How we have changed, I would say the song. From those first ski, used in Russia almost 10,000 years ago, made with wooden and coated boards with animal skin, to the current carbon fiber and dozens of layers… how we have changed. And, the interesting thing is what will happen in the future.
To understand where we talk to Lucas Pinheiro Brarathen, world champion of Slalom in 2023 and one of those responsible for the skiing of the Redster range of Atomic. These new skis Redster have the advanced technology Review of Atomic, An integrated suspension system that absorbs potholes and irregularities vibrations and allows stable and precise sliding, even at maximum speed.
To this we must add that Pinheir An element that adds stiffness in the posterior zone to react faster after closed turnsas is the case of the Slalom.
The interesting thing is that these ski also have A Nostalgic Element: A Power Woodcore Wooden Core Made with ash and poplar, which combines resistance, durability and flexibility.
But the process has been long. For three years, Atomic engineers worked on this new generation taking advantage of the fact that Pinheiro Brarathen (of Brazilian origin, but part of the Norwegian skiing team) took a sabbatical year to move from the Scandinavian team to the South American. Time that used, in part, to imagine the best possible ski. Both for competition and recreational …
“The big difference is that competition skis are made with a very precise balance – he explains Pinheiro Braathen by email –. It requires more dedication and more commitment in your skiing so that the skills shine, but they are also made with the ability to obtain significantly higher speed if you are able to handle them and to make use of the greats, already demanding, materials in the skis. While the commercial skiing is a bit more permissive and has a greater balance range, it is a skiing that you can use in various types of conditions and it is very funny skiing no matter where you are. ”
Experimenting with new materials, combining them and submitting them to tests, inside and outside the laboratory, is A very complex task that covers the first version from the first version until the final skiing is achieved. And in this whole process it was involved Pinheiro Braathen.
“Each development process is different -confirms this” snow professional ” -, but in essence, it is about marking an objective for skiing functionality. It may be for shorter or longer distances between the doors, or for more frozen, drier conditions … then You would start with this goal and try to design an idea and skiing together with the engineers and the head of development at the factory. Then we tried to make those differences in production and then these skis would be delivered to me to try them in a day that serves the type of conditions in which we are trying to make a skiing better. ”
Once this is done, the design team adapts each skiing to the characteristics of the athlete, taking into account not only factors such as height or weight, but also discipline, style and preferences. The last step is to try it and compare it with other editions of the ski to see if it responds to the parameters that seek. So … what would be the perfect skiing for Pinheiro Braathen, taking into account his skiing way?
“The perfect skiing for me is the one that allows me to have fun, but also to make the necessary corrections while balancing with force and power – he concludes Pinheiro Braathen-. In the ski races of the World Cup They are trying to merge those margins and those hundreds of a second in which you have to be on the lineso I am looking for a skiing that can help me in those situations where I have spent a bit of the line and I have to correct my path and make those adjustments, and then I want, even in the same skiing, to be able to pursue maximum speed and reach that incredible acceleration from the exit door. ”