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Atomic:
Skate: Atomic is implementing notable changes to its lineup this year, particularly with a significant alteration to the core material of its racing-level skis across the board. Innowave, a newly shaped wood/honeycomb core at the heart of Atomic skis, has brought about a dramatic improvement in the feel of both skate and classic skis, providing them with a more stable, solid, and lively feel compared to the Nomex core that has been utilized for years.
The S9 Carbon has undergone a transformation in its underfoot feel with the new core material, becoming more responsive and stable than previous models. These skis exhibit a pronounced torsional stiffness, enabling a powerful push-off in various conditions. Moving forward, the S9 Carbon skate skis will be offered in three lengths: 175cm, 183cm, and 191cm, which marks a departure from the five lengths they previously had.
The Gen S9 continues to hold its position as the most stable skate ski on the market and is available in lengths of 183cm and 173cm. The Gen S retains its well-known sidecut, with wider tips and tails, facilitating skier momentum to move forward instead of dissipating to the side with each glide phase. We admire the Gen S for its performance on firm/icy tracks and its short and nimble platform.
Classic: Atomic is renowned for its exceptional skin ski performance, and we have observed similarly outstanding performance from the new waxable classic lineup. The incorporation of innowave has enhanced the skis' stability while maintaining their lightweight design.
The C9 Carbon classic exhibits improved stiffness underfoot compared to older Atomic skis that lacked the full-length shift plate. The extended plate enables the ski to evenly close underfoot while supporting the skier's weight during gliding.
For this season, the C9 and the C9 Carbon Skintec models are being consolidated into one model. This new C9 Skintec retains the lightweight innowave core and high-quality Race carbon construction while offering forgiving kick performance, providing exceptional kick regardless of the snow conditions.
Models We Pick:
Skate: Redster Gen S9 Skate, Redster S9 Carbon (Cold, Uni, Plus)
Classic: Redster C9 Carbon (Cold, Uni, Plus), Redster C9 Skin
Innowave Core from Atomic
Fischer:
Skate: Fischer skis aren't undergoing significant changes to the lineup for the upcoming season, except for some additions to the skate side. We've had excellent results with the Helium skis selected last offseason, and the Helium model is gradually expanding across the Fischer lineup for the upcoming season. The Helium skis are noticeably lighter underfoot and have proven to glide and perform just as well as the older Speedmax models. We anticipate the Helium skis gradually replacing the general Speedmax model, and are now available in a Cold ski (outlined below), Skate Plus, and 61k, which is the warmer/softer snow mold.
Fischer has also been developing a new cold base over the past few seasons that we're extremely excited about. Their new 31 Cold base saw widespread use on the World Cup this season with excellent results in colder and newer snow. Compared to Fischer's older cold base, we've found that this new material works in a much wider variety of conditions and remains durable and easy to work with, similar to the Fischer Plus base we know and love.
Classic: Classic skis from Fischer remain unchanged this year, with no major tweaks or alterations. Fischer continues to hold its place as one of our favorite brands for both waxable classic and skin skis. Keeping the options the same ensures another excellent year of ski production. Once again, we'll be selecting 902 models (Uni/Uni Plus mold), 812 models (colder specific), and the top-tier skin skis from Fischer.
Models We Pick:
Skate: Speedmax Helium (Cold-31 Base, Skate Plus, 61k), Speedmax Skate Plus, RCS
Classic: Speedmax 812, Speedmax 902, Speedmax TwinSkin, TwinSkin Carbon Pro
Madshus:
Skate: Madshus is making significant changes across the board and has been in the limelight regarding changes in the nordic industry for the next season. Apart from the well-known changes to the boot/binding system, the skis themselves will undergo a substantial redesign and construction change.
Both the F2 and F3 now feature a pronounced edge instead of the straight edge that the Redline skis were previously known for, which slightly improves edge control and base durability along the edge. The Carbon laminate on the skis has also been redesigned to provide an incredibly stiff design to transmit as much power as possible from your foot to the snow.
Classic: The classic skis see the same changes as the skate skis, leading to a significant improvement in the kick phase and pocket of the skis. The new carbon laminate and design allow for the entire pocket to close smoothly and naturally, aiding the transition from gliding to kicking.
Models We Pick:
Skate: Redline F2, Redline F3
Classic: Redline Skin, Redline K1, Redline K2
Boots/Skate X: The Skate X boot and binding system might be the most talked-about change in the industry next year, and we were fortunate enough to try out the early demo setup at our shop. The most noticeable difference in the new design is the attachment point on the boots, which now features a design similar to a cycling cleat instead of the toe bar attachment. This provides the ski with a slightly more responsive feel, bringing the force of the push off closer to the ball of the foot. When lifting your foot, the weight of the ski is more centrally located under the cleat, providing a little more control over the traditional NNN design.
The most noticeable difference in our demo was the increase in stiffness of the entire interface. The boots themselves feature a very stiff one-piece carbon design, and there is no longer any flexion in the toe box since the attachment point is directly underfoot. Going forward, there will be a couple of different stiffness options of bumpers underneath the foot to provide a different feel and amount of control, tailoring the fit to each skier.
Rossignol:
Skate: Following Gus Schumacher's impressive win at the Minneapolis World Cup, Rossignol has gained a lot of attention heading into the next season. Their new Premium+ SX ski is the latest addition to the skate lineup. The SX features a lower camber profile than the S2 and less tail pressure, leading to better acceleration, especially in softer snow. The S2 remains a fantastic hardtrack ski, with the SX now occupying the spot of the most universal model. The S1 remains a staple in many racers' fleets, and that will remain unchanged for this season, along with the S3, which is one of the better clear base ski options on the market for warm and wet conditions. The entire lineup is getting a nice graphic refresh, with a sleeker look featuring more black and less gray.
Classic: All three classic models remain unchanged from a performance standpoint. The C1 continues to be a great option for cold hardwax days, the C2 is a very fast universal option for skiers who like to kick down hard and have a free pocket while double poling and going downhill, and the C3 serves as the clear base klister option for tricky warm and wet conditions.
Models We Pick:
Skate: Premium+ S1, Premium+ S2, Premium+ SX, Premium+ S3
Classic: Premium+ C1, Premium+ C2, Premium+ C3
Salomon:
Skate: The S/lab skate skis see a small change for this season, with the addition of a plate onto which the binding will mount. No changes have been made to the core materials or carbon layup, but adding the plate seemed to increase stiffness underfoot, providing a very stable feel when transitioning weight onto the ski.
The available models remain the Blue model for cold with the G5 cold base, Universal with G5% base, and Red for warm and wet conditions with the G5 Warm edged base.
Classic: For this season, the S/lab classic ski is transitioning to a binding system mounted onto a plate. On classic skis, this means the binding is adjustable to move forward for more grip and backward for more glide. We've found that the plated classic skis have been closing more consistently underfoot throughout the pocket.
The available models remain the Blue model for cold with the G5 cold base, Universal with G5% base, and Red for warm and wet conditions with the G5 Warm edged base.
Models We Pick:
Skate: S/lab Blue, S/lab Uni, S/lab Red
Classic: S/lab Blue, S/lab Uni, S/lab Red
Boots: Salomon boots are undergoing a change and are now utilizing BOA technology for their lacing system. This is a welcome upgrade from the previous quicklace system, allowing for on-the-fly adjustment of boot tightness. During the Birkie this year, Jessie Diggins was seen multiple times quickly adjusting her boots throughout the race. The fit is slightly wider through the toe box, accommodating customers who need some extra space. The S/lab skate, classic, and S/race skate will all feature these new enhancements.
