2027 Atomic Redster Q9 Revoshock S

With a new graphic for 2027, and a slightly different Revoshock shape, the Atomic Redster Q9 continues dominating the mid-70 mm carving category with power, poise, and seemingly endless edge grip. While carving purists will still likely view this ski as way too wide for pure on-piste skiing, it’s more about balance and access that make this such a great option for those who love the carve but also want a wider platform to stand on. Fortunately, Atomic does a fantastic job incorporating their race-like performance into these wider-bodied carvers.

Built with a blend of poplar and ash in the wood core, the skis also use two full sheets of titanal to power the ski. They also use Atomic’s steel Revoshock plates to dampen the ski’s vibrations. Underfoot, the Redster places a carbon laminate to further stiffen the middle of the ski, making it darn near unflinchable in firmer snow and in a carved turn. This makes it hefty, but in a good way, with the 174 cm length sitting on the scale with the binding at 3189 g/ski. As a result, tester Jamie Morris notes that “The ski held an edge really well, while at the same time allowing enough tip forgiveness to adjust turn radius at full speed. It felt awesome! Today there are a lot hard packed groomers. The ski was super stable and powerful throughout the turn. Also, it is very maneuverable. Easy to change the radius of turn without much effort.” It’s impressive that a ski that has this much power is also relatively easy to turn and transition.

At 75 mm underfoot, these skis produce a 14.2-meter turn radius in the 174 cm length. While that’s pretty short on paper, it actually can make all sorts of turn shapes and styles. We’ve found them to be compliant and comfortable at higher speeds in longer turns as well as capable of skidding and sliding when needed. There’s no rocker here, so you feel the full energy and power of a 100% cambered ski, which is very nice for race and carving fans. Tester Sam Reed comments on its “Strong edge hold - when you pick a turn shape, these will stick to it with confidence. They were perfectly happy pushing through whatever chop I came across. Groomers are your best friend on this ski. I don't think anything bumped would be friendly, and there's no reason to venture off-piste.” Certainly, the shape and profile lend to more on-piste performance.

In that light, it is a bit of a unique ski in that skiers looking for versatility will likely want to look elsewhere. The beauty of the wide-bodied carver is that it handles crud, chop, and adversity, just as long as you don’t really go looking for soft snow and variable terrain. It’s more of an advanced and expert ski for sure, but the good news is that they make a more approachable build in this ski even with the same shape in the Q7. But for high end experts, the Q9 is the place to be.