New Skis

I am a solid level 7 skier, but due to health/injury issues, am no longer a mountain bomber and currently ski with good technique, but am certainly more cautious now as well and like a good on piste turning ski.

I have talked to many people who bought these skis, checked all the top most reliable ski test sights and these skis rank as top picks for 2009 and 2010. They got best in category for women's 09/10 intermediate to advanced carver. They will not perform well at racing speeds (which I never hit) but are good for slow to medium speed (medium speed=me) groomed run cruisers and make exceptional turns at all radius and are supposed to be great for confidence and get you over the hump in skiing ability and technique. Everyone I know who has them loves them. I have nowhere to demo them and bought my last skis based on reviews only and they were winners. You have to like a light, nimble ski to like these. If you favor K2, Volkl and Nordica's which are more heavy, damp skis, you may not like these. Their light swing weight makes them more like Dynastar's, Blizzards and Fischer's (my other skis).

I bought these last week (eBay, got a great deal new) because they have gotten such high reviews. That review posted is the ONLY one that is mediocre regarding this ski. It is SKIING Mag's top ski for two year's running in category for performance, energy and rebound as well as overall impression. Other sites rate it high as a game improvement ski that is not too tiring due to their exceptionally easy turn initiation.

I think this would be a good choice for you if you are primarily an on piste groomer skier. Another ski to consider for your requirements would be the Dynastar Exclusive Legend. I plan on picking the powder version of this ski up as well, as the Atomics are not an off piste or powder ski, but an awesome and friendly all mountain carver.

http://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/atomic/atomic-cloud-9-2009


Cheers!

Thanks retromaven for all that information, really helpful. They sound like a good ski for me, as the likely hood of me going off piste is very small indeed. The fact that they are lightweight and easy to turn on make them even more desirable to me. I will look on ebay as you suggested. I also like the look of them, which of course is very important to us girls!

Let us know in the thread how you made out/what you end up getting. I paid less than $350US for mine on eBay, but I had been looking for over a month. I also saw a pair go for $257 - that was a deal I *just* missed. Even if you pay $399 plus shipping, that would be an excellent price.

Will keep looking on Ebay and try and get a good price. I am not going away at the moment so I think it will be worth hanging on and looking for the best price.

How was it buying them from America? Any problems?