2021 Atomic Vantage 97 C

Atomic splits their all-mountain Vantage collection into two different collections, those with metal and those without. The Vantage 97 C falls into the latter category, those without. Instead of metal, Atomic uses Carbon Tank Mesh. Instead of their Power Woodcore, they use a Light Woodcore. In the Vantage 97, that effectively sheds 150 g of weight off a single ski, bringing the weight of a 170 cm Vantage 97 C down to just 1750 g. That's very light for a ski in this category. They do, however, share the same shape. The Vantage 97 C has 75% camber underfoot, 15% tip rocker, and 10% tail rocker. There's not much early taper in these skis, which means you get a long effective edge in just about any situation or snow condition. The 180 cm Vantage 97 C has a 19.1 m turn radius. A lot of skiers will look at the different construction and write the ski off without giving it a real consideration. That's fairly common among us skiers. We often want to gravitate to the skis with the most metal, the most powerful, etc., but that's not always the right choice. In the Vantage 97 C, we get a lot of the same performance as the Ti version, just in a lighter package.

Many of our testers, in fact, were quite impressed by the level of stability and the overall performance of the Vantage 97 C. Brad Schauerman tested the 180 cm length and thought "this ski performed terrifically on the groomers. Very stable and holds a great edge. It likes to carve and make longer turns rather than short and smeary. Did a good job of charging through the crud as well." We've talked about the Vantage skis having more of a precision feel than a smeary/drifty feel, so that particular feedback makes a lot of sense, but the high praise for edge grip and stability may surprise some skiers. Phil McGrory opted for the 188 cm, which happens to be the longest available length in the Vantage 97 C. His feedback supports Brad's claims, "likes speed, very stable. Very light swing weight in the tip and tail gives the ski a lot of versatility." That's perhaps what's most impressive about this ski. It's stable at speed, yet very light on your feet. Evan Caha was another tested who was impressed by this phenomenon. Evan skied the 180 cm length and described it as feeling "light, but skis like a heavier ski. Solid, confident ski. Surprisingly poppy and a bit playful too." That poppy, playful feel is a benefit of the carbon used in this ski.

Bob St.Pierre and Steve Sulin both focused their feedback on comparisons between the Vantage 97 C and Ti models. Steve tested the 180 cm length and scored the Vantage 97 C all 4s out of 5, with overall impression bumping up to a full 5 out of 5. "Notice the difference in Carbon vs Ti Tank Mesh. The Carbon is a little more forgiving and quicker too. Not quite as powerful as the Ti, but still a great ski." Bob also skied the 180 cm length, and he mentioned he would've preferred testing the 188. Similar scores from Bob, lots of 4s out of 5. "A bigger skier such as myself will tend to gravitate towards skis with metal in them, but I found for the shape of this ski, the C version is very surprising. It's hard to look at this ski without using the Ti as a comparison, but it's a question a lot of skiers will have. Do I need the Ti in the ski or is the C going to be enough? I'd say that for most skiers in the world, the C will be enough. Not only enough, but also better suited for most days on the hill. I felt the 97 C was the right blend of stiffness and performance and while it was a bit on the twitchy side, most likely due to the shorter test length, I could see the merits of having the softer flexing ski, especially in softer snow. The C has a great flex to float over and adapt to changing terrain. Additionally, the lighter weight makes it a great choice for trees, especially around here in Vermont. Not quite the capable carver without the metal, but still ripped some turns."

It's really nice having the two versions of this ski to choose from. Both can hold an edge well and both are stable at speed. You're going to get a little more power and vibration damping out of the Ti version, but the Vantage 97 C is going to satisfy the demands of a ton of skiers out there. Just like the Ti version, it's more of a precision feel than a smeary, surfy ski, but we think a lot of skiers will enjoy that. If you're looking for more playfulness and more smear factor, skis like the Bent Chetler 100 and Backland 100 come into play, but we expect a lot of skiers will really like the responsiveness and precise feel of the Vantage 97 C.