2026 Atomic Maverick 96 CTI Ski Review with SkiEssentials.com

Jeff and Bob chat about the new 2026 Atomic Maverick 96 CTI, how it's different than the Maverick 95 Ti, some new comparisons, and more!

0:00 - Intro
3:40 - Construction
8:25 - Shape
11:40 - On-Piste Performance
19:30 - Off-Piste Performance

[delriv]

Well done gentlemen. Being able to articulate what you’re feeling into words is no easy task.

[glennrussell]

This channel, and Ski Essentials overall, is (by far) the best resource for gaining really important and unbiased insights into all the latest alpine ski equipment as well as the industry as a whole. In particular, Jeff and Bob are true expert skiers and ski testers who personally ski on dozens of skis each season offering really constructive opinions on how these products perform in actual conditions that you and I would likely experience. I live in Breckenridge, Colorado and typically ski 80+ days each season. I have multiple pairs of skis and depend on Ski Essentials to guide my equipment purchases each season. They are, unequivocally, the best of the best!

[patrion]

Right at the start of the Performance part, i thought "This looks and sounds like a more directional Rustler 9". Well, guess i've been on spot :) Great to see they've open the ski up for more of the skiing population.

Also gotta say i appreciated the studio format for a full intro to a new / reworked ski.

[NikosPer]

Thank you guys for what you do, 2:56 their rockers on paper are more aligned thats probably the reason. Can't wait for the 88s !

[danieldunlop]

Love your reviews! Waiting impatiently for the Maverick 88CTI…

[DK-nhrf]

Great review as always guys!

Any chance you could please tell us the broad strokes of how the new 88 CTI differs from this ski and the old 88 TI?

I'm thinking of snapping up a pair of the old 88 TIs on sale before the ski shops close, and may not be able to wait for your video on the 88 CTIs.

Thanks for all your great reviews!

[jernej]

It's me again :D
Great review, as always, thanks!
Now, I tested the new Maverick 88 CTi a few weeks ago and loved it! The conditions that day were choppy and fairly wet/heavy. The ski felt stable and very powerful. I didn't get a chance to test them on a firm groomer though.
Now, since I'm Slovenian and live like 15km from the factory, of course I need to consider Elan as well. And I finally managed to get the Ripstick 88 to test for a few days. The conditions yesterday were very firm in the morning and quite soft and slushy at midday. The Ripstick felt great as soon as the snow started softening up a bit. Playful and easy. But it didn't feel as powerful as the Maverick.
I'm eagerly awaiting the review of the 88 but what would you say are the main points for/against the Ripstick vs. Maverick in 88?

[philh]

Thank you for answering my question regarding my Maverick Redster Q7.8 recently on your other video. Dude, the Q7.8s are awesome on-piste, even in cruddy snow/changing conditions—just like you said, they're crisp. My 2024 Elan Ripstick 96s are great for bumps and trees, but they chatter a bit and get hung up in heavy snow on piste. The Q7.8s are way smoother on my painful legs condition probably from the dampness and lack of vibrations/energy being transferred directly into my legs. Hey, so how do the Ripsticks 96s stack up against the Maverick 96s in the trees and crud? Thinking of taking just one ski on my Utah/Tahoe trips next year and need something more versatile than my Q7.8s (daily driver) since my home hill's mostly groomers, and those trips will have more varied terrain with bowls, powder, trees, moguls, etc. Will be buying from you guys again!

[flyer]

Ugh... another choice to look at for next season. For off-piste how does it compare to the outgoing QST98 or the new QST100? I'm looking for another ski to put in quiver for mixed snow on-piste (slush spring, mixed like you stated) and can handle NorthEast woods. For firmer days I have my racetiger GS boards. I demo'd the 95ti and qst98's in spring conditions a few weeks ago and felt the qst98 felt better (maybe a bit more forgiving). Though I liked the energy the 95ti gave exiting the turns (could load the tails up nicely)

[paf]

Great videos!! How would these compare to elan ripstick 96 black edition? In terms of edge grip, flotation, and overall performance. Thanks!

[NikeLikeMike]

Will there be a new version of Maverick 88 Ti as well?

[AmoresAJ]

I'm really curious how you feel about this ski vs the new QST94 overall for all conditions. I saw the comment below and was surprised you prefer the QST for carving...

[dj]

Great video guys, as always! I have myself an Unleashed 98 (and love it), and was looking to round out the quiver for a better carving ski for big euro pistes. Would you go 96cti or 88cti? Also-- how's the versatility on the 88? Really looking forward to that vid. Cheers!

[danbraden]

Sounds like a shoot out between 96cti and Rustler9 any others to demo? Was going to get the Stormrider95 after demoing many skis out here in Colorado and weighing 200lbs for the all mountain ski quiver.

[aariumedaly]

Comparing strictly carving performance how would you rate the new Qst 94 vs the Mav96?

[johncrbeckett]

Hi great video. What length would you recommend for a 182cm tall man advanced skier at 73kg? Want to ski all mountain but as much off piste as possible?

[lorenzobarbarini]

goodmorning, i’d like to buy the maverick 105 CTI ; but i’m undecided about the size : i’m 1, 78 m and i weigh 64kg.
i consider myself an expert on the ski slope but an intermediate in freeriding, i like to go pretty fast and i do wide curves.
i have to choose between 178 and 185 lenght.
thank you for your help and your great video :)

[ASCgreen]

Maverick 96 CTI or M-pro 94 Ti for a high advanced one ski? First priority off-piste, second priority carving. Or another line entirely? Great review as always!

[aleks]

Sounds like competition for the sender soul? Would be a cool comparison video like with armada declivity

[ronnydorling]

This season I demoed 9 skis (90-100mm all mountain) in anticipation of getting a new daily driver for BC. Funnily enough my top picks were Maverick 95 TI or Kore 99 and both have been updated for the coming year. Have they changed enough such that I should go for the 2025 model instead of the 2026?