Ski Reviews

2024-2025 Atomic Bent 100, 179 cm

Reviewer Username: KeithKow

Reviewer Height: 5’11”

Reviewer Weight: 175 lbs

Reviewer Experience Level: Advanced

DAYS USED: 14 days

TEST LOCATIONS: Zermatt, Park City, Whitetail

TEST CONDITIONS: Pretty firm snow | Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow) | Firm, off-piste chop or crud

PERFORMANCE RATINGS

(0 = Terrible, 5 = Okay, 10 = Outstanding)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 9/10

FORGIVENESS: 9/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Loose / Easy to Pivot & Smear?): 9/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Quick / Low is the Swing Weight?): 10/10

STABILITY: 7/10

SUSPENSION: 6/10

EDGE HOLD: 8/10

PLAYFULNESS: 9/10

PLAYFULNESS (Open Ended):

This ski is just plain fun. It’s loose, light, poppy, and very easy to flick around. I don’t ski anything center-mounted or spend time in the park, so my view of “playful” comes from a more directional perspective. That said, I found the Bent 100 to be one of the more playful skis I’ve been on. I saw Luke didn’t rate it highest for playfulness in his review, and I totally get where he’s coming from — but for someone like me who skis more directionally and still wants something quick and energetic, it was outstanding.

SKI LENGTH: It felt just right (179 cm length tested)

THIS SKI’S IDEAL SNOW CONDITIONS: Pretty firm snow | Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow) | Soft chop / pretty forgiving cut-up snow

WHAT TYPE(S) OF SKIER DO YOU IMAGINE WILL GET ALONG BEST WITH THIS SKI?

Honestly, it was hard for me to answer how likely I am to recommend this ski to others, because it depends what kind of ski you’ll tolerate. If it’s a specialty ski you are looking for, this isn’t it. Skiers who want something fairly easygoing and loose, but still capable enough to be skied hard — within reason. It favors a more centered stance and rewards finesse over force, but you can still lean into it a bit if you want to. I think it’s ideal for anyone who wants a lighter ski with a strong personality, but who doesn’t mind giving up some suspension and top-end stability in return.

ARE THERE SIMILAR PRODUCTS YOU’VE SKIED THAT YOU CLEARLY PREFER? IF SO, WHY?

I also ski the J Skis Masterblaster and Moment Countach 104. The Masterblaster is heavier and more planted — a solid charger for when things get variable — and it has a decent amount of playfulness for a metal laminate ski. But it doesn’t have great edge hold and it’s swing weight is much heavier than the Bent 100. The Countach comes closer — it approaches the flickability of the Bent and feels more energetic than the Masterblaster, but it’s still more directional overall for me. It has better edge hold and more stability than the Bent, so when I want to ski fast or stay composed in rougher snow, I’ll reach for either the Countach or the Masterblaster. But if the snow is soft and I just want to have a low-effort, high-fun day, the Bent 100 is the obvious choice.

PLEASE ELABORATE ON ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THIS SKI. FEEL FREE TO GO INTO DETAIL!

Before anything else, I feel like I need to acknowledge the elephant in the room: there are a lot of STRONG opinions out there about the Bent 100. I’ve read takes claiming it’s the best ski ever, and others saying it’s the worst. Well — it’s not the worst ski ever. Not even close. It’s actually a pretty damn great ski when you judge it for what it is. Most of the reviews out there are technically accurate — but the wildly different conclusions kind of miss the point. This ski was never meant to be a specialist. And when you take it on its own terms, it’s fantastic.

It’s light, loose, poppy, and super intuitive. Yes, it chatters at speed — but not in a way that feels unsafe. It doesn’t love chop, but if you stay playful and ski it with a bit of finesse, it’ll handle itself just fine. Accept it for what it is, ski it accordingly, and the Bent 100 can be an absolute blast.

What surprised me most was its edge hold. On firmer groomers, I was able to push it into the 50+ mph range without feeling like I was going to wash out. That’s not something I expected from a ski this light and playful — but it tracked better than it had any right to.

This ski changed how I ski — in a good way. I usually reach for heavier, more stable skis and drive them hard. But the Bent 100 let me take a more relaxed, creative approach without sacrificing too much performance. I wouldn’t choose it for refrozen mornings or 3pm chop, but in soft snow, wind buff, spring conditions, or mellow off-piste terrain, I can’t think of a ski that’s more fun. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do — and it does it really well.