Atomic Femme Fatale skis
April 8, 2008
This is a slightly unfair review, but since it’s positive, I’ll go ahead and post it. It’s unfair because I tested a pair of Femme Fatales that were really completely unsuitable for me, the 150 cm length. That means they come up to about my collarbone. I had them while starting back to skiing after having knee surgery; I wanted short little boards that wouldn’t be too much of a strain on my tender, arthroscopic-camera-ravaged knee.
The cool thing was that I really had fun on these little shorties. They made my return to skiing really easy and uneventful, and for that I thank them. The adorable little 150 cm length got me making adorable little tiny-radius turns (my ski partner even said “look at your cute little turns!”) and were super light, just what my knee needed.
One of my favorite features of these skis was the notch for STS skin tails. LOVE. I really don’t know why all backcountry skis don’t have this notch. On the Femme, it’s part of a rubber-ish cap on the tail of the ski, and it held my skin tail securely in place and prevented the scratches I always get on my ski bases from putting my skins on and off. This feature is genius and there’s no reason why we can’t have it on all skis. Well, there might be a reason, but it’s probably some ski construction industry secret.
Unfortunately I had to part ways with my tiny companions when I graduated back to the backcountry – I just sank in the powder wearing these. I mean sank. To my waist. And stopped. Halfway down. They were also too short to deliver any real speed and I spent a few anxious days chasing the other Geargals around the mountain, unable to keep up and feeling like someone’s little sister. You know, the one that mom and dad drop off at the resort with big sis and her friends, while big sis pouts and complains that she doesn’t want to babysit all day. That is not a dynamic that I wanted to revisit at this point in my life. So, if I could test a pair of the Femmes that were suitable to my size, I would have a more thorough review for you, but I did enjoy these skis a lot, so that’s something. I actually regret selling these skis, as they were fun and I can see that they’d be useful in certain short-ski-appropriate situations, but the cute little skis went to a new home with a cute little woman who only came up to my chin. Seriously, if there is one way for a Geargal to feel beastly, it’s for normal-size her to stand next to a perfect adorable tiny size 85 pound woman. She was a perfect match for the wee little Femmes, and I’m sure they’re very happy together. And she is one lucky gal, as what is only knee deep powder for me is thigh deep for her. Hmph.
Atomic Pumori Ski
December 29, 2007
I can’t find much in the way of reviews on this ski, and I think it’s because these are Atomic’s dirty little secret. I tested the 172 length, which according to the manufacturer should suit me perfectly based on my body weight.
It’s hard to imagine who would like this ski, but I’ll give it a shot. Women who love skis with grabby tips, women who can’t get enough of heavy skis, and women who loooooooove unforgiving tails would adore these babies.
Since I’m not one of those women, I hated these skis. At least they were consistent, but they were consistently BAD. I had to ski with every ounce of strength and skill I possess to control them, and I firmly resented lugging these heavy, disobedient, willful planks to the top of the mountain. After a few turns I knew I faced a less-than-enjoyable ride down. I am not shy to admit that it was bloody scary trying to make my way down in less-than-ideal conditions on skis I couldn’t trust. I resorted to straight-lining it down without even attempting to turn, because that ended up being the safest option. I will give them that, these skis like to run, but they do not like to turn. And not in a good way.
The grabby tips are a problem in all conditions, and despite many efforts to re-tune and figure out the problem, a problem they remain. They are devious and sneaky, and every time I thought I’d found the secret to the Pumoris, one of the tips would snatch at some passing snow, knocking me off balance and making me swear. Yes, prissy little me, swearing! Imagine. A look back at my turns in powder revealed a very bizarre turning arc, which was most likely a result of my desperate efforts to control the boards. Turns required such advance planning that if there was a tree within 1/4 mile of my line, I’d break out in a cold sweat. Powder skiing should be fun and effortless, not desperate and frightening.
On hardpack these things were even worse. They forced me into the backseat because they have to be turned with their tails due to the grabby tips. Turning on your ski tails is not fun. I think I’ve mentioned the word “unforgiving” in this post before, and it’s worth saying again – these skis are stricter than a Catholic schoolteacher. If they were capable of smacking me with a ruler I’m sure they would have done it, and for no good reason at that. They forced me into a bad situation and then punished me for it. I’m sure there are many other life metaphors that I could insert to illustrate my point further, but I’ll let your imaginations run wild.
In all conditions I felt I was on the cusp of a very bad fall. The skis put me constantly off balance and struggling for control and correction. Unpredictable, moody, and unreliable are things I look for in bad boys, not skis. Big thumbs down to these disappointing boards.
