Review: I Put A Touring Binding On Atomic’s FWT-Ready Maverick 115 CTi Skis

• Size skied: 185cm
• Lengths available: 177cm, 185cm, 193cm
• Sidecut: 129.5mm - 115mm - 141.5mm
• Radius: 18m (@185cm)
• Profile: Powder Rocker 30/50/20
• Weight: 2150g (@193cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction:

The 2025 Atomic Maverick 115 CTi is a bit of a genre-bender when it comes to design and construction. With a super-wide 115mm waist width, it’s undoubtedly a powder ski, but the stout, directional shape hides a very freestyle-friendly character. The shape takes some cues from both the current Bent 120 and the older Backland 117 freetouring skis. It resembles a Bent up front and blends into a Backland behind the binding, with a flatter tail and long taper lines. However, the surprisingly centered mount point pairs with a short-ish 18-meter turning radius and a medium-stiff and very round flex to make the ski feel loose and playful in pow, and a charger on firmer snow.

Inside, the ski features the same CTi construction found across most of the Maverick series. There’s a sheet of Titanal metal, a bit of carbon, and the same powerful ash and poplar wood core. That balances pop (remember poplar=pop) and damping properties from the ash. It all adds up to a relatively reasonable stated weight of 2150g for the 193cm version. I tested the 185cm and it tips the scales at a tad under 2000g. It’s not a featherweight touring ski, but that’s not the point. It’s meant to tackle big lines in deep snow, ski fast, and jump off stuff. You’ll want some meat under your feet for that.

Speaking of mount point, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa speaks a bit more deeply about the ski’s design and his preferred mounting in this video. Following some of Sage’s logic, I settled on mounting them at +2cm from recommended, and feel it perfectly balances stability and surfiness.

On-Snow Performance:

I knew I loved skiing the Maverick 115 CTi in resort-based powder conditions, and even blasting through crud on those days where you’re still hunting stashes after the storm dries up. In a different review of the ski, I put it this way, and I still stand by it: “It should come as no surprise that the Maverick 115 CTi excels at skiing fast in soft untracked snow, but what really surprised me after a few days of testing is how well it handles the kind of resort snow you’ll find a day or two after a storm. That means tracked up slopes covered in uneven, unpredictable snow. Crud, if you will. The Maverick absolutely eats that up, and makes it very easy to comfortably ski very fast in those conditions, with suspension that rivals a monster truck. The ski feels quite locked into turns, but the tail rocker gave me the ability to quickly release and smear the tails when I needed to dump speed and change direction in trees or bumps. It doesn’t feel quite as loose as the Bents do, but for resort skiing, I think that extra stability is a huge plus.”

But how does a ski with those characteristics perform as a touring ski? I mounted the ski with ATK’s new 400g Freeraider 15 EVO, paired it with my Tecnica Zero G Pro Tour boots, and set off into the backcountry to find out. I quickly got used to the additional weight of the ski, even on big days with lots of vert and many runs lapping a zone. It’s still significantly lighter than touring on a setup with Salomon Shift bindings or a CAST Freetour system.

When it comes to downhill performance in backcountry powder, it’s the ski’s ability to be both stable and super-nimble that stands out. It can slither through tight trees, easily make technical turns and quick direction changes in consequential places, and still offer unmatched stability when rocketing down aprons or carving huge turns on open faces.

In deep snow, that more forward mount point allows you to steer with the tails, scrub speed at will, and slarve down spines, pillows, and other three-dimensional features you might encounter in your adventures in the woods. In other words, it’s really easy to maneuver these in technical terrain. Unlike heavier, stiffer skis, the Maverick 115 CTi feels very alive and energetic in deep snow, and wants to get flexed and bounced around. The stiff tail also adds a ton of confidence when landing airs, and I found myself feeling encouraged to go bigger and find landings deeper than I normally would.

How does the Atomic Maverick 115 CTi compare?

Atomic’s Maverick 115 is worth comparing to a few similar models we’ve loved for playful backcountry freeride skiing: Salomon’s QST X, and the blackcrows Draco Freebird.

All three skis are excellent examples of extremely versatile and fun skis for playfully aggressive riding in deep snow. Want to go ski touring, but rip complex, featured terrain and jump off doingers with your buddies? Any of these would make a great option, offering a good balance between agility, stability, and a light-enough-for-touring construction.

Compared to the Salomon QST X, the Maverick feels a bit more directional, and prefers to be skied a bit more from the front of your boot. I also find it to be a bit more stable at high speeds and less likely to wheelie out on awkward landings. However, the QST X wins when it comes to both agility and taking the edge of cruddy, uneven snow.

Compared to the blackcrows Draco Freebird, I’d echo that same sentiment. The Maverick 115 CTi can better handle speed, and offers a more locked-in feel when you’re going fast. However, the lighter weight of the Draco Freebird makes it better suited as a daily-driver touring ski for deep snow.

What type of skier is the Atomic Maverick 115 CTi best for?

Turns out, the Maverick 115 CTi isn’t just a resort charger. It’s a remarkably good ski for backcountry touring when you want to take advantage of hero conditions and ski that remote line you’ve been eyeing all season that’s filled with airs, technical moves, and just begs to be shredded. Mount a pair of freeride touring bindings on it, and unleash this ski’s true potential.