2021 Renoun Atlas 80

[SkiTalk Test Team]

What is now the Atlas 80 is a whole new shape, more like the Z-90 but with a bit more taper in the tail. Its shape still rewards the better skier but is more accommodating to the skier who wants (and needs) to release the tail from time to time. This newest Renoun has the playfulness of a 14m ski, but you can definitely feel the HDT keeping it smooth on the snow. Where the Z-90 could be a one-ski quiver, the Atlas 80 is the skinny end of a two-ski quiver. Did upstart and defiant Renoun get lucky with the Z-90? Some skeptics say it did. Was it lucky again with the new Endurance 98 and Citadel 106? I am thinking this boutique builder is more than just really lucky: it is really good.

Insider tip: Just read the introduction thread, to get the hype.​

 

[Jwrags]

I bought one of the prototypes here on Pugski and hopefully that money helped support the new website (which is great). I am looking forward to getting on them when we have some more snow and I have more time. I am eyeing going to part of the gathering in Jackson and if I go they will be available for others as they have demo bindings on them.

 

[smithian]

I took the plunge and ordered the Atlas 80 in a 177 length. First skis I have bought in well over a decade. Anyone have a recommendation for a binding for a 6'2, 200# medium-aggressive skier?

Currently thinking about the Marker Griffon 13 ID, Warden 13 MNC, or pivot 12/14.

I have seen some people say that the pivots will protect your knees better than other bindings, but not sure if that's backed up by anything. I will definitely pay more to protect my knees.

 

[DocGKR]

I like the Pivot 14; Salomon has also done well for me over the years.

 

[RobSN]

I put Salomon STH2 WTR 13 on mine this morning. I'm 5ft 10in, 202 lbs. All I can say so far is no problems so far , but only 5 runs on them. For a light hearted comment on them see my posting in "Do you take your brand new skis down a green run for the first ever run?" from today.

 

[TheMountain]

<flamesuit on>
@smithian - don't know if you've pulled the trigger on bindings yet; if not, I'd say that you may want to spend at least a little time researching KneeBindings, if protecting your knees is a consideration for you. They are possibly not for everyone [and are somewhat controversial, to say the least, in some respects; the president of that company really has not made a great impression on me], yet 30 minutes or so of research cannot hurt. Howell Ski Bindings is another possibility for additional knee protection, yet good luck finding a pair w/o waiting a year or so.

<knocking on wood> I've had positive experiences with mine (5 pairs of their Carbon bindings, and one pair of their Core bindings, on the skis in my quiver, and retention/release has been fine over the years). Only issue so far has been a broken adjuster on the toe-piece of one binding after a few years of use [and, in the interest of full disclosure, I am a bit disappointed in their lack of response to a request from my preferred ski shop re: a replacement part for that]. </knocking on wood> Just had a pair of Carbons put on my Renoun Atlas 184cm....and now itching to try them out on the slopes here in Vermont!
<flamesuit off>

I've also had great experiences with the Salomon bindings I've used in years past. [I'm 6'2", 218 lbs, advanced skier, btw - most of my time spent in the bumps and in the trees during normal lift operation hours (with just a little bit of time spent in the bar for après after the lifts close...]

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy those Atlases, in any event!

 

[Andy Mink]

I bought one of the prototypes here on Pugski and hopefully that money helped support the new website (which is great). I am looking forward to getting on them when we have some more snow and I have more time. I am eyeing going to part of the gathering in Jackson and if I go they will be available for others as they have demo bindings on them.

Have you had the opportunity to take them out yet?

 

[Jwrags]

Have you had the opportunity to take them out yet?

No. I’m heading up to Mt. Bachelor this weekend with them for the first test rides. Looking forward to it!

 

[Jwrags]

Here are my Atlas 80 prototypes going up their first lift ride with me Saturday at Mt. Bachelor. I have a lot of thoughts about these skis that I will put down in a day or two when I have time.

 

[Jwrags]

I finally got out for the first days of the year over the weekend at Mt. Bachelor and skied these skis exclusively. I bought these skis this summer from @Philpug when he was cleaning out the test fleet. These were prototypes of the new Atlas 80. I have no idea what the difference is between these prototypes and the production models. Perhaps @Philpug or someone else closer to the situation knows. The skis were mounted with demo bindings and the skis looked pristine. When I bought these I had been looking to pick up a pair of Laser AX, which I had the chance to demo last year and loved them. I decided to take a chance on these, given all of the rave reviews of Renoun products here.

About me. I am 60 years old, 6', 198 lbs. I have skied for 47 years and ski out west, either Oregon or the Rockies. I do not claim to be an expert reviewer of skis and fully acknowledge that my impressions are just that, mine, and that I generally believe it is the craftsman and not the tool.

Day 1: Conditions were described as 2" fresh over what had been a dense pack. It rained all day 2 days before I skied them. The new snow was dense but creamy over firm. The day was bluebird and the conditions varied, even from top to bottom on a run. My first impressions were "where is the ski that everyone raved about?" All day I felt as if I was on my heels despite driving further and further forward in my boots. The tips did not engage well and felt very floppy and unsteady, especially at speed. More than once I looked at the back of the skis thinking the bindings must be mounted in the tail. They performed best on soft packed snow, did fine in the cream in the morning, and did not hook up and turn well on the hard packed. In the afternoon I decided to move the bindings up to see if that would help but they had so much snow and ice on them it was not worth it. I skied them the rest of the day and was disappointed by the ski, or myself.

Overnight I moved the bindings up two clicks, about 1 cm.

Day 2: It rained most of the night and the snow report said 1" of new snow. It turns out there was more than one and the conditions were much better than advertised. In many places there was several inches of dense wind packed snow. What a difference a day makes and moving bindings forward. I felt the ski was much more balanced and I did not have the feeling that the tips were out of my control. While the ski is not really the right tool for the job it handled the wind packed snow pretty well. It felt much better on the groomer cruisers and the tips hooked up to initiate turns better and it felt much quicker edge to edge. It was a totally different ski. I have always been skeptical of how a cm move in binding position can change the feel of a ski so much but now I am a convert. I got much more of the experience that people describe.

Overall, after the binding move, I am fairly pleased with the ski. I actually think next time I take it out I might move them up another notch to see if that dials in perfection. I will say, the ski did not wow me like the AX did but I am not disappointed. For me, if I was going to pay full retail for a ski of $1200 I would choose the AX. However, I got a good deal on this ski and feel good about the money going to support the site. If someone is thinking about buying a pair I would definitely make an attempt to get on a pair to try out the mounting point or use demo bindings. The difference in the binding position was not subtle.

My next ski days on it will probably be in Utah in a couple of weeks. I will likely bring it to the gathering at JH in case the snow is more firm.

 

[Masaki Goto]

I used atlas three times. and then I compared it to my AUGMENT SL WC for competition.

Sorry for my poor English skills.
I don't think I could write what I wanted to convey, but please refer to it.

Below is my impressions I skied and the link is my self title thread.

2019/20 Renown Atlas (170cm), Citadel (178cm) with BAM Pinding

Hello, I can't wait to this coming winter as you. I would like to hear the impressions of skiers who have the same physique as me. I'm a Men (Age: 58, Hight: 165cm, Weight: 68kg, ISIA GOLD Prize) I bought two ski pairs recently ( 2019/20 Renown Atlas (170cm), Citadel (178cm) with BAM Pinding...

www.pugski.com

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I was able to ski in various snow conditions because little snow here in Japan this year.

Binding : Marker griffon
Boots : LANG ZJ +, Size is 24.5cm (BSL = 285mm)

Day1 / Rustu Ski Resort in Rusutsu, Hokkai-do
Date: January 19th. Cloudy. Snow falls all day. The temperature was high and the snow was wet like March.

On this day, I used Atlas for the first time. First I lifted it by hand. Not too heavy, but not too light. I put on my skis and moved my feet. I felt the weight of the ski board only at my feet. And I skied on a gentle slope. It was a wet, hard slope. My first impression was that it was easy to go straight. Next is I went skiing on the middle slope with a wet powder of about 30cm. I dIdn't feel much floting power. But no worry about if the skis dive in the snow. Then I enjoyed skiing without any problems. There is no problem with tree run. Operation from edge to edge is also comfortable.

Day2 / Kagura Ski Resort in Echigoyuzawa, Niigata-ken
The date is January 26. Sunny, low temperature and cold. Good condition by snowfall until the day before. I enjoyed grooming snow and powder snow of about 20cm.

I got a different impression from the last time. The difference is between hard snow and powder snow. In hard snow, always better to be aware of edging. In light powder snow, maybe it feels like here on the clouds. In the evening, I skied on wet hard snow. There are few people and it is not bumpy yet. I made a razor line without vibration. I did not feel the effect of HDT.

Day3 / Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort in Echigoyuzawa, Niigata-ken
The date is February 1. Sunny, slightly cold (not cold). Good condition with snowfall.

Record snow fell the day before. All courses are open, but the rough and hard slopes are hidden under the snow. For the first time, I understood the identity of Atlas. Ski flex is not very stiff. However, it doesn't feel like a ski for competition because I was hard to feel the deflection. And I felt the ski flex is hard at both low and high speeds. I think this is due to the metal content, not the effect of HDT.

And I was surprised at the steep slope. Edge holding is very strong. It seems to be standing on the ground if it compares. And I could easily move to next situation. It was even more surprising to be able to easily remove the edge from that situation. The operation of the ski is very smooth.

Considering these
I thought that it was better to choose 163cm (170cm or less) is for carving turn and 178cm or longer is more for stability.

I think that even intermediate people can enjoy this board.
However, if you are a highly skilled person, I think you can enjoy skiing more.

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[Dwight]

@Philpug is there a cage match between Z90 and Atlas in the future?

I've have been putting people on the Z90 and Endurance 98 all season and they are definitely liking the Z90. Mixed bag on the 98s. Depends on type of skier. Atlas could be the sweet spot in the midwest.

 

[Philpug]

Long term update: I got on the Atlas 80 recently at Mt. Rose and there is just not the feeling I got from the Z90 that was/is a darling of our test team...and that is not a bad thing, just different. The Altas with it's HDT, sorry, VibeStop still has that connected feel that we have come to expect from a Renoun, the feeling that the whole edge is magneticly attached to the snow but is has a brighter/lighter feel than the Z90 did. Is that the less weight and mass being 80mm underfoot verses 90mm? The more gradual tip and a bit more taper in the tail? I am not sure exactly, the Atlas 80 has a very high IQ but is a bit more socially awkward but if you meld with the Atlas's unique personality, you will have a loyal friend for life.

 

[Andy Mink]

Long Term Update: I spent a morning on the Atlas at Mt. Rose and was reminded of a smoothness reminiscent of the Z90 but requiring more input from the driver. The Z90, with its shapely wide shovel, just pulls you into a turn. The Atlas wants more edge angle but then the fun begins. With its little bit of tip rise, the Atlas is not as demanding as several of the other "wide carvers" that are hitting the market. It is a very stable and uneventful ride, going from blown off firm pack to puffy rolls of blown in snow without deflecting, bouncing, or otherwise providing a negative reaction. In the flat light we had that day, the ease of transition was greatly appreciated as some of those transitions were difficult to see. While the Atlas is easy to release in a turn, make no mistake: it will carve hard and hang on when asked to do so.