this. Mike Thomas was on the longer 183 cm length and noted it was a good length for him. Like Andrew, we see some varying scores, with a 1 for flotation and versatility, and 5’s for stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and overall impression. Mike states that the G9 is the “best narrow ski so far. Smooth and powerful. Perfect if you want a front side race-like GS ski.” There’s really not a whole lot else to say about this specific ski, and it sounds like our testers thus far recognize and appreciate that fact.

Also on the 183, Marcus Shakun noted it was a good length, but perhaps skied a bit short. He’s out of luck, though, as this is the longest available length, so he either needs to shrink a couple of inches or just deal with it. Another 1 for flotation, with 5’s for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. Very similar scores across the board for these skis, and that just shows the consistency that Atomic has used when constructing and contriving these skis. Marcus states that you “can’t over-ski this ski. Not ever a question on stability at any speed and edge hold. For the advanced and expert skier who wants everything in a longer-radius front side ski.” On the slightly other hand, the G9 “doesn’t make short turns and doesn’t go slow. It’s not for a skier who doesn’t put their all into it.” And, that’s a fair criticism to have, and skiers who are not committed to being on a 68mm race ski that is fairly one-dimensional should probably look elsewhere.

For those skiers who are committed to making a perfectly clean and round GS-style of turn, these skis are right on the money. Stable, grippy, and full of pep, the Atomic Redster G9 is equally at home in a citizen’s race course as it is on a wide-open groomer. Don’t expect too much in terms of versatility, but it’s fair to desire and receive the ultimate in on-trail carving performance from this slick setup.