2027 Atomic Bent Chetler 120

The 2027 Atomic Bent Chetler 120 keeps the train rolling when it comes to playful and floaty fun with excellent design. This ski gets a graphic refresh for this year but returns structurally unchanged. If you’ve been on the hunt for a creative ski that will not sink, this is the place to be. We’ve had a number of turns on this ski, in all sorts of conditions and terrain, and while it’s more versatile than the width lets on, it truly vibes with deep and fresh snow to go along with interesting and varying terrain.

There’s nothing offensive about these skis at all—they simply work fantastically in deeper and softer snow. By keeping it light and fun, the Bent Chetler 120 is a truly accessible powder twin. Built with a light poplar wood core that extends tip to tail, the build of the Bent Chetler 120 is sturdy enough to handle aggressive skiing, while the blend of the ski’s shape, profile, and construction meets up harmoniously to provide the exact intended result when ski hits snow. Tester Brad Moskowitz had a great time on his 120, stating that it was “Like the perfect powder weapon! Incredibly light and maneuverable for a ski of this size and girth. Amazing in the spring conditions as well. This ski just wants to play and slay in the soft snow environment.” The 184 hits a stated 1800 grams on the scale as per Atomic’s site, and that’s pretty darn mobile for a ski of this width. Makes for easy slash and smears for sure. The flex allows for easy manipulation of the ski, and that makes it a whole lot of fun in tighter and more technical spaces.

That flex also incorporates perfectly into the shape. In addition to the build, the footprint of the ski is fairly unique as well. The shape definitely stands out here, as the Bent Chetler 120 has some of the most dramatic rockers and most creative profiling out there. There’s a lot of splay in the tips and tails, adding to the skis flotation and playful character. With HRZN 3D Tech in the tips and tails, the ends of the ski are particularly amenable to staying on top of the snow and creating the ideal soft snow capacity. At 120 mm underfoot and with that lighter weight, agility is a huge plus here. Over the past few seasons on numerous powder days, Bob St.Pierre skied the 192, found the length to be perfect, and noted that “The Bent Chetler 120 creates an ideal platform to stand on in deeper snow. I skied it on two different powder days over the years and was totally blown away each time. The ski is totally smooth and stable in deeper snow and even wind-affected conditions. The shape gives you ideal confidence when it comes to moving around the mountain.” With a slightly shorter turn radius, the agility and mobility of the ski are off the charts, making it a fairly accessible powder ski for the masses. Blending the shape, profile, and construction seamlessly has been a great way to get out and enjoy deeper and more powder-filled turns.

This is a relatively approachable ski for how wide it is, but it’s still pretty darn wide. I can’t imagine a progressing skier being totally comfortable with the amount of width here, but I suppose if you go shorter it’ll be okay. Aggressive advanced skiers and experts will have the most success and luck here as the intended application is big mountain and burly conditions and terrain. It’s tough to test powder skis as they are scarcer, and powder days are hard to dial up, but this one is a good option to buy sight unseen if needed because it’s so universally appreciated.