I still haven't seen a detailed, objective review of these, and would be curious to hear if anyone has tried them.
Also, are the demo'ing them anywhere. Hoping they could be ideal for man-made snow...
FasterSkier Forums » Gear
Atomic Skintec: Reviews, Demo's?
(22 posts)-
Posted 2 months ago #
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Mike Muha wrote about trying them at the Traverse City Ski Fest held on October 22, where they raced pursuit-style around an oval of made of Zamboni shavings. Sort of man-made snow, I guess. Read his report of the skis on nordicskiracer.com, a few weeks back. I don't think they're real racing skis, though. I heard from others the kick was bomber if you fit the skis well.
Randy
Posted 2 months ago # -
i tried them and i was quite impressed, the kick was amazingly solid and it was on man made snow with 40 degrees with a slight rain. i felt like the kick was so easy that i needed to go back to my skis with klister to get a solid workout.
my only concern is how fast and light they are for racing, im a total believer in atomic's claim that they kick all conditions but my only interest in them would be as a race ski,and i feel like if i buy them this year they will just come out with the lighter and better for racing, version next year
Posted 2 months ago # -
Randy: Keenan bought a pair, so stay tuned for his comments as the season progresses
Posted 2 months ago # -
I thought that the kick was legit but they are pretty heavy. Contact your local shop about demoing and they can get sksi for you or get you in contact with the rep
Posted 2 months ago # -
I skied 2 different pairs last spring - a soft & a med. flex 206 cm. Conditions were a half inch of fresh over spring corn in the morning & wet corn later in the day. The soft pair were supposed to be for my weight but they often dragged & grabbed unless my weight was well on my heels all the time - hard to do while double poling. The medium pair were supposed to be for someone 20 lbs heavier but they were great for me in these conditions.
I went back & forth 'tween the med Skintec & Swix KR50 which was working pretty well in both these conditions. The Skintec had never fail kick even on the steepest climbs. The KR50 needed much better technique on tough climbs.
The most impressive thing about the Skintec was what happened to glide when you shift your weight to your heels. Its like switching on a little rocket motor! And they were less affected by sun/shade differences. In some portions of the course, the Skintec was faster than the KR50 & the med flex ski was never slower.
Some small technique adaptions will be needed to make full use of these. Proper fit may be more critical.
I'm old enough to remember a '70s classic ski that had narrow strips of mohair glued into a slot in the base. Those worked pretty well & the Skintec is a big improvement. Skintec V1.0 is a hugely successful implementation of this technology. These should work in a much wider range of conditions than Zeros. Yes the magnets make these a bit heavy compared to current ultralight skis. V2.0 should be terrific.
Posted 2 months ago # -
If half the marketing is true, these are the kind of skis for me. No wax, and supposedly better glide than typical fishscales skis can ever be fitted.
Weight be darned. I am a big strong guy, and I want no-brain glide and decent kick. My racing will be largely double poling anyway, with short agressive climbs that I can herringbone up decently being a track runner in summer.What I wonder: do they feel every bit like classic skis? What I wholeheartedly dislike about classic skis is their "flappy" behavior out of the tracks. Stepping turn, or just getting around when there's no tracks. They feel like dead planks under me, my shoes feel flat, no spring or give. That's the way they're supposed to be you'll say, well I hate that feeling. I am so happy to get back on skate skis that give me a bit of feedback. I always envisioned a ski that would (yes, have the quick switch grip sections), but have a unique feedback curve. Above a given pressure, it would just fall through resistance, like levered tweezers. The grip section would be well clear of contact, ski feeling strong and springy, except for that moment when you press through. Hmm, that might make stepping turns interesting, I now see...
ALSO: how do the grip sections feel when switching tracks? I've tried nowax skis that were greatly underflexed while very wide which were great for switching tracks, and own a pair of well fitted Atomic Classics, which with grip tape worked fine at time, but were like ancors in the soft switch-tracks conditions. Again, on skate skis, it's just such a dream to switch tracks, even if it's a rare touring occasion.
Thanks!
Posted 2 months ago # -
As chance would have it, after posting last night, got a chance for another comparison w/ the Skintec. They were on a competent skier - Berkie fist wave starter in years past. They were 198 cm hard flex w/ the 2 narrow mohair strips inserted. She was not getting as much grip as she wanted.
The snow was old, well groomed & -6c. I was doing a klister test & had Swix KR30 on one & Rode Multigrade on the other. The Rode was iced & a bit slow, the KR30 was terrific.
We did a glide test down one hill & up another. She had her weight on her heels. I glided 4+ ft further. I was surprised. I had nothing special for glide wax on my skis (Toko Moly LF) & hers had been glide waxed.
Cloxxki the Skintecs are a classic ski & if skied w/ a classic boot will feel the same. I suspect some of what you experience is the difference in boot stiffness. Ski your classics w/ your skate boot to find out.
You might also want to get a long- soft skate ski for classic if the feel really bugs you. I've gone to a Salomon S-Lab Skiathlon boot for classic to solve this problem. They are a bot too stiff & may cause a blister in a long race.
Posted 2 months ago # -
''If half the marketing is true, these are the kind of skis for me...I am a big strong guy, and I want no-brain glide and decent kick. My racing will be largely double poling anyway, with short agressive climbs that I can herringbone up decently being a track runner in summer.''
Ahhh I would say this skis a especially not for you. Do you expect better glide ? Easier fit ? DP only... go race with a skate ski...
Posted 2 months ago # -
@tradesmith45
THANKS!
You guessed right. I got a (for me) huge medal result in a classic race, on borrowed (way too soft) nowax skis, wearing my full-on skate boots. And skate poles. Ski feel wasn't even all that bad. Hmm, you got me thinking...
I am in fact trying to get a pair of Salomon Pro Combi boots within my budget. S-labs, I wish...Long skate skate skis don't exist for me, as I'm close to 200lb at 6'4". All my skate skis are shorter than me, making for a glide compromise. Usually, courses have one little diagonal hill to (rightfully) spoil use of skate skis.
197 Fischers exist, but at for 200lb+. If I could score a softer pair...oh man...I'm curious about well-fitted 205 Skintecs. Or even overly stiff ones. Using the wider grip sections doesn't scare me, if it's truly not on the snow to begin with.
@campirecord:
I almost did start our nationals on skate skis, and seconds before the actual start I borrowed underflex nowax's. I had tried a herringbone on the skate skis, as I couldn't double pole there. Time loss was sinificant, and I feared making illegal skate moves, or being acccused of them.
If you know a trick to get "a little" kick from skate skis, I am all ears! Grip tape? Oh, the sacrilege... :-) Actually, grip tape didn't work that day anyway, packed up badly. Only nowax worked. Not even zeros. Curious if Skintec survive horror snow conditions like that...Posted 2 months ago # -
All this makes perfect sense to me, wining medals on underflex no wax skis in double pole... perfect approach me thinks.
Posted 2 months ago # -
@campi:
Unlikely yes.
My country is small, our snow rare. I can't brag about my medal, but vow to get a new one under tougher competition.
And I mentioned the horrible wax conditions. The top 2 in my class were caught out by that. I was able to get some amount of glide, which was more than with 5cm of snow packed under top end waxed skis. On skate skis, I may have been lapping quicker, but the race would have been less satisfactory.Posted 2 months ago # -
Thanks for the detailed feedback.
FYI, the New England Atomic rep said that he couldn't arrange a definite demo because all the skis slated for the demo fleet had to be sold retail to meet high demand...
Posted 2 months ago # -
Cause the snow is pounding in the North East ?
Posted 2 months ago # -
I have a buddy who bought them and I got a chance to try them here in New Mexico. Our snow is cold and dry mostly, so they're not that necessary around here unless it gets sunny and warm. As chance would have it, we had such a day last week and they were awesome in the changing conditions from sun to shade, etc. I would say that they are perfect for courses that go from very wet to very dry & frozen and back again, etc. I was once in a very big marathon classic race with changing/sloppy conditions with some great classic skiers, and a guy (with lesser technique) who had Fischer RCS fishscales hosed us because he could just kick up right up the big climbs, especially in the sun. Our mixtures of klister/hard wax weren't working all that well in those super-wet spots and he just killed us at the end.
Now with these Skintec skis, there's no question what type of ski would be faster (even though they weigh a little more). But here's another thing to compare: I have had GREAT luck with the roughed-up (like hairies) rubber-bottom "Zero" skis (although I have Rossignol) in those types of conditions too. They work pretty well in the slop and seem to glide better overall because of the lack of dragging material. The kick is not quite as bomber in all conditions, but it's good enough and I think it's a wash with the superior glide from the zeros.
Anyway, if kick is the most important thing in slop/changing conditions, then I would say these are a very good choice as they glide a little better than the really good fish-scales (i.e. RCS), and kick just as well. In some of those borderline conditions, the zero-type skis may be faster for glide (if all things are equal with the glide zones). I do have to add that the proper fit/flex is SUPER important with these. Just a little off in one direction or the other can have a quite profound effect.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Just went to a presentation from local Atomic rep, and, for those in the Northeast, there's a demo at Great Glenn on February 11, and another one is in process of being arranged at Weston Ski Track.
Atomic rep Drew said he's tested the ski in all conditions and found the only time they don't work is fresh powder, out of the tracks on cordoroy groomed trail. Otherwise, he echo'd tclaynm's comments in that, for racing, they really shine in changeable conditions. Otherwise, they sound like a great no-fuss training ski.
He also mentioned that the special polymer they use to achieve their claimed unique flex pattern (kick zone camber is supposed to stay stiff until a certain % body weight is applied, then collapses completely rather than progressively) is going to be used on Atomic World Cup's next season also.
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
Also, I can tell you from personal experience that they do not work if you weigh over 170 lbs. The skins simply do not hold on anything more than a very gradual uphill.
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
Good reports, keep'm coming.
Anyone seen icing problems w/ these?
Anyone used them in warm over cold or cold over warn snow?
E, which ski length/flex were you on?
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
My teammate Mike Keenan says his have great kick, but are slow. He's thinking of having them stoneground.
E is the first person I've heard who says the kick is poor. They do have a short "klisterish" kick area. E, did you try them with the full kick plate?
I suspect correct fit is crucial.
They do feel heavy.
Randy
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
I think I tried some 205's. They were just a bit soft for me. The glide was pretty poor too, but I don't want to read into that too much because I know I was pushing them down more than I would with the ideal fit. I tried the skis with both plates and the issue was NOT that I couldn't get the ski down. The issue is that on a hill that requires any forceful striding, the hairs on the skins bend back and give out half way through the kick cycle. You feel like you have grip and then they completely fail. Maybe a lighter skier would be OK, which is why I referenced my weight. I am simply too strong on the kick at my size. These would be great no-hassle skis for touring but no way for racing. Also, the glide was bad enough that I suspect that they would be too slow to race on even if I had the right flex. Regarding the poor speed- I don't think a grind will help that much. It was clearly the skins dragging that made the skis which I tried slow. Fischer zeros are by far the best no-wax race ski I have tried, but have not skied the Rossi or Atomic zero.
Posted 2 weeks ago #
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