Atomic Maven 103 CTI Women's Skis 26/27
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PTO Verdict
“Light and floaty for a 103; fast, frozen groomers are where it gives ground.”
Best for: Advanced skiers who seek out soft snow, trees and chop and want something light and lively there, but still need it to hold on the groomers that lead home. It also fits someone who wants to climb on a 103, with a hybrid or touring binding.
Not for: Groomer-first skiers: a 24/25 review wanted more mass for frozen groomers at speed. Hard chargers who want maximum power in crud: a ski test's 25/26 write-up, repeated for 26/27, says there are 'more powerful options' for that. And anyone who skis from the backseat, because the tail is the stiff end.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible Ski Bindings
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Description
The Atomic Maven 103 CTI is a light women's freeride ski. Atomic calls it "a pure all-conditions freeride ski"; its catalog files the ski under All Mountain · Maven. Atomic's skill scale marks Advanced and Expert, not Beginner. Its 26/27 colorway is Brick.
Under the Glossy Topsheet is a Power Woodcore with CTI Powered reinforcement. Ski tests describe that core as poplar and ash with carbon and titanal, and one puts the metal underfoot. The tip uses Atomic's HRZN 3D Maverick/Maven shaping, which one ski test likens to a boat hull that adds float without adding width. Atomic lists a directional shape with an All Mountain Rocker 20/65/15 profile; a ski test describes rocker at both ends around camber underfoot. Atomic also lists Dura Cap Sidewall, World Cup Base Finish, an 87° side edge and a 1.0° base edge.
Width and radius grow with length, from 127-102.5-116 mm and a 15 m radius at 156 cm to 132.5-104-121.5 mm and 18 m at 178 cm. The only weight Atomic gives is for the 170 cm: 1,610 g per ski.
Most published testing covers the 24/25 launch ski; one ski test reports no structural change since and only a new graphic for 26/27. Testers praise its float and how easily it moves through trees; they split on its grip on hard snow, its power in heavy crud, how forgiving it is and whether it skis short.
We'd point an advanced skier who spends most days in powder and the trees toward the Maven 103 CTI. Groomer-first skiers are better off on something narrower, and hard chargers after maximum power in heavy crud on something heavier. Skiers who habitually sit back should look elsewhere; the tail is the less forgiving end.
No binding comes with it. We'll help you settle on a length and a binding that suits your skiing. If this ski and the binding you pick are both bought here, mounting the binding is free.
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Atomic
- SKU
- AA0030886156
- UPC / GTIN
- 00887445515227
156 cm
Atomic Maven 103 CTI
By PTO Team, Based on the manufacturer’s published specs and published third-party testing
Spec analysis and published third-party testing · Analysis dated
These 10-point scores express PTO's editorial assessment of suitability for each use. They are not customer ratings or instrumented measurements; the analysis below explains the trade-offs.
Specs
- Waist
- 102.5 mm (156 cm) · 103 mm (162 cm) · 103.5 mm (170 cm) · 104 mm (178 cm)
- Dimensions
- 127-102.5-116 mm (156 cm) · 128.5-103-117.5 mm (162 cm) · 130.5-103.5-119.5 mm (170 cm) · 132.5-104-121.5 mm (178 cm)
- Turn radius
- 15 m (156 cm) · 16 m (162 cm) · 17 m (170 cm) · 18 m (178 cm)
- Profile
- All Mountain Rocker 20/65/15
- Shape
- Directional
- Core
- Power Woodcore (ski tests describe poplar and ash)
- Reinforcement
- CTI Powered (ski tests describe carbon and titanal)
- Tip
- HRZN 3D Maverick/Maven
- Sidewall
- Dura Cap Sidewall
- Base
- World Cup Base Finish
- Topsheet
- Glossy Topsheet
- Edge angles
- Side 87° · base 1.0°
- Weight
- 1,610 g per ski at 170 cm (Atomic doesn't give a weight for other lengths)
- Skill level
- Advanced, Expert (lit on Atomic's Beginner / Advanced / Expert scale)
- Gender
- Women's
- Binding
- Sold flat - no binding included
- Lengths
- 156 / 162 / 170 / 178 cm
The take
“Light and floaty for a 103; fast, frozen groomers are where it gives ground.”
This ski gives you a lot of float for not much weight, and that combination is what you're paying for. Testers found the 24/25 ski floaty and easy to steer through trees and bumps. Atomic's figure for a 170 is 1,610 g, and the Maven 103 CTI lists at $1,030 without a binding.
On a firm groomer, the Maven holds up better than its width would suggest. Two 26/27 testers came away impressed by how it handled hardpack, one noting it didn't chatter there 'the way some wider skis can'. Push it fast on frozen groomers, though, and a 24/25 magazine review says 'a bit more mass' would likely help. It will take you down a firm run in control; if you like to open it up when the groomers are rock hard, that's a job for a heavier ski.
Heavy chop is where opinions split. Three 24/25 accounts found the Maven composed in chopped snow. A ski test's write-up, first published for 25/26 and repeated word for word for 26/27, points to 'more powerful options' for 'true crud busting and aggressive skiing'. Of the 15 score sheets we could use from that test's three seasons, 14 came from skiers of 120 to 155 lb, so a heavier skier has little to go on here. If that's you and you charge through crud, we'd start with something that carries more mass.
Stance and speed decide how forgiving the Maven feels. One 24/25 tester called the back half 'unforgiving' and got 'bucked' when sitting back even a little. A 52 kg reviewer who spent that season on a 170 that Atomic supplied called it 'rather aggressive, stiff' and found it sluggish at low speed. Stay centered and keep it moving, and it pays you back; sit back or slow to a crawl, and it turns into work.
Against heavier rivals, the Maven gives up damping for an easier feel. In a 24/25 magazine review, it came out 'a bit more friendly and fun' than the heavier, damper Blizzard Sheeva 10 and Nordica Santa Ana 102, and a better choice off the groomers. For stability, Atomic's own Bent 100 is worth a look too: a 24/25 tester who skied it right before the Maven found the Bent 'much more stable', though the sheet doesn't say what snow they were on. If damping matters most, try the Blizzard and the Nordica first; if you'd rather have the friendlier ski, stay with the Maven.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: No binding included; when both this ski and its binding are bought from us, the binding is mounted free. A 24/25 magazine review found Atomic's line 'decently far forward' for a directional ski, and its testers made no forward or back adjustment. Our pick: An alpine freeride binding whose brake clears this ski's waist (shop suggestion).
- Alpine freeride bindingLift-served powder days and tree runs
For resort skiing, where downhill support counts for more than weight; we'll match brake width to the waist and the model to your skiing.
- Hybrid or touring bindingClimbing for soft snow beyond the lifts
Our pick if you skin for some of your snow; we help you balance climbing weight and downhill hold.
Atomic's catalog marks the ski Flat, with no binding named, so both options are our suggestions. Your boot soles - alpine, GripWalk or touring - decide which bindings fit, so we check boots and binding against each other first. When you buy both the ski and the binding here, the mount is free, and the technician who mounts the binding also sets the release.
Common Questions
- What changed on the Maven 103 CTI for 26/27?
- A new graphic is the only change one ski test reports; that test has followed the Maven since its 24/25 launch and found no structural change for 25/26 either. Atomic's page doesn't say what changed, but its 26/27 dimensions and radius for the 170 match the figures a magazine printed in 2024 for the launch ski. Brick, the colorway listed here, is the 26/27 version.
- How does the Maven 103 CTI differ from the Maverick 105 CTI?
- In the two lengths both skis come in, 170 and 178 cm, Atomic lists identical dimensions and radii, plus the same rocker profile, edge angles and $1,030 MSRP; its catalog also gives both the same construction names apart from the topsheet finish. Only the Maven, Atomic's women's model, comes in 156 and 162 cm, while the unisex Maverick 105 CTI runs on to 185 and 191 cm. Atomic weighs the two at different lengths and doesn't publish a flex figure for either, so its figures can't show whether they ski alike; at 170 or 178, describe your skiing to us and we'll talk it through.
- What length Maven 103 CTI should I get?
- Atomic makes four lengths, from 156 to 178 cm, and testers disagree on whether it skis short or true to length. Taking the 178, one 24/25 tester found it skied 'pretty short'; another reviewer that season, 52 kg and on a 170 Atomic supplied, thought the shorter length would probably have been the better choice in tight terrain. Give us your height, your weight and the kind of terrain you ski, and we'll work out a length with you.
- What binding should the Maven 103 CTI get, and will it tour?
- It comes flat: you choose the binding yourself, and if you buy that binding and this ski from our shop, the mounting is free. One 24/25 reviewer, on a pair Atomic supplied, skied it for a whole winter on a hybrid binding, tours included, and a ski this light makes sense for that kind of setup. For climbing, we'll help you choose between hybrid and touring designs.
- Is the Maven 103 CTI too much ski for an intermediate?
- Atomic's skill rating says Advanced and Expert, yet seven of the eight testers on the 24/25 ski named intermediate or 'mid' skiers among those it suits, while a 2025/26 test says it 'needs a good skier to stay on top of'. A strong intermediate who already skis soft snow from a centered stance can grow into it; if you're still finding your balance off the groomer, start on a narrower ski.
