The Atomic Vantage 90 CTi is the perfect candidate to represent the All-Mountain East category, a genre that occupies the middle ground in a ski market segmented by width. The Vantage 90 CTi exemplifies this “does-a-bit-of-everything” personality. It can’t be quicker than a Race Slalom nor as floaty as a Big Mountain model, but it does a decent impersonation of both, which is a pretty neat trick in itself.

Like a musician who can play any tune you can name, the Vantage 90 CTi will move to whatever rhythm you care to set. While its Power scores suggest it belongs on the feet of more aggressive skiers, last season nearly the same ski sat atop our Finesse Favorites. As one would expect of ski with such an even temperament, the Vantage 90 CTi is a well-balanced amalgam of Finesse and Power properties.

I say, “nearly the same ski,” because the Vantage 90 CTi received a couple of upgrades for 2018. In the core, lighter poplar was replaced with denser maple, giving the ski a little stiffer flex and a tad damper ride. On the top, the new surface is made from “nano-TPU” to make the cosmetics more durable.

“The slightly stiffer flex upgrade made this a much smoother and stable ski through crud, and it held better on ice,” says the observant Trey Claus of The City Garage. It may not be the perfect hard snow ski or the optimal powder board, but it’s damn near ideal if you have to use one ski to handle both conditions.

No matter where you take it, the Vantage 90 CTi feels light and readily maneuverable. Its tractable nature and facile steering earn the Vantage 90 CTi its second Silver Skier Selection.