What (Wet) Dreams Are Made Of part II
Ladies and gents, round II of this year’s Sexiest Skis Alive Feature.
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Fat-ypus I-Rock:
158-126-148 | 186
The newest addition to the Fat-ypus lineup looks awesome. Plus, you get to tell everyone you love a Fat-ypus, which if you say often enough starts to sounds dirty…
Don’t get it wrong, these are every bit Fat-ypus. They’re wood core, side wall construction, light, springy, stable boards. They’re also undeniably fat — though, not A-Lotta fat… Unlike the other Fat-ypus models, the I-Rock comes with tip and tail rocker so it can not only float the pow like its fat brethren, but also play it up a bit. And you know us, we’re all about playing it up.
So, the I-Rock seems to round out the Fat-ypus quiver — they now have proven deep powder and big mountain rides (the A-Lotta and D-Sender, respectively) and now an all-mountain-ripper/powder-play-thing. Party on Wayne.
You’re taking our word for it because these are so fresh no one has been able to review them yet…
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Atomic Bent Chetler:
142-123-134 | 183
Chris Benchetler’s pro model has been getting rave reviews since its limited release last season. Pretty surprising given its unfortunate name. Then again, maybe it’s not that surprising when you figure its namesake can do this (don’t worry, it’s not sexual…).
The Bent Chetler features a similar construction to the Armada JJ and the Rossignol S7—rocker in the tip and tail, early taper, and traditional camber underfoot. Atomic calls this their “Pop Rocker” technology because it combines the rockered powder shape with snappy pop from the camber underfoot. And while we’re glad they refer to it as that, we’re pretty sure no one will ever say “This pop rocker has me sooo stoked!” Anyways, Benchetler apparently designed this ski to have the float of the Thug (Wassup Gangsta?) along with the pop and edge grip of the Punx (Wassup Rocker?). A playful powder ski that can also hold it’s own on the groomers and in the park.
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Atomic Atlas:
150-125-132 | 182 | 192
Rhalves-y’s disco stick of choice when gunning the Bad Boy Line in AK.
Boasting big dimensions, a rockered tip, and a race-type construction, this is definitely a noteworthy entry into the badass, big-mountain ripper category. The massive early rise tip will cruise over anything, and they say (who is ‘they,’ anyways?) the ski is very maneuverable in any condition. Although bred for first descents in Haines, should be a fun, stable, and floaty ski for stormy resorts across the West. A hybrid of powder specific technology and time-tested big mountain balls, the Atlas will be a go-to ski for aggressive Western rippers assuming they can get over the faux wood graphics…
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Salomon Czar:
131-111-12 | 166 | 174 | 182 | 190
Unchanged for this season, this progressive design has been a big hit for its versatility. Unfortunately, if you ski on the Czars you have to dress like this.
Last season the Czar gained a huge following with its combination of big, all-mountain dimensions for general shreddage, and its rockered tip, which adds great powder performance to this modest-waisted ski, making it the best of both worlds. At 110 underfoot, they’re not the widest sticks out there, but watching Mark Abma drop fluffy pillow lines in B.C. and you’ll be convinced they can handle even the deepest snow. The traditional shape and tip rocker ensure great performance on variable and groomed snow as well. Like the Gotama, these appears to be one of those rare, long running, populist skis that are highly anticipated year after year.
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DPS Lotus 138:
125-140-138-139-108 | 192 | 202
Stephen Drake, the man who brought you the most exciting product video ever filmed, has perfected the ultimate deep powder weapon of choice.
Using (and creating) every innovation in ski design from recent years, the reverse-everything Lotus 138 is truly the pinnacle of powder-specific ski engineering. These are made for one thing and one thing only—big, wide open powder skiing that you’re likely only to find in a helicopter or cat (or, in your dreams, in which case you can save yourself the cash and invest in some Ambien). However, if you’re lucky enough to be one of the few who needs skis for such occasions, you need these skis. For the rest of us, we’ll just have to keep imagining what it feels like to shred pow on these beauties in a chemically induced slumber in our parents’ basement.
