The 2019 Atomic Vantage 97 Ti is the flagship all-mountain ski for the reputable ski maker. Coming in just south of 100 mm wide, the Vantage 97 Ti takes over for the Vantage 100 of yesteryear, and we feel like it is addition by subtraction. By reducing the waist width and tinkering with the construction, Atomic has made the ski feel a little less demanding than its predecessor. The overall trend with this type of ski is leaning towards a more user-friendly experience. That’s not to say that this ski is weaker or softer, just different. The general consensus is that these skis are stiff and stable, with a high end speed limit.
Steve Sulin grabbed the 172 cm length ski for a few runs and was impressed with the torsional stiffness and edge hold of the ski. The low mark in forgiveness means that he thought it was stiff, but we get the feeling that he liked it: “Unstoppable in mixed snow, it goes through everything with no speed limit.” He continued on to say that the ski had “no speed limit.” These are certainly things we like to hear, especially coming out of an accomplished skier like Steve.
After writing a short novel about the 180 cm Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, Matt McGinnis concluded that the ski is a “super capable at mid-fast speeds, and ultimately felt like a ski I could trust.” We agree that trustworthiness is an imperative aspect of ski selection, and we are glad that Matt could find such an honorable ski partner. He scored it super high for stability and edge hold, loving the new construction of the ski: “the thickness of the material over the edges results in superior edge hold.” Good call on Matt’s part, that’s exactly what Atomic was going for.
Our very own Justin Perry tried to stay on top of the 180 cm length Vantage 97 Ti. He gave highest marks for Torsional stiffness and edge hold, while Forgiveness found its way to the bottom of the scorecard. We glean from this that Justin, as quoted, found the ski to be “fast and stiff with big turns.” Additionally, he “found the rocker profile to be great for hard pack, but may lack in flotation.” We agree that the low rocker lends itself to firmer snow conditions, and the fact that Justin found it “light for a Ti ski” makes an interesting case that this ski is more versatile than a hard-snow performer.
Mike Aidala ripped a few on the 172 cm length Vantage 97 Ti, and found that it skied a bit longer than the length indicated. This is due to the fact that he gave the skis high marks in stability and edge hold. He goes on in detail to say that “the 97 Ti 172 cm skis are a great all-mountain freeride ski with a surprising quickness edge to edge performance. At a 20.1 meter turn radius, the 97 mm waist ski makes awesome quick turns when you want.” That’s some nice detail, Mike, and skiers looking for a stable ski that makes a variety of turns should re-read your quote. Mike also picks up on Atomic’s new Vantage construction by saying “the Ti makes these skis rail on the groomers.” It’s nice to hear that a wide ski can make these types of turns; that means that Atomic is doing a proper job.
The Vantage 97 Ti sits in a tough category with a multitude of sufficient competitors, and it has certainly earned a spot at the top.
