2021 Atomic Vantage 86 C

The Vantage 86 C might not be gracing the cover of your favorite ski magazine and probably won't be featured in any trend-setting Atomic ads this season, but that certainly doesn't mean they should be overlooked. The Vantage 86 C is designed to provide versatile, user-friendly performance for resort skiing, and ultimately, is a good choice for a lot of skiers out there. Atomic's construction is quite unique among the ski industry right now. Their Prolite construction technique results in a ski that's very lightweight, but still supportive, responsive, and of course, fun. Instead of metal found in the Vantage TI models, the 86 C relies on carbon for its performance. That results in a ski that's exceptionally lightweight, coming in at just 1550 g in the 173 cm length. Light skis are easier to maneuver and also less fatiguing than a heavy ski. Although it's lightweight, Atomic still retains confidence-inspiring stability in the Vantage 86 C through their Energy Backbone, which as we've come to find out, also gives Atomic's skis a very precise feel.

Mike Thomas is a big, powerful skier. You typically find him on skis that are pretty darn long, and he often opts for skis with metal in their construction, too. So, the fact that he had a lot of good things to say about the Vantage 86 C is quite impressive. Let's start with his scores. Nothing below 4 out of 5 from Mike, including 5 out of 5 for both versatility and overall impression after he took some test runs on the 181 cm length. For a ski this affordable, that's exceptionally noteworthy. "This ski is really fun. A lot of skis this light have a hollow sound on firm snow, but these didn't, which I like." It can be surprising to some, but the sound a ski makes sometimes can make you feel a little wary of its performance, but the Vantage 86 C sounds and feels very smooth. "Solid edge grip, but a lightweight feel. Very stable considering their weight." Dave Carter opted for the 173 cm length during his testing and loved the quickness and playfulness of the Vantage 86 C in that length. Remember, that 173 cm length is just 1550 g! "Overall a lively ski with good performance on shorter radius turns," was Dave's biggest compliment of the Vantage 87 C, which was reflected in his high scores for quickness, playfulness, and versatility.

Bob St.Pierre falls into a similar category as Mike Thomas as a tester. He's a pretty big guy and often opts for much heavier, longer skis. Bob's high marks in our scoring were for stability, quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness, pretty much exactly what we expect out of the Vantage 86 C after a few years of testing on it. "There's a lot to like about the Vantage 86 C. It is stiff like the Ti versions, but not quite as demanding and not as heavy." Bob also found them to be very quick, much like Dave Carter. Not surprising given the weight they achieve and the relatively narrow 86 mm width (relatively narrow among all-mountain skis, that is…). "Very quick edge to edge and the overall composure was very good. Very poised ski with a fun-loving personality."

A lot of skiers will really enjoy the Vantage 86 C. As an all-mountain ski, it's quite versatile. No, it's not as wide or as rockered as a ski designed more for soft snow use, but for a lot of skiers, when buying an all-mountain ski, that's okay. It's super responsive and fun on groomers, light enough to easily maneuver through moguls, and perhaps most importantly, it's not overly demanding. One of the worst things a skier can do is choose a ski that's too heavy, too stiff, or too powerful. That mistake can not only cause frustrations on a given day, it can also lead to bad habits down the road as you adapt to it. Realistically, there aren't many people who will out-ski the Vantage 86 C, as proven in Mike and Bob's testing. On the other hand, however, a lot of skiers could benefit from it as an alternative to heavier, stiffer, "more popular" models.