The Vantage 97 C occupies the same position in Atomic’s 2021 Vantage series as the 2018 Vantage 95 C, transposing the Carbon Tank Mesh that made the latter such a hit to a new construction called Prolite. Prolite, as the name suggests, is all about reducing a ski to its barest essentials, adding only the mass needed to meet the performance expectations of the target skier. Once outside the flat zone needed to attach a binding, the wood core of the Vantage 97 C is confined to twin channels that rest above the edge, leaving a hollowed-out center and creating a much lighter ski.

Silver Chesak, one of the co-owners of Footloose Sports, found the Vantage 97 C to be “a really good ski with a quiet tip. Nice energy while being stable. Fun to carve or to break loose into a drift.” The most aggressive all-terrain skiers will probably want a more substantial ski, but the skier just developing his (or her – there’s a 97 C W) off-trail talents won’t find a better introduction to the off-piste. If light weight isn’t as important to you as off-trail versatility, Atomic’s Bent Chetler 100 is an exciting blend of New School driftology and Old School solidity.