First Look: Atomic Bent Chetler 120

Just in time for a trip to the world’s powder mecca of Hakuba, I was fortunate to receive a set of 192cm Bent 120s from Atomic. In a winter that hasn’t had much deep powder to write home about, I am excited to have some conditions to warrant such a ski, both abroad and at home in the Tetons. A major caveat to the new setup is that it came with the new Shift 16 binding from Atomic, AKA a metallically enhanced Shift, making for a burly feeling resort binding but certainly a bit of a handful (leg-full?) for our preferred human-powered touring here at THR. For the often lift-accessed touring terrain in Hakuba, as well as the occasional groomer/inbounds laps, the Shift is certainly confidence-inspiring for appropriately speedy groomer skiing. 

The Bent 120 has been on my radar for a few years as an interesting, widely available powder touring ski and particularly as a good powder travel/tourism ski. With its progressive shape, a touch of camber, and a reasonable sidecut, on paper it makes for a pretty versatile ski in powdery and firmer/resort powder conditions.

Regular readers will know that I have a strong preference for reverse-camber skis in most soft/untracked snow, as their ability to handle diverse backcountry conditions is hard to beat. However, when chairlifts, groomers, and perhaps some previously tracked powder snow come into play, a little pop of camber adds suspension, edge hold on groomers, and overall a higher energy and more damp feel. 

The tradeoff of adding camber to a big powder boat like the Bent is that the “boatiness” of these XXL skis is even more apparent, where something like the 191 4FRNT Renegade feels more nimble and pivot-ey, particularly at speed. Breakable crust performance also suffers where the camber and light weight of the big Bents make them feel like a bit of a handful. 

Overall, I’m excited about the Bents for their versatility across a broader range of conditions than my typical powder touring skis, as well as the fact that a large brand like Atomic offers a compelling lightweight powder touring ski (though they don’t market it as touring-specific). With a lightweight binding swapped for the Shift, they will be an excellent quiver ski as the biggest, floatiest ski in my arsenal; plus they have a twin tip (that holds a skin tail clip well thanks to the HRZN Tech), so I can practice my backwards skiing. 

Final note: Chris Benchetler’s art on these skis is super cool and a bit psychedelic; it’s hard to capture in photos, but the graphic has matte and glossy elements that are way funky. Plus, the skins are printed to match the top sheets, wild!

The Basic Specs

Dimensions (192cm): 144mm, 120mm, 135mm

Radius (192cm): 20m

Weight (192cm) unverified: ~1950g