Atomic is now launching its latest addition to the boot lineup, the Redster S9 Carbon BOA. Ahead of the release, scheduled for autumn 2026, the development team took a comprehensive approach to redesigning its new skate boot. Instead of simply updating an existing model, the team chose to rethink the entire development strategy.

“We had to look at the ski industry as a whole. In recent years, there have been major changes in how brands develop their products,” says David Panyik, Project Manager at Atomic.

Normally, it takes three years to develop a new racing boot. This time, the team added an extra six months.

“This is our most important product; it gets the most TV exposure and is used by our top athletes. Normally, our development cycle takes three years, but together with the team at Atomic, we decided to add another six months to ensure we did the best possible job.”

A key change was involving the race service team and elite athletes early in the process. Skiers such as Ansgar Evensen, Mika Vermeulen, and Simen Hegstad Krüger have all participated in testing the new boot.

“We changed the entire foundation of the development process. We involved our race service team and our top athletes at a very early stage.”

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Going against the market trend

In recent years, several brands have moved away from pure carbon cuffs and instead adopted plastic solutions with carbon fiber mixed in. With the Redster S9 Carbon BOA, Atomic chose a different path.

“You can see that many brands have moved away from a pure carbon cuff and instead use a cheaper plastic variant with carbon fiber added to achieve the right stiffness. For us, it was a key point not to follow that trend but to offer the best possible performance characteristics. That’s why we kept a full carbon cuff. It’s one of three unique features of our new boot.”

Atomic has also implemented a new material in the construction, forged carbon, previously used mainly in high-end sports cars.

“We’ve implemented a completely new material called forged carbon. It has been used in exclusive sports cars in the automotive industry and has become increasingly common in recent years. It’s unique in the ski boot market.”

New lacing system – Layerlock

The biggest innovation, however, is the new lacing system called Layerlock. Traditionally, the lacing system tightens only the inner boot, while the outer shell, the gaiter, simply sits over it. With the new system, the construction works differently.

“Since we are launching the boot a bit later than other brands, we didn’t just want to match them; we wanted to take it one step further. That’s why we created our own unique lacing system,” says David, continuing:

“Usually, you only tighten the inner boot. The gaiter just sits on top. We realized that if we connect the lacing system both to the inner boot and to the inside of the gaiter, we can tighten several layers at the same time.”

This means that both the inner structure and the outer layer tighten simultaneously when the boot is laced. According to David, this is the key to the new system.

“When you tighten the boot, you can actually see the gaiter tightening as well. You are pulling multiple layers of material together, which provides more support than a traditional system.”

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New design

The design is adapted to show how the system works.

“The new boots feature laminated panels and seams that highlight where these connection points are located and how the outer layer works when you tighten the boot.”

According to the development team, the result is an entirely new construction, not just an updated model. The design has also been updated with a more pink-toned color scheme.

“Overall, I think the new boot fits very well with our design philosophy. We have very talented designers who have made this new generation of boots really stand out. We’ve added our pink color tone, and in my opinion, the look is unique.”

Three key features of Atomic’s new ski boot

• Layerlock – new lacing system
• Forged Carbon – material used in high-end automotive engineering
• Dual BOA Fit System – works together with the Layerlock technology