2015 Atomic Automatic 117, 186cm
Dimensions: 141/117/130
Radius: 19m
Test location: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Conditions: APRIL POWDER!!!
If you’ve like me (semi-conscious, breathing, and still hungry to ski powder in mid-April), then this weekend was a great Colorado ski weekend. Let’s be serious, the forecasts were predicting enormous dumps along the Continental Divide, and I wasn’t about to miss out on a mid-April powder day.
Expecting to ski a minimum of 7 inches of fresh, I perused the rack here at Powder7 for a suitable ski. Enter the Atomic Automatic 117 – a beast of a powder ski with a wide-yet-manageable 117mm waist, rockered tips and tails, and a balance of workhorse-level stiffness and fun-loving flexibility – or so I had been told. Ever the skeptic, I had to take the skis out and see for myself.
Due to the aggressive snow forecasts, I grabbed a pair in the 186cm length. I figured the deeper the snow, the bigger the ski. Now, I don’t often admit this, but in this case, I was only partially right. I’m not your typical beefcake ski stud at a solid 5’8” and 160 pounds, but I am known to punch above my weight when it comes to ski length, so the 186cm choice wasn’t out of character for me. It turned out that due to the combination of deep, wet snow, long skis, and the Powder Panic percolating through the pack of passionate, powder-parched people, I went out of the gates too hard, and by the end of the day I found myself wishing I had grabbed the 179cm skis instead of the 186’s.
Regardless of my hasty choice, the day was among the best of the season. As I clicked into the Automatics and waited patiently for first chair among the surprisingly calm crowd of powder junkies who called in sick to get their dose of the goods, I admired the aesthetics of the skis. The overall shape of the skis reveals what they are meant for and hints at their capabilities. The tapered tip rising from the wide-point of the shovel, as well as the wide waist both want to keep you floating, while the camber underfoot wants to grip, and the rockered tail wants to smear surfy powder turns on all the natural terrain features you can scout. The skis’ width and flex make for great landing gear, so I eagerly anticipated sending a few airs that I usually skip.
The day unfolded, allowing me to put the ski into many different situations, and it shone throughout. The Automatic 117 made effortless, floaty turns through 8-10 inches of untracked powder. The rocker profile surfs and smears when you want to, and then charges when you point them downhill and skip the turns altogether. The skis’ stiffness shines again once the pow gets skied out a bit by helping them barrel through the tracked-up stuff with poise and aplomb. That’s right, poise and aplomb.
Bottom line, these skis were made for soft snow and exploring all the terrain options out there. Like all of us, they love the untracked stuff and can float and play all day, but once the fresh tracks are few and far between, the Automatic 117 still busts through unhindered. If you’re looking for a big-mountain powder slayer – the Automatic 117 should be on your shortlist. Click here to get yourself a pair!
