2022 Atomic Redster S9 Revo S

On the short-turning side of the high-performance spectrum, the 2022 Atomic Redster S9 stands out in a pretty competitive field. They certainly have the pedigree and reputation for making some of the best slalom skis on the planet, just ask Michaela Schiffrin or Benny Raich what they think of Atomic’s stuff, and we’re sure you’re going to get some glowing responses. These Redster S9’s, though, are just a bit more user-friendly than what they send out to the World Cup racers, giving us mere mortal skiers a taste of what the World Cuppers use. Built with a power wood core and two sheets of metal, the Redster S9 also gets a boost from the Ultrawall sidewall and the Revoshock laminate. Ultrawall is just a fancy name for a beefier portion of the sidewall underfoot, and Revoshock is the new suspension system that replaces the Servotec rod on these lines (although Servotec does still exist in S9, it seems to be moving out). Revoshock consists of four steel plates that are suspended in an elastic polymer material in the forebody of the ski. They are able to flex and move with the ski, but they always want to return back to normal, making the ski more poised and balanced during and throughout the turn.

In terms of shaping, the 68-mm waist is a bit more generous than the WC version, providing just a tad of width for balance, but is still one of the narrowest skis you can get. This makes the ski have some of the most torsional stiffness that you can find, and will grip tight to the firmest snow you can get to. They’ll hold on pretty much anything, just like the WC skis can do, and for skiers looking to take their carving skills to the next level, this is a great way of doing it. Full camber and a 12.5-meter radius in the 165 cm length round out this impressive build, allowing skiers of the expert and racer level the ability to make the cleanest, shortest, and roundest turns on the planet.

Marcus Shakun understands the point of the slalom ski and the length, but it’s always somewhat humorous to see someone who is 6’5” ski on a 165. “Sure it’s good for me...it’s a 165 and it doesn’t come in much longer.” Even the 170 would feel short for Marcus. He scored the ski a lowly 1 out of 5 for flotation, as we’re betting no one is going to mistake these for powder skis. 2’s were not far behind for forgiveness and versatility, again, noting that these S9’s are far more one-dimensional than versatile. Quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold are all categories where we expect to see higher scores, and we get our wish, as Marcus gives 5’s out of 5 to those spots on the card, and deservingly so. His overall impression of 4 is noteworthy as well, as that does factor in to the high-end feel and performance of the ski. As we’d expect, Marcus calls this an “early-morning leg shredder,” since you’re not getting on this thing to make as few turns as possible—quite the opposite, in fact. Especially here at Stowe in Vermont, we have fantastic top-to-bottom skiing with over 2000’ vertical each run. On a 12.5-meter turn radius ski, that equates to a whole lot of turns, so you might be wishing for a mid-mountain lift if you decide to go this route.

Expert skiers and racers will get the most out of these skis. If an advanced skier wants to give it a try, then fine, but they’ll be surprised at how much effort and balance is required to make these skis sing. In a top-to-bottom run, these skis will make a lot of turns, so that’s just something to be prepared for. If you’re looking for a citizen’s racing ski knowing that you’ll have some pretty tight sets, these will turn on a dime and keep you in the hunt.