SNEAK PEEK OF 2011 ATOMICS

check out the new atomic twins at www.skis.com. they are offering free shipping on them right now.

No.  Atomic does not own Salomon or vice-versa; they are owned by the same parent company Amer-Sports.  Atomic presses the skis, Salomon produces the boots but all design/engineering/marketing etc is separate.  There have been some issues with Salomon's ski quality primarily because of the changing of factories (think when Line moved to K2 it was a shit show where every Invader exploded if you looked at it funny, but all is good now).  You'll see huge improvements every year. 

One of the sweetest details is that Atomic actually controls the entire production of the ski in house- they make the bases, the edges, top sheets, sidewalls, literally everything is made from raw materials at the ski factory as opposed to ordering pre-made bases or top sheets or cores etc.  Pretty sure they are the only company still doing this and why so many companies want Atomic to press their skis (i.e. Salomon, Armada). Their ski production is one of the most legit in the business, and everyone's love of Armada's construction/ride quality is proof of this.

true dat my negro haha

some more info on the Access- definitely a ski to check out for 10/11

128-100-120, full wood core, no metal, early rise tip with traditional camber underfoot, cap tip + tail with hybrid sidewall underfoot (think Armada JJ)

the best part - $499.99