Atomic Volant 7000 + MI 12 GW Skis 26/27

The Atomic Volant 7000 sits at the wider, easier-going end of Volant's three-model steel range, and for 26/27 Atomic rebuilt it rather than repainted it: a fresh full-sidewall build and new shaping across 150 to 178 cm. That newness cuts both ways. The feel described here leans on the build, Atomic's positioning and prior-generation character, marked as such. It matters because US shops still show an older '2026' Volant 7000 - a different, cap-built, lighter ski whose measurements and light, peppy reputation are not this one's.

Everything about the 7000 traces back to steel. A brushed stainless top - Volant's calling card since 1989 - caps Double Steel Powered, two steel laminate sheets over a wood core in a vertical sidewall. There is no X Fiberglass; Atomic saves that for the 9000. The point of all that metal is mass, and mass buys the damping and composure the badge is known for - though the damp feel itself is independent-report and inference, not an Atomic claim. Camber is full with no rocker, and factory edges tuned to 87° and 1.0° aim it at firm-snow grip.

On snow, expect a planted, gliding carver with direct hold on firm and hard pistes, and enough width at 74-78 mm, on a longer 14.7 to 17.5 m radius, to stay composed when groomers turn to chop - terrain the narrower 9000 finds less forgiving. The cost is honest. Steel trades pop for calm, so the 7000 is no quick short-turn ski, and prior-generation testers found a speed ceiling, best at a measured, two-footed pace rather than flat-out attack. It is heavy - 3,073 g per ski at 171 cm with the binding fitted - so it is slow to flip edge to edge. And with full camber under a mid-70s waist, soft snow, crud and the backcountry are off the menu.

The range frames the choice. The Volant 9000 is Atomic's flagship steel ski - 70-72 mm, tighter-turning, stiffened with X Fiberglass and priced at $3,100 - the more precise hard-snow instrument. The 5000 sits at the bottom, same lengths but a narrower cut and a plainer top, and PTO does not bring it in. Set beside the usual titanal frontside carvers, the 7000 is not the sensible-money pick either: $2,520 buys damping, hand-building and that steel look, not the most turns per dollar.

Sizes run 150, 157, 164, 171 and 178 cm, the radius stretching as they grow, so a shorter ski snaps the turn tighter and a longer one holds a line at speed. On ability it reads intermediate-to-advanced, up to expert on piste, not a learner's ski. The binding comes in the box: the MI 12 GW is TÜV-certified at DIN 4-12 and takes adult Alpine and GripWalk soles, not touring or child-norm ones. We fit and adjust it, and a technician dials the release - tell us your height, weight and style and we will land on a length.