The Mata has a different radius at different points along the ski. Underfoot, the sidecut is short, so even the slightest lean puts it on edge, and it turns quickly, turn after turn, with little effort. Toward the tip and tail, the shape opens up and softens, so when the snow gets hard, choppy, or uneven, it stays stable instead of catching.

Down the center, a strip of titanal and a layer of rubber serve two purposes at once: the metal grips the ice and stores energy, while the rubber absorbs vibrations so none of them reach your feet. Push hard, and it fires back. Ease off, and it rolls quietly from edge to edge. That versatility is what allows both a first-year skier and a lifelong skier to have fun on the same pair.

This is the ski for days when you’re riding the lifts. On firm morning corduroy, it locks onto an edge and lets you carve fast, clean turns straight down the fall line. On busy afternoon slopes, its short radius lets you weave through crowds and pop off every bump. When the snow softens at the edges of the run, or a little fresh falls overnight, 90 millimeters underfoot carry you through it without losing grip. It’s at its best inside the resort, turning an ordinary lift day into something you’ll want to ski lap after lap. For deep-snow days and big lines outside the ropes, the freeride line is waiting. For everything the resort itself has to offer, this is the one.

We wanted one thing from the Mata: a turn that gives back more than you put in. So we shortened the radius underfoot and ran titanal down the spine, then took prototype after prototype out onto the Chamonix slopes to find where the snap lived. Too stiff, and it fought us when our legs were tired. Too soft, and the energy leaked away.

The rubber was the final piece—the element that preserved all that pop while still creating a ski you can throw around from the first chairlift to the last. When you carve into the edge and feel it load up and release, that’s exactly what we were chasing in the lab. Now it’s right under your feet.