Atomic Snoop Daddy ski

In late January, high up in the sunny Wasatch Mountains above Salt
Lake City, I put a pair of new skis to an ultimate alpine test of
sorts called the Ski Utah Interconnect Adventure Tour.

This day-long guided trip covers 25 miles and more than 15,000
vertical feet while sampling the slopes at a half-dozen ski areas that
occupy adjacent canyons, including Deer Valley Resort, Park City
Mountain Resort, Brighton, Solitude Mountain Resort, Alta Ski Area,
and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.

Indeed, in one day you ski all six places, taking chairlifts and trams
in bounds, and hiking or traversing through the backcountry to connect
everything up, never once stepping into a car -- or a helicopter, for
that matter -- the whole day long.

My ski of choice, the Atomic Snoop Daddy, were top-shelf fatties made
to float and turn through any type of terrain. Skiing all day on the
Interconnect, which included groomers, bump runs, bowls, trees, and
chutes out of bounds, begged for such an all-mountain setup.

And I was not disappointed.


Atomic Snoop Daddy Ski

Atomic (www.atomicsnow.com) built the Snoop Daddy to handle everything a typical ski hill can come up with, from powder to glare ice. On the Interconnect Tour, I could not find a single icy medium incompatible with the skis.

And I am a picky man with skis.

The Snoop Daddy's hourglass dimensions -- a 125mm tip, an 88mm
underfoot cut, and a 111mm tail -- give them enough surface area to
float in powder or ride out chunky crud. But the skis' cut is fairly
quick-turning, too, letting me slice down double-diamond bumps at Park
City Mountain Resort and turn through the trees off a high lift in
Brighton.

Any gripes? At $855 the price tag seems sky high to me. But search
around online and that figure drops quickly with retailers like
Backcountry.com, where the Snoop Daddy sells for a more sane $689 per
pair.

I am an advanced skier, verging on expert most days, and for me the
Snoop Daddys felt solid and powerful underfoot, especially off the
trail. Timid intermediate skiers might think twice with this type of
ski, however, as they will not turn as quick and easy as may be
required for bumps and tight trees.

But as all-mountain crushers for the advanced and expert set, the
Snoop Daddys will not easily disappoint.