Whether you’re a progressive intermediate or seasoned veteran, the Atomic Cloud Q12 screams precision and edge grip for ripping round, arcing turns. The groomers won’t know what hit them after these rip sticks lay down deep trenches, leaving distinguishable marks behind them. Falling right into the recreational category with an 83.5 mm waist width and 12.8-meter turn radius in a 159 cm, they are quick, purposeful and eager to grip firm snow. Skiers will crave the dynamic power and stiffness of the Cloud Q12, building on technique and gaining consistent confidence. With a lightweight, Flite wood core, agility is guaranteed but add in the Revoshock C technology and you get endless power and stability. A front side skier's dream, this ski blends the qualities of a high-performance carver with an approachable and maneuverable frontside ski.
ROCKER PROFILE
Camber
CORE MATERIALS
Dura Cap Sidewall
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers, All Mountain
Since most skiers spend most of their time on groomed and smooth terrain, it’s great that skis like this exist. With a wider-bodied format than the narrower C12, the Q12 has more of that all-mountain shape to it for a range of skiers. While nobody’s going to mistake the Cloud Q12 for a race ski, it’s certainly got that groomer mentality to it. Full camber makes the ski grippy and smooth from tip to tail. We can forget sometimes that camber is a really good thing for a front side ski, and this one makes it easy and fun to ride that ski’s edge all the way through the carve. The radius is pretty short—much more akin to a slalom cut than a GS arc, and that’s good news for skiers looking for confidence and control. With metal, Revoshock, and a solid weight, these skis are a wider-bodied front side ski that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding of skiers.
Susan Dorn skied the 159 in length and said they were just ok. Despite her unenthused opinion regarding the length, she seemed to enjoy her time on the Cloud Q12s, with 3’s and 4’s out of 5 across her scoresheet. With her overall impression earning a solid 4, she gave a 3 for flotation, torsional stiffness and versatility. Given the waist width, it makes sense that flotation and versatility earned a slightly lower score. As for torsional stiffness, perhaps it was the shorter length that Susan was not a fan of that affected that category. That aside, she found the ski to be “Snappy, quick edge to edge, really easy to initiate and fun.” For a frontside, carving-focused ski, snappy and easy to initiate are both qualities we love to hear from our testers and it sounds like on the intended terrain, these skis rip!
It’s all about having fun out there on the hill, and when you have conditions and terrain-appropriate skis, it just makes that fun factor increase to the nth degree. When you get on one of these wider-bodied skis that can carve short turns really well, it makes a lot of sense. Since most of us ski groomers most of the time, having a ski like the Atomic Cloud Q12 just makes the whole experience that much more rewarding. If you love carving short, clean, and round turns, this is a fantastic choice for you.
