I respect a brand that is willing to change direction when something isn’t as successful as they would have liked. Atomic did that with the outgoing Vantage collection and the new Mavericks. I recall riding the lift with Daron Rahlves last year and seeing his excitement with the new skis, and that made me really look forward to getting on them. Daron mentioned all of the incarnations of the designs and the process in time and detail that it took to get to the final product with the Mavericks and felt that they really hit their target. FWIW, Daron tends not to mince words.
What can be said about the sixth generation Mantra that hasn’t been said about past Mantras? Well, a lot. Volkl has done more with this new Mantra than almost any other previous Mantra (except maybe when they tried the zero camber 100 mm version, but let‘s let that sleeping dog lie). The new M6 incorporates Volkl’s very good 3D sidecut which has longer turn radii in the tip and tail but a tighter radius underfoot. IMHO, 3D sidecut, when added, has significantly enhanced the performance of every Volkl I have skied. Just as big of a change as the 3D sidecut is the tailoring (or scaling) of the construction of the Mantra; this is all new and it creates the same skiing experience for someone who is on the (new) 163 all the way to the 191. In the past, that just was not the case.
- Why chose the Maverick 95ti: Light yet with a powerful feel, powerful yet with a playful peppiness. You are looking for a ski that not only can fight and handle crud but also dance down the hill.
- Why choose the M6 Mantra: Now there is a Mantra for everyone…who likes to charge. If your previous Mantra generations worked for you, you will be at home here. Now with the “Tailored” sizing, there is a Mantra for skiers small and large who want to pound the mountain into submission.
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