Pow
It was interesting to go back and read Atomic’s description of the Vantage 100 before writing this review. One of the things that stands out: their statement that the Vantage series “doesn’t sacrifice any of their play in the powder.”
As a generalization, skis tend to be better suited for either good conditions or bad conditions. And I would say that the Vantage 100 is best suited for good conditions.
Today at Porters, conditions were basically perfect. A storm had rolled in the night before, and the snow was still falling at the start of the day. In short, the whole ski area had just received a fresh blanket 10 cms, and wind-deposits practically doubled that total in a number of areas around the upper mountain and Bluff Face.
The Vantage 100 felt very at home in these conditions. Shined, really. I never felt like I needed more width, and the fresh snow provided enough suspension that the low weight of the skis did not make them feel unstable / undamp when making huge, fast pow turns.
(Also, just in case you’ve forgotten: Want to know what’s insanely fun? Huge, Fast, Pow Turns.)
In untracked snow at speed, the shovels of the Vantage 100 were not folding up / pushing back at me, despite the fact that this is neither a super stiff ski nor a heavy ski.
I also firmly believe that if we’d had another 30 cms of snow, the Vantage 100 would have handled it just fine. I.e., this is a ski that works well in pow: it’s light enough to float, while also being stiff enough to hold up (and not fold up) at speed. So I give this all-mountain ski high marks for its abilities in pow—i.e., for it’s width, it’s performance in pow is better than you might expect.
Moguls?
Some will be sad about this, far more others will rejoice: but you don’t encounter many moguls in Canterbury, New Zealand. So I haven’t skied the Vantage 100 in any real moguls.
Q: How will this ski do in steep, moguled up terrain? In moguls on lower-angle slopes, I think these skis will be great. But I’m curious to see how they hold up in steep, moguled terrain, the sort you can find in a place like Taos. I really can’t say yet, but I’m curious to find out….
Mount Point
I’ve felt quite comfortable skiing these on the line, but I pushed them forward a tiny bit just to see how well the skis accommodated a slightly forward mount, especially given that I suspect a few skiers may be a bit on the fence about whether to go with the 188cm or the 180cm model.
At +0.7cms from the line (sorry, it wasn’t merely +0.5 and it wasn’t a full +1.0), the skis felt totally fine. If I were drilling a pair right now (and if I was thinking of some of Taos’s steeper, techier terrain that I enjoy, I would probably drill these at +1.0. But if you are primarily skiing big open bowls, you’ll be fine on the line, unless you know you prefer a more forward mount.
Bottom Line
It seems to me that Atomic has built exactly the ski they were hoping to. It is lighter than the Ritual. And it is still a powerful ski. And for it’s width, it performs quite well in pow. It is not the best option if you’re primarily looking for a damp crud buster, but if you’re looking for a strong all-mountain ski that is at its best in slightly soft to fairly deep conditions, then the Vantage 100 CTi makes a lot of sense.
Deep Dive: Atomic Vantage 100 CTi
To get our in-depth comparisons to the Blizzard Bonafide, Volkl Mantra, Nordica Enforcer, Rossignol Experience 100, and K2 Pinnacle 95, see the Blister Deep Dive: Atomic Vantage 100 CTi.
NEXT: ROCKER PROFILE PICS
Curious how they compare to my benchmark in the class, my current hell and back. Sounds like they won’t handle crud such as well, keep up on the groomers, and maybe a bit better in pow?
Thanks for the review Jonathan,
Great to see what you think about this ski, and the comparisons to the Ritual.
I have had both the 190 Ritual and original 185 Cochise in my quiver, using the Rituals for groomers and softer snow days and the Cochise for firmer conditions. I had the oportunity to get the Salomon Q-Lab 183, and that is now replacing both those skis. Neither the new Cochise or new Vantage were an option(QLab was a gift), but so far with 1 full day all over the mountain, I am initially happy with that decision.
Look forward to other comparisons, I know you didn’t like the 190 Qlab that much, which was why I opted for the 183, but interested in how the Vantage stacks to the other candidates on the market.
Glad you back on snow again.
I’m currently on a pair of original Automatics in 186. I absolutely adore them in almost any amount of fresh snow and find them capable in hardpack, far more so than any pow ski has a right to be. As the BRG review found, I also find them almost absurdly easy to ski anywhere. I do find myself thinking of switching to something with a bit more hardpack capability if I didn’t have to sacrifice powder performance too much. This ski immediately caught my attention when previewed. I know they’re not really comparable skis, but would appreciate any thoughts you might have on the trade off between these and the old Automatic. Thanks in advance!
I have the old automatics as well. Two pair in fact, one is a rock pair the other a good pair. I skied the vantage 100 today at Loveland ski resort in Colorado. They were amazing on groomers. I skied them in some heavy 3″ powder and they skied great. They skied everything great. They did good in the bumps as well. You can go really fast and they are smooth. They turn quickly. Really light as well.
Thanks for the reviews. I’m looking at some good deals on Rituals but am stuck on what size to get. Have you had a chance to compare the 182 and the 190? I’m looking for an all mountain, do everything ski with an off-piste bias. I ski Montana (Big Sky and Bridger Bowl) and want something that can handle narrow steep chutes but also rip around in cut up crud. I’m concerned about the quickness of the 190 in narrow spots, but would probably like it for blasting deep piles of crud. I also ski with two little kids so need something that can be skied at lower speeds, and that is fun on groomers. Any help would be appreciated.
I’ve demo’d the 180 cm Vantage 100s for 6 of the last 7 days in South Western Colorado in excellent snow conditions ranging from nice powder , soft chop, shaved hard pack and soft groomers. As far as I’m concerned these skiis have handle all conditions superbly. They float, carve and hold an amazing edge. Black moguls are easily managed as well as high speed groomers. I’ve been skiing 191 Volkl Mantra’s as my all mountain ski in Alaska for the past several years and love the stability in crud and icy conditions, nonetheless the Atomic Vantage 100s are much better in powder conditions and still hold edge amazingly well. I’m on my way to buy a pair right now.!
what is your size? Are you happy with 180’s?