The Maven joins Atomic’s lineup as the new women’s directional all-mountain ski, in a similar space to the Maverick on the men's side. As a 'directional' ski, we were a bit surprised (and stoked) that the mount point was actually decently far forward on the ski, and even our freestyle-focused testers found they didn’t require any forward or backward adjustment to get the ski to handle how they liked. It might not be the most exciting ski to look at (that beige base is not it), but our testers were blown away by how these things skied.
Groomers & Resort Skiing:
Some hallmarks of the Maven 103Cti riding experience include very powerful edge grip, solid stability in tracked-out snow, a penchant for longer turns than the 17m sidecut radius might suggest, and a really fun and playful character thanks to the relatively soft and round flex pattern. A bit more mass would likely improve the Maven 103 CTi’s hard-snow performance, granting it some extra stability at high speeds on frozen groomers but these are still a very solid ski on-piste. The light weight makes them effortless to turn and the amount of power they will handle given that featherweight is pretty mindblowing.
“Compared to other skis I’ve tested this week, The Mavens have a more chill flex underfoot making initiating turns way easier. Super nice and easy to turn and carve on." Coralie Ogez
Powder & Mixed Conditions:
A ski as light and nimble as the Maven 103 CTi shouldn’t be able to charge through variable snow, right? Wrong. While at 1610g, it weighs in squarely among touring-specific skis, the Maven 103 CTi offers a smooth, chatter-free, and really solid ride the second you duck off the groomers. Taking design elements from the FWT-proven Maverick 115 CTI and working them into a more versatile, everyday package designed for lighter-weight yet aggressive riders these things impressed our testers from boot-deep pow, to crud, to skiing tight trees.
Skier: Gabrielle Mondor. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren.
"I had a blast skiing on this ski in all conditions. It kept me afloat in some deep pow and charged through crud and ice with ease. It was super easy to manoeuvre these skis in tight trees but they also ripped on the groomers! These skis are very forgiving with a playful flex that makes them super fun on side hits and rollers." - Rylee Hackler
Park & Jibbing:
While the Maven 103 isn't designed to be any kind of freestyle ski, it can be jibbed pretty comfortably. The forgiving flex butters and presses willingly and the low weight and relatively forward mount point translate to decent swingweight. There isn't much tail, so landing switch in mixed snow or tight transitions is a no-no, but that aside, these will do the job for occasional stunting while skiing the rest of the mountain. We'd steer well clear of rails because lightweight skis on rails tends to be a recipe for disaster.
Skier: Rylee Hackler. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren.
Who's it for?
Versatility means different things to different people depending on what your definition of “everyday skiing' is, but the Maven 103 CTi not only bridges the gap between the on- and off-piste categories, it truly excels in each. With a unique directional shape and lightweight but powerful carbon and titanal construction, the Maven 103 CTi is precise, agile, and fun for all-day resort laps no matter the conditions. These are a Goldilocks all-mountain women’s freeride ski - not too skinny, not too fat, not too stiff, not too soft. All of our female testers agreed on one thing - the Maven 103 CTi would be an excellent choice as a one-ski quiver for just about anywhere in the West. We reckon it could be your pow ski or touring ski out east too.
Groomers & Resort Skiing:
Some hallmarks of the Maven 103Cti riding experience include very powerful edge grip, solid stability in tracked-out snow, a penchant for longer turns than the 17m sidecut radius might suggest, and a really fun and playful character thanks to the relatively soft and round flex pattern. A bit more mass would likely improve the Maven 103 CTi’s hard-snow performance, granting it some extra stability at high speeds on frozen groomers but these are still a very solid ski on-piste. The light weight makes them effortless to turn and the amount of power they will handle given that featherweight is pretty mindblowing.
“Compared to other skis I’ve tested this week, The Mavens have a more chill flex underfoot making initiating turns way easier. Super nice and easy to turn and carve on." Coralie Ogez
Powder & Mixed Conditions:
A ski as light and nimble as the Maven 103 CTi shouldn’t be able to charge through variable snow, right? Wrong. While at 1610g, it weighs in squarely among touring-specific skis, the Maven 103 CTi offers a smooth, chatter-free, and really solid ride the second you duck off the groomers. Taking design elements from the FWT-proven Maverick 115 CTI and working them into a more versatile, everyday package designed for lighter-weight yet aggressive riders these things impressed our testers from boot-deep pow, to crud, to skiing tight trees.
Skier: Gabrielle Mondor. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren.
"I had a blast skiing on this ski in all conditions. It kept me afloat in some deep pow and charged through crud and ice with ease. It was super easy to manoeuvre these skis in tight trees but they also ripped on the groomers! These skis are very forgiving with a playful flex that makes them super fun on side hits and rollers." - Rylee Hackler
Skier: Rylee Hackler. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren.
Park & Jibbing:
While the Maven 103 isn't designed to be any kind of freestyle ski, it can be jibbed pretty comfortably. The forgiving flex butters and presses willingly and the low weight and relatively forward mount point translate to decent swingweight. There isn't much tail, so landing switch in mixed snow or tight transitions is a no-no, but that aside, these will do the job for occasional stunting while skiing the rest of the mountain. We'd steer well clear of rails because lightweight skis on rails tends to be a recipe for disaster.
Skier: Rylee Hackler. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren.
Who's it for?
Versatility means different things to different people depending on what your definition of “everyday skiing' is, but the Maven 103 CTi not only bridges the gap between the on- and off-piste categories, it truly excels in each. With a unique directional shape and lightweight but powerful carbon and titanal construction, the Maven 103 CTi is precise, agile, and fun for all-day resort laps no matter the conditions. These are a Goldilocks all-mountain women’s freeride ski - not too skinny, not too fat, not too stiff, not too soft. All of our female testers agreed on one thing - the Maven 103 CTi would be an excellent choice as a one-ski quiver for just about anywhere in the West. We reckon it could be your pow ski or touring ski out east too.
