Deep Pow
This was the biggest surprise to me, for sure. I skied the Atris on two of the deepest days of the season, where untracked lines of knee-to-thigh-deep pow were plentiful. This was the very definition of a sleeper pow day, and while I always have about five pairs of skis with me, the Atris was the widest I had with me, and I was kicking myself for that — till I actually got these in deep snow.
Granted, this was pretty perfect pow. But there was not one instance of tip dive, and it was amazing to me how smooth and pivot-y that tail of the Atris felt. For skis of this width (~108 mm underfoot), I’d have to give the Atris an “A” for powder performance.
Keep in mind, however, that I was skiing these at about 1.5 cm behind the recommended mount point, so that will have helped get the shovels of the Atris to plane up.
Soft Chop
The skis also performed quite well in deep, soft chop, which I attribute primarily to the fact that the Atris has a pretty straight shovel and tip profile; the lack of heavy taper and a pretty strong midsection kept the ski fun, though again, Brian Lindahl and I both felt like we needed to mount further back on the ski to be able to drive the tips in variable conditions.
Firm Crud
In shallow, firm crud, the Atris holds its own. For being fairly lightweight, the ski offers pretty good suspension; the ride isn’t harsh or jarring. But the more bumped-up that firm snow gets, the less inherent stability you’ll get out of the ski. Still, at my ~175-180 lbs, I could push this ski quite hard, and lighter skiers will be able to push it even harder.
Get the Atris into awful, frozen coral reef, and you are outside the wheelhouse of this ski. No ski is good in refrozen chunder, but if you have to ski it, a heavy, damp ski with a bit of tip and tail rocker will be your best bet.
Trees
In soft snow, the Atris is really fun in trees, because it does pivot really, really well. I spent this past weekend A/B/C-ing the Atris against the fully-rockered Faction Candide 3.0 and Moment Meridian, and I couldn’t believe how smooth and easy to pivot the Atris felt. If I hadn’t first seen the ski’s rocker profile and you told me that it was fully rockered, I would have believed you based on how happy it was to smear turns through deep powder and tighter trees.
The caveat here is that when skiing steep tree runs in punchy, grabby snow, the Atris’ fat tails would sometimes get hung up (but perhaps because I didn’t feel like I could really lean on the ski’s soft shovels?).
I am often a big fan of fat tips and tails, but if you are often skiing in punchy, grabby conditions (PNW snow?), I can see where you might prefer a more tapered tail shape to get the tails to release more easily in tight trees (e.g., tail shapes like those of the J Skis The Metal, Line Supernatural 108, or Liberty Origin 106.)
So if very quick performance in tight trees is your first priority, you might look elsewhere, unless you are typically skiing trees in good, consistent, not-sticky or not-grabby snow, whether shallow or deep.
Moguls
Running zipperlines in soft moguls are really fun on the Atris. But in big, firm, chalky bumps — or dust-on-crust bumps — I struggled on the Atris. I wanted a heavier, damper ski with a stiffer shovel that I could lean on; I found myself getting knocked into the backseat, and was sometimes getting taken for a ride by those spring-loaded tails.
Here again, if you feel comfortable skiing the Atris on the line, those tails may have felt more supportive; but there is a point on those tails where if you get too far into the backseat, you get to the point of no return, and in pretty nasty, firm moguls, I wheelied out on a few different occasions.
184.0 cm Black Crows Atris vs. 183.3 cm Black Crows Corvus
The Atris and Corvus are very close in width (1 mm difference), and a number of you have asked us to talk about the two skis. We’re curious ourselves. So testing begins this weekend to determine how much performance overlap the two skis have.
2017-2018 Atris: Stated Changes
The Atris is getting a bit of a makeover next season. We had originally been told that the plan was to stiffen up the shovels a bit, and decrease the amount of tail rocker a bit.
But now, the official description of the tweaked Atris for the 17-18 season, sounds a bit different, and we look forward to getting on it:
“We wanted to make the Atris more stable at high speed without altering its great handling and playfulness. Our team was successful with this by intervening on three variables: extension of the radius [the sidecut radius bumps up from 18 meters to 20 meters], a softening of the flex, and a more progressive heel rise.”
Bottom Line
The 16/17 Atris is a very fun all-mountain ski that is most at home in anything soft, or anything deep. It is an energetic ski that is better suited to more advanced skiers, and while it is not a “damp” ski per se, it offers good suspension for its weight and for how poppy it is. It could easily be a one-ski quiver if you spend most of your days in relatively soft conditions, and it could also easily serve as the wider ski in a two-ski quiver.
Deep Dive Comparisons: Black Crows Atris vs…
Check out our Deep Dive article on the Atris, where we compare it to the Rossignol Soul 7 HD, J Skis The Metal, ON3P Kartel 108 and Wrenegade 108, Faction Candide 3.0, Faction Chapter 106, Moment Meridian, Liberty Origin 106, Line Supernatural 108, and Blizzard Cochise.
NEXT: Rocker Profile Pics
Please could you also test the faction Ten5 one day ? Thanks !
And the Armada ARV 106. Thanks.
Have the option to buy both Line Supernatural 108 (186cm) and Atris (189cm) at good discount. Could you share some quick thoughts on the differences between the skis? Playfulness, ability to charge, powder vs. groomer performance.
Hi, Henri – here’s what I can tell you: the 186 cm Line Supernatural 108 is definitely ‘more’ ski than the 184 cm Atris, though I think the 189 cm Atris could close the gap a bit on this difference.
Brian Lindahl and I both felt that the shovels of the 184 Atris felt very short – so both of us would be inclined to go up to the 189, and we both felt that the 189 would better suit the two of us.
Conversely, I always felt like I could drive the shovels of the SN 108 plenty hard.
But again, it’s difficult to speculate re: the 189 Atris vs. the 186 Supernatural.
For a charging and very impressive groomer performance, the SN 108 wins over the 184 Atris, and it is a ‘burlier’ ski than the 184 Atris. But those who really want to play (especially trick and spin) and who prefer to ski with a more centered / neutral style than drive the shovels … those skiers will likely prefer the 184 Atris.
But how, exactly, a 189 Atris will compare to a 186 SN 108 … that’s a very good question, and my best guess is that the 189 cm Atris will be the more apples-to-apples comparison to the 186 SN 108 than the 184 Atris is.
Looking forward to reading the reviews, when can we expect them, thanks
Would love to see a review of the faction standard ten5 as well. Looking forward to the chapter 106 in the meantime.
Hey! Could you share some quick thoughts on the differences between a Atris and Hoji?
Hey Jonathan,
Thanks for your thoughts. you say the Ski feels short, do you mind me asking how tall you are? I am 170 and dont know which one to get. 177 or 184
I’m 5’10”, 175-180 lbs.
Hey! Is the final review available anywhere?
Thanks!
Yup, it is now. Look up! :)
^^ Would also love to see some more thoughts on the Atris.
Full review is now up, and our Deep Dive Comparisons article will be up in about 5 minutes…
How does the Atris compare to the Salomon QST106? Do you reckon the next year’s update will make them more similar? Atris is a bit heavier?
I look forward to your comparison of the Corvus and Atris as someone who has now also had the chance to ski both skis.
I’ll start by saying my usual sweet spot is a 186. For that reason, I ended up skiing the 183 Corvus (-1) (the 193 being too long) and the 189 Atris (rather than the 184 you tested).
I’ll start by saying the 183 Corvus is my favorite ski of all time. For me, its the most versatile ski ever. It works for me in Northern VT as an every day ski because its capable of carving and smearing at the same time. It works in tight spaces but it can be opened up when there is enough space. The stiff in-your-face tail combined with the ability to break the tail free is amazing. For me, these are like a less harsh Katana which is a very good thing. For reference, the reco mounting point is -10 on the Corvus and mine are at -11.
Recently, I got to spend 3 days skiing sunny western groomers on the 189 Atris. On non-icy groomers the Atris was a blast and was extremely playful and carvable. Granted I wasn’t skiing ice, but in good conditions they serve the “fat but playful GS ski” role very well. As someone who prefers a flatter tail I did struggle a little to find the right balance in more variable conditions. Mounting point was key on this ski. At the recommended line of -8 they carved really well but felt too forward for my preference. At -2 the crud and wind buff performance improved dramatically but I felt behind the sweet spot on groomers. Ultimately, -1 (or -9 from center) was a good compromise. Relative to the Corvus, I felt the Atris was more fun and skilled at carving shorter turns but less confidence inspiring in variable terrain and in steep chutes.
If I had to ski one ski anywhere for the rest of my life, it would be the Corvus. If I want to have a fun day skiing a variety of terrain including non-icy groomers, than the Atris would be my choice.
On a final note, I wish I hadn’t just pulled the trigger on this year’s 189 Atris because the referenced changes for 2018 (stiffer tip, less tail rocker) might make the Atris even more in my wheelhouse. Is any more feedback or specifics on these changes available?
Hi
May I ask your height and weight? I’m 184cm/80kg, ride fairly aggressively but all about who you compare with.
I ride last year’s 193 Corvus and even though I like its capability to really bomb down any terrain it sometimes feel a bit too big for me. I tried the 184 atris and I felt it skied really short and was way too turny. I am now looking for a compromise and the 183cm Corvus might be it. It just sounds very short!
Maybe next year’s atris is the way forward.
Hi, Eric – I’m 5’10”, 175-180 lbs. Full bios (with heights and weights) can be found of each reviewer in the “About Us” section on the navigation bar.
And we are going to be publishing a comparison review of the 183 cm Corvus vs. the 184 Atris next week…
Hi Jonathan,
Any progress on this comparison. Super curious about the 189 Atris vs. 183 Corvus. I’m more or less the same dimensions as you (6′, 175 lbs) and struggling with do I buy a charger ski that tries to retain a bit of playfulness or find a playful ski that can still charge for a western (SLC, Jackson) daily driver. Or should I suck it up and get one of each for the right conditions.
Same here! 189 Atris vs 183 Corvus are the skis I’m looking at for next year as a more humble step down from thew 193 Corvus.
Hi, i’m very curious on the corvus vs the atris as well. I demoed teh 183 Corvus for 4 days in Big Sky and loved them. Thought it would be a great ski in a 2 ski quiver, my blizzard brahmas 180 are my every day ski for the east coast. Thought a wider second ski for deeper days and out west that the BC Corvus would be a good choice. I’m 6’00” 180 lbs and the 193 looked two big for me. I demo’ed the 108 ish Salomon QST 190 ish (i don’t remember what they were exactly) but i must be the only person on the planet that didn’t like them. Liked the 2016 Rossi Soul 7 185 ish as well. Skied with my 10 year old out there and the future is going to have a lot of hiking and steep skiing so i’m curious on these wider skis.
Hi Blisters
Are there any thoughts to review the Black Crows Anima?
How would you compare the Atris to the Rossignol Soul 7 HD ? Planning to mount with a Salomon Guardian MNC 13 slightly off-center for an all mountain ski, with sidecountry approximations capabilities. Thanks.
Hi, Robert – you can get my thoughts on the Atris vs. the Soul 7 HD in this Deep Dive article. Access by becoming a Blister member or getting a Deep Dive subscription:
http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/deep-dive-black-crows-atris
Thanks for the review. It is outstanding, and your comparison helped me decide that the Atris is right for me. I would love some perspective on sizing the Black Crows Atris. I am 35 years old, 6’0″, 165lbs, and have been skiing for 30 years. I am a pretty aggressive skier and spend most of my time on in bowls search for steeps and powder. I like skiing fast, and when on groomers I like to rip, but I am no longer dropping big cliffs (nothing over 15ft), nor inverted tricks. I appreciate a ski that comes around quickly so I can enter trees with speed and get my skis around in hairy spots. I ski at Crystal mt in WA, so I get some heavy snow.
I chatted with a the folks at evo who said I could go 184 or 189. He leaned towards 189 because I spend more time in steeps than tight trees. I would love your perspective on what size to buy. Cheers
189 at recommended line or 184 at 1 – 2 cm behind recommended. If I were you, I’d probably choose the 189. Especially, if you’ve been skiing any 185+ skis with traditional mount points….
Myself, I got the 184 Atris for the next season (as an upgrade from 184 Faction Candide 2.0 – which I’ve enjoyed immensely as an all mountain fun ski…). I’m 5’11”, and will start on the recommended line with the Atris…
Hey I’m just shy of 5’10” intermediate skier. Got a great deal on the 16/17 atris 184 but can’t help but wonder if I should just shell out the extra cash and go 178. Like I said, intermediate, don’t drop anything too big, throwing the tectons on and plan to do 70/30 bc vs resort. Advice?
Hi, Jake – don’t go shorter. Stick with your 184s. This is an easy ski to ski, and if / as you improve, I’m willing to wager that you’ll regret having gone shorter.
Thanks for the advice. Enjoy all your reviews. I’m honestly an intermediate, weigh 170ish and wouldn’t call myself advanced and haven’t skied for 3 year after living in the Midwest. Between your review and finding the skis for cheap on Sierra trading post it was an easy decsion, just worried the length might be a little much for somebody getting back into it. My last skis were the old orange bd verdicts with 22 design axls but that was years ago. Hopefully these and the tectons are a good match.
Nice review.
I tele and had been looking at the corvus freebird but now am pretty convinced I’ll go with the atris.
I’m 5’7″ and 170 lb. Ski a mix of terrain at an advanced intermediate/advanced level. Mostly resort these days.
Any suggestions on length, mounting?
Thanks!
Haven’t skied them yet but I can tell you that Sierra Trading Post has the last years Atris (one reviewed here) in 184cm for 400 which seems like a steal.
When will the 17/18 (189, fingers crossed) update be reviewed? Thanks!
anything?
Well I can tell you that I think they are awesome!
Hi there,
Great review, as always!
How do you think these skis (or the 2018 version) would go in Niseko? I usually use something wider over there but often feel like I could get away with something narrower, and I like the sound of these bad boys!
Thanks!
Ors
Background: I spent two weeks in Niseko last season, including some of the best powder days of the season, I believe (last two weeks of February). On 186 Völkl Twos on the powder days, on 184 Faction CT 2.0s on the drier days… (I’m 181 cm, 85 kg.) Also, spent two days on the 16/17 184 Atris, in pow, 20 – 60 cm, in Sölden in the beginning of December.
I would definitely size up the Atris for Niseko (and possibly elsewhere, too, for myself, if I were shopping again).
However, if you prefer traditional mount points, you could go with a -1 – -2 cm mount, too (and whatever is your natural size).
BTW, my hunch is that the 2018 Atris is a tiny bit better powder ski, but let’s wait for the reviews…
(I myself decided to go with +1 and -1 dual mount points, with inserts, on the Atris based on my experience in Sölden. +1 for all mountain use, -1 for powder, in case I don’t have anything wider with me… but I’ve been spoiled by the CT 2.0, and a tiny bit by the CT 4.0 which I also skied in Sölden for one day, and which is going to form my two ski quiver for this season together with the Atris… except… for Japow I’ll have another quiver…)
Thanks for this insight Konsta. It sounds like the Atris would work in all but the deepest of days! I’m about 171 cm/68kgs so I was thinking about the 178s, and yeah like a number of people have said I’d mount them at 1cm back.
Sounds good. Could work on the recommended line even.
Interestingly enough, the ski’s designer, Julien Regnier, pretty much confirmed the need to size up the Atris for powder skiing in the Gear:30 podcast on Black Crows 18/19 skis.
Hi there,
How do you compare the 2016/2017 vs 2017/2018 version of this ski?
Thank you!
Hi,
Looking at the Atris as my daily driver/Pow ski for Western Canada skiing. I’m 6ft and 185lbs so thinking 189CM length for the Atris. Given that I never ski switch would you recommend going -1CM back of the line or should I stick with the recommended mount point? The reviews of the 184CM length make it sound like it skis short (specifically the shovels) and that going back is a good idea. Just wanted to see if that logic still applies to the 189CM Length.
Thanks in advance!!
Has anyone gained experience with this vs the current version? Does the longer radius make the front of the ski feel less short or affect float much? Also wondering if it’s still recommended to mount back -1/-1.5 on the 184 considering the changes, or maybe that was just a function of people being on too short of a ski in the first place. Thanks for any info!
I’m interested to know how easy is the Atris to slash and slarve, especially in pow?
i just got pair of 189s. I mounted right on the line and realized right away that I would prefer to be 1 or 2 cms ahead. They skied well but I was missing the quick pivot of my Deathwishes.
I just listened to the Blister podcast with Black Crows, Julien skis them at plus 2. I hate having to put another set of holes in brand new skis but I think it needs to happen.
Has anyone done a A to B on the Atris & the J Skis Metal? I’d love to hear your $.02…. I’m suffering from over analysis paralysis. I’m guessing they are pretty similar… The Metal a touch more playful and better in the heavy powder we get here in Mammoth and Tahoe.
I’m 5’10” 165 and like to go fast but I doubt I’d fold up either pair. I was set on the Metal till I watched someone on the Atris doing laps off of chair 9 in Mammoth last weekend in some heavy, lumpy spring like conditions. He was having a blast…told me they made him a better skier.
Are you planning on reviewing the updated version of the Atris? Sounds like they made some interesting updates.
Thanks!
Yep, we’re trying to get on the current Atris ASAP (and the current ski returns unchanged for 19/20, apart from graphics).
What do you think I’d the Atris as a 50/50 ski when mounted with tectons?
Would you recommend mounting the new version 18/19 back 1.5cm too?
Looking at the 178cm length.
Any timeline on the newer-ish Atris review? I’m waiting decently for vibes.
We still haven’t been able to get our hands on a pair at this point, so the 19/20 season would be the earliest we’d be able to get on one.
Any updates if a new atris review is in the works? I’m also interested in mount points compared to the old model (I liked it at -1.5cm, but have some new ones to mount up)
Good news — we now have the 19/20 Atris and will be reviewing it this season.
Nice! Looking forward to it.
Indeed! Looking forward to the Atris 19/20 review!!