Featured Image: Andrew Maguire
All new for 2025/26, the Maverick 96 CTI brings a narrower package to the famed and reworked Maverick collection that Atomic has been perfecting over the last couple years. Excellently suited to carve fresh corduroy, slice ‘n dice zipper bump lines and even navigate a couple inches of fresh, these sticks are well suited for directional skiers who prefer a more traditional shape.
Construction
The Mav 96 was designed in North America and built in Atomic’s legendary Austrian factory, alongside the brand’s precision race skis. The construction features a well-tuned mix of carbon and titanal that wrap an ash and poplar wood core. This combination adds a ton of stability and dampens vibrations, especially at speed. The uniquely shaped three-dimensional tip offers expanded surface area for more float and versatility in powder and variable conditions. Additionally, the lower-impact design reduces CO2 equivalent emissions by 16%.
Specs:
Ski Lengths: 165, 172, 179, 186 cm
Turn Radius: 18 m @ 179 cm
Ski Dimensions: 129 – 96 – 114.5 mm @ 179 cm
Weight: 1,900 g / ski @ 179 cm
On my first run with these brand new planks, it was apparent that they were created for skiers who prefer a solid and damp feel. While not hooky, the tip’s edge bit quickly into the hour-old corduroy as I arced clean carves down the frontside of Deer Valley (highly recommended, by the way). Although the supportive chassis held securely, I was able to break the turn free with a simple flick of my heel, thanks to the 15% tail rocker. While it excels on-piste, off-piste it was still quite happy pivoting through moguls and powdery leftovers in an energetic manner.
Compared to the older Maverick 95 Ti, the new construction and the slightly more rockered tip and tail of the 96 CTI increases overall versatility, allowing it to be more than just a carving rockstar. It’s not as demanding as the Blizzard Anomaly 94 or Volkl Mantra M7, but that comes at a price of all out stability when approaching breakneck speeds.
Atomic has delivered a ski that feels like the ideal narrower extension of the Maverick line. A more than capable all-mountain performer, it excels in the fall line and wants to be driven directionally whether on western hard pack or east coast ice. If you’re looking for a ski that will deliver versatility when it hasn’t snowed recently, the Maverick 96 CTI would be an excellent choice.
