The Vantage 85 W from Atomic is a user friendly all mountain ski designed specifically for women who want a ski that is suitable for a wide range of terrain and conditions. The Vantage series from Atomic is home to their most versatile skis with the Vantage 85 W targeting lesser aggressive skiers and is even suitable for beginner and intermediate skiers. It withholds the metal and/or carbon that we see in the rest of the Vantage line and instead just relies on its light wood core for stability and edge grip, making it much more approachable for all levels of skiers.
We had a nice variety of women who tested the Vantage 85 W. Chloe Wexler, a highly advanced alpine skier likely wouldn’t choose the Vantage 85 W for herself as she is quite aggressive, but had a blast when testing it in the 157 cm length. She commented that they feel “soft and easy” and are “easy to turn with good dampening” (considering it has no metal or other vibration dampening additives). She thought the ski has a confidence inspiring “safe” feel and that it loved to make medium size turns. She concluded by saying it is a “good ski for beginner/intermediate skiers.” It won’t hold you back, and helps support progression thanks to its easy-going nature.
Kristi Brown agreed that the ski is easy going and even added that it doesn’t like to be driven hard. Kristi has a knack for driving a ski with some finesse, but found that on the Vantage 85 W it responded best “if I backed off it and let it conduct its own business.” This is another reason why we think it’s a great choice for developing skiers. It allows you to relax a little more than a ski that demands more skier input. Kristi did feel that the 157 cm length ski was too short for her, which may have played into this response. She commented that she would have loved to try a longer length and wondered whether the ski would have responded better to more aggressive skiing in a longer length. We think it may have, but ultimately this is a ski that likes to cruise, it’s not a ski that likes to be driven hard.
Out of all our women testers the Vantage 85 was arguably most appropriate for Carly Monahan. Carly has less experience alpine skiing than most of our testers, although she is outrageously athletic. She is best considered a developing intermediate skier and had some great reactions to the Vantage 85. She was skiing the 165 cm length and commented that they “would make a great one ski quiver. Not the perfect ski for super firm or super deep snow, but can handle either and does well on almost everything in between.” She also felt the ski had plenty of stability for her skiing style adding that they felt “burly enough to chop through crud, while still feeling fairly light and maneuverable.”
We think Carly’s reaction to the ski is a perfect example of why the ski is a great choice for developing skiers. It has enough stability to inspire confidence, while being relatively light, quick, and easy to maneuver. Those that feel they need a more aggressive ski can jump up to either the Vantage 95 C (Carbon Tank Mesh) or the 90 CTI (Carbon Tank Mesh and Titanium) which both provide more torsional stiffness and stability, but aren’t as forgiving or easy-going.
