Atomic Atlas Ski - 2010 BCS

after looking around for a new powder charger to add to the quiver I ended up buying the Atlas 192cm just recently. The powder gods were more focused on the US rather than the alps lately so it took a while for me to be able to take them out and come back with a review.

about me: telemark skier, 183cm at 78kg. ski tele the 3rd season and have been skiing alpine for 25 years.
my other telemark ski is a K2 Coomback 2009/10 with NTN and I just sold my old Gotamas with the Dukes in favor of the Atlas.
The Atlas I also ski with the NTN binding, blue springs on setting 5. other skis I had considered were the Head Carlos in 192, the 4Frnt EHP in 186 and the Dynastar Legend Pro Rider in 184.

We got about 20" of fresh but fairly heavy snow up on the Stubai Glacier last week and I went out in the snow storm with very poor visibility. This way I had to concentrate on balance a lot because you could not quite see where you were going.

The first couple of runs I was really struggling because the ski popped out of the snow and sunk back in which gave my skiing a strong rocking motion and I got off balance a lot causing me to fall a few times. I tried to adjust to it but it just did not work out.

Frustrated about my lack of ability I was thinking what I could do and finally the light bulb went on above my head...
My ski shop mounted them the traditional way of mounting a telemark ski with the midsole at the balance point of the ski which in this case is a bit further back than the mounting recommendation printed on the ski.

I figured with this big of a ski and the huge shovel the float is immense and that is why I keep popping up and out of balance.
I then went to change the mounting position of the binding from middle to the forward position to give more pressure and weight toward the fornt of the ski and especially teh big shovel and all of a sudden the feeling was completely different and just what I wanted:

The ski, although it is very wide and long for a skier my size, skies a lot shorter than it is due to the long rocker. the shovel has enough float to stay on top of anything and the fairly hard flex just ploughs through anything. The wide base gives plenty of stability and especially the non-rockered tail helps when telemarking because it lets you hold the turn better than with a tail rocker (at least that is my opinion on rockered tails and telemarking).

As the confidence got better I went from slower and shorter turns to just letting it rip down a nice, untracked face and again it was fantastic because the Atlas just does what it's made for; a true big mountain powder ski.

With its short radius it still is very nimble and can work on a variety of terrain and conditions. Once you know how to ski it it will also ski back to lift fine when on groomers. It's hard work but you saved already on the powder run so that's fine with me. And while still smiling about the great performance you forget that easily.