Atomic Launches new ‘24-25 skis, boots, and headwear

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While some brands tend to trickle out new products, or launch new lines one at a time, Atomic decided to go all-in and drop a bunch of new gear for next year all at the same time, including new skis in their Backland, Bent, Maverick, and Maven lines, as well as updated Hawx boots, along with helmets and goggles.

I was lucky enough to tag along to Monument Ranch and Powder Mountain last week, where Atomic walked us through the new gear, took us skiing, and let us gorge on cheese and chocolate. So, while we’ll have full reviews on all of this down the line, for now, here’s a quick overview of what’s new. Buckle in, it’s a long one!

Helmets and Goggles

Let’s start at the top! We already wrote up Atomic’s Four Amid helmet last year, and it’s back for this year. It’s still stylish, comfortable, and has some nice safety features.

The Four goggles are updated with new graphics and faster photochromic tech. Both the helmet and goggles look good, are comfortable, and work well. With this line, Atomic is putting forth a compelling argument for their hardgoods beyond skis, bindings, and boots, which is cool to see.

Boots

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Unsurprisingly, the excellent Hawx Ultra XTD we reviewed last year comes back unchanged. But it's now only offered in a BOA version, no buckles. And it’s joined on the BOA train by the new medium volume Prime version. The Prime features the same materials and construction as the Ultra, but with a wider 100 mm last.

I have a decidedly Prime foot, not an Ultra one, and I’m excited to see Atomic spreading their tech out over different fits, instead of building a bunch of boots for one particular foot shape, especially since in my experience BOA makes a bigger difference on wider lasted boots. This current generation of Hawx skis really well, and I’m stoked for more folks to get into them. There’s also the Magna, a 102 mm wide version of the Hawx XTD, but it forgoes the BOA.

The non-XTD fully inbounds versions of the Prime and Ultra also get the BOA treatment, as well as the women’s versions of all four boots. And, just like before, while the women’s boots are slightly softer (115 flex vs 130) the 130 flex unisex boots still go down to a true size 22.

Skis!

Ok, there’s a lot going on here, so we’re just going to move quickly through all the new skis, with short notes, and then follow up with full reviews down the road. The big news across the line is new constructions that cut back on emissions, somewhere in the range of 13-30% depending on the model and size. Those changes mostly come in the skis’ layups, which use more wood and recycled materials, and less metal, fiberglass, and resin.

Backland FR / Backland W

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Atomic makes two versions of most of their models, the unisex “standard” version, and a women’s specific version with slightly different dimensions, constructions, and flex patterns. All of the Backlands mentioned here have updated constructions, shapes, profiles, and HRZN tech tips.

First up, the Backland FR 109. The new 109 weighs a claimed 1540 g per ski in a 184 cm length, with a 19 m radius. The sizing breaks differently than the old 107 (176, 184, 189 cm vs 175, 184, 189 cm), and mount points are slightly forward from those on the 107.

Chris Rubens had a lot of input on the new 109 and was looking for something slightly less directional and locked in than the 107. The new 109’s tail shape should smear turns more easily, and be slightly more playful and approachable. However, apparently the new tail is stiffer, so it should be more supportive in mixed conditions. I was able to spend some time on the 184 cm 109, and found it to be nice and light. We were skiing deep, light snow, and the 109 planed and floated well. It’s hard to speak to its mixed snow performance, since we were relegated to mostly untracked and low-angle terrain, so I’m really excited to get more time on this ski. My first impressions lead me to believe that a whole bunch of folks are going to really get along with this as a do-it-all touring ski.

The Backland 102 sees similar changes, with even more of a focus on uphill efficiency. It looks like a great option for bigger days and objectives, and we’re excited to get time on it.

On the purely women’s side, there’s a new Backland 108 W and 101 W. Both see similar shape and construction updates to the unisex 108 and 102, but with full caruba cores, instead of the stiffer and heavier poplar/caruba mix in the 109 and 102. Expect to see both the Backland Ws underneath Amie Engerbretson. We’re excited to get some of our female reviewers out on the new Backland Ws.

Maverick / Maven

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Next up, tweaked and updated Mavericks and Mavens. The sustainability story stays consistent here, the new “M” lines use more wood and less metal, glass, and resin, and they shave emissions compared to the previous line.

On the unisex side, there’s a new, wider Maverick 115. The 192 cm length is unapologetically designed for the Freeride World Tour, designed to be skied hard and fast in mixed conditions. Compared to the old Maverick 100 Ti, Atomic says the new 115 has a rounder flex, is damper and more torsionally stiff. However, Atomic stresses that these aren’t one one trick ponies–they don’t have to be skied in anger to work. Similar to the new Backland, the tail profiles are meant to be easier to smear, and less locked in. Daron Rahlves commented that he found the new 115 to be poppier and more lively than he expected, especially compared to the outgoing Mavericks. It’s also not terribly heavy at a claimed 2150 g in the 192.

The new Maverick 105 (2050 g in a 185) is a similar story in a more versatile width. More powerful, damper, better for the planet, but still approachable. Both have a generous amount of taper given their intentions. My bet is that this will be an easy default everyday ski for a whole bunch of directional skiers.

I haven’t spent time on either Maverick yet thanks to a bum knee and deep snow, but I’m excited to get to know these new skis, and figure out where their balance of aggression and approachability falls.

The Maven 103, similar to the Backland W series, is a slightly narrower, lighter, and softer alternative to the Maverick 105, available in shorter lengths.

Bent Chetler 120 and 100

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Finally! The big news, for skiers like myself at least. The Bent family is getting an update!

Most obvious, new graphics across the line. I’m always stoked to see what Chris Benchetler has cooked up for his skis, and this year’s line does not disappoint.

While at a glance the new Bent 120 and 100 look awfully similar to the old ones, there are some important differences. First, like all the other skis in this launch, they use more wood and less composites in an effort to curb emissions. And both feature a new tip shape and HRZN tech that Atomic says allows them to shave weight and maximize surface area.

I spent a bunch of time on the new Bent 120 in both the 185 and 192 lengths last week, and while it’s still very obviously a Bent, it’s subtly different from the outgoing version. It’s a touch heavier (we’ll verify once we get a review pair in hand) a touch damper, and touch rounder feeling. All of that combines to make for a ski that feels a little more versatile, a little more composed, when conditions are less than perfect. The new tip shape is not extremely tapered; when sitting on the lift next to folks with both the new Mavericks and Backlands, I noticed that their tips were visibly more tapered than the new Bent 120. I’m really excited to get time on this ski in soft chop and crud, because I think it’s going to be a blast!

Finally, maybe the most important ski of this launch? The new Bent 100! Similar to the 120, it’s heavier, with a tweaked tip and tail shape and construction. But the big news is actually in its rocker profile. While we (and a lot of other folks) enjoyed the old version, it did feel sometimes like a ski with a bit of a split personality. From the bindings forward, it was a Bent, playful, rockered, easy to butter and jib. But, from the bindings back, it had significantly less tail rocker and more camber than the front, which sometimes made it feel a little locked-in and directional. It felt less like a wide park ski than you’d expect from a ski under the Bent umbrella. The new version is a little more symmetrical, with more tail rocker, and less camber. It also has a tweaked size range (158, 165 , 172, 179, 186 cm) that should open up more options for some skiers.

Of all the skis that Atomic unveiled, the new Bent 100 seems like it has the most potential to resonate with the broadest swath of skiers, and we’re excited to spend more time on it.

For Now

So there you have it! Atomic has been busy, and we’re excited to start getting more time on these new skis!