Atomic Alibi Renu - 2011

Snowboard Review:

The Alibi has evolved! I rode the Alibi last year and I was extremely impressed with the pop, edge hold, super light-weight construction and the bargain price tag. Unsurprisingly I was little bemused when it was revealed to me at ISPO that Atomic had completely revised everything from the Alibi’s shape to its construction.

Starting with the construction, Atomic have gone all green; energy hungry fibreglass has been replaced with woven Juta, a natural Hemp like fibre. If you doubt this is possible, there are cool little windows on the topsheet where you can see the woven fabric. Last years CNC Poplar core has been toned down and looses the weight saving shavings but gains some Willow stringers, and the standard PTex sidewalls get replaced with wood, at least that’s what it says in the catalogue, the pre-production model I rode had recycled PTex sidewalls. As if the Alibi Renu wasn’t green enough, the base is now made of a 7200 grade recycled Ptex. Personally, I think it’s commendable that Atomic have invested so much time developing the green credentials of the Alibi, and to take a well established, big seller and completely change it into a product that barely resembles the board it was a year ago is courageous and ambitious.

Atomic didn’t stop with the construction, Atomic’s team of designers have also radically changed the shape and profile of the Alibi. Essentially the Alibi has migrated from an all-mountain board with a freestyle skew, to an all-mountain snowboard with a freeride skew. Instead of using camber like last year’s board, Atomic have introduced All Terrain Pop Rocker. Unloaded the Alibi is cambered, once weight is applied through the binding the camber runs flat and rocker creeps into the profile around 10-15cms after the binding. On the Alibi this doesn’t make the board any more buttery, it does however improve the ease in which the Alibi initiates turns, it improves straight line stability by raising the catchy part of the edge above the snow and brings the steering of the board to your feet. In deep snow you no longer get the feel of pronounced camber pushing the nose down into the snow so it’s a definite positive to the design. On the Pivot, a less heavily reinforced jib stick, I felt that loading the Pop Rocker caused the effective edge in side slips to feel short, and made stopping and side slip control harder work, on the Alibi I didn’t feel like there was a problem. The Alibi was stable and there was ample reinforcement pushing against applied loads at the tip and tail. Other tweaks to the Alibi’s shape although slightly more subtle include a slightly pointed tip and tail with a steel tip defender; trust me when I say it looks the bomb! To me these little design touches are more evidence that Atomic aren’t building a board to be thrown away after a season’s thrashing, the Alibi is built to last.

So what’s the Alibi Renu like to Ride? It’s different… but still a great ride. My first thoughts were that that the new Alibi feels heavier than last years ride. At the same time this additional weight is quite reassuring, the new Alibi gives the impression that if it picked a fight with a rock it would end up the better off. Vance who also rode the Alibi, and I, agreed that the Alibi was easy to get on with almost instantly. The flex is quite firm (Atomic claim it’s an 8/10, this is probably a bit of an exaggeration), however by rockering the nose with Pop Rocker under load, the Alibi rolls into carves with very little effort, committing to the fall-line is enough to initiate carves. Unlike a lot of rockered boards the Alibi does have a tail that punches you out of turns, essential if you want to be throwing 10ft high rooster plumes into the air. Despite being relatively easy to ride, the Alibi really likes to be ridden aggressively and to it’s credit the firm flex and pop is noticeable when it comes to jumps and drops. Although I found the the Alibi had plenty of pop, it didn’t feel anywhere near as snappy as last year’s board; instead it felt damp and refined, this quality is even more evident when you are pushing your speed to the boundaries of sanity.

If you had last year’s Alibi and want to this years incarnation to mimic last years light and snappy feel, you might be better picking up an Atomic Hatchet or Axum; these boards are light and lively and perfect for pushing your freestyle skills. If you’re a dedicated freerider looking for a board to thrash in the powder then I’d suggest you take a look at the Banger, one of the best and highest spec fish shaped boards I’ve ridden.

The Alibi is snowboard suited to an advanced rider or at a push a strong intermediate, looking for a versatile board to charge pistes and get creative off piste. It’s a board that will handle sketchy run-ins, switch and regular; stick precarious landings and carve as hard as any cambered board on the market. As long as you have strong legs and aren’t worried too much about missing the rail-line out of your park runs then the Alibi is a great choice.

Posted by Rich Ewbank in • Atomic