Over a month ago now, we released our video and article summarizing the new 2023 Atomic Bent collection and gave our first thoughts on those skis. More recently, we put out our full review of the new Bent 110, a super unique powder ski that takes heavy influence from the freestyle side of the sport. Today we’re excited to share our experience and thoughts on the new Bent 90! We’ve probably had more questions about and interest in the 90 than any other of the new skis. Part of that is certainly the success of the Bent Chetler 100 over the past few years, although we can’t deny the fact that a $499 price point is enticing to a lot of skiers. Without a doubt, this Bent 90 packs a lot of value, and even before we bet into the performance of it, we’re confident in saying you’re going to see a lot of these on the slopes next season.

Before we get into the review, let’s summarize the shape and build of this ski. It basically shares all the same ingredients with the 100. We get a relatively simple poplar wood core pressed with Atomic’s Dura Cap construction method. Partial vertical sidewalls underfoot are met with cap construction throughout the whole ski. You get the benefits of vertical sidewalls underfoot with the increased durability of cap construction throughout the whole ski. Sweet! Then we get Atomic’s HRZN Tech tips and tails. This surfboard-inspired shaping concept is designed to boost float while also making the ski less catchy, easier to pivot and butter, and also more forgiving.

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Shape is relatively straight-forward to. In fact, if you take out the HRZN Tech, this ski is such a good example of how simplicity often results in a really good product. We get what Atomic refers to as 20% tip rocker and 10% tail rocker. Without getting out a micrometer, I would say if anything it’s more like 25% tip rocker and 5% tail rocker. Whatever it is, there’s more tip rocker than tail rocker and it’s noticeable, unlike the Bent 110, where the tip and tail rocker is just about the same. The tip is 10 mm wider than the tail of the ski, which comes in at a relatively narrow 109 mm. We also get a slightly straighter cut in these skis than most competitors’ twin tips The 184 cm length that Bob and I have been testing features a 21 m turn radius. Even the 175 cm length has a 19 m turn radius. Last thing we’ll say about these skis in regards to shape and construction is they’re impressively lightweight. That 175 cm length boasts a 1600 g per ski weight.

We wanted to do things a little differently for this review, and big thanks to Atomic for making it happen. There’s such a wide range of applications for this ski, we wanted to demonstrate and highlight how different you can make the ski depending on what you choose for mount point. To do so, Jeff and Bob both picked up a 184 cm Bent 90 to test, rather than sharing a single demo ski. After a heated best 2 out of 3 coin flip, Bob ended up with a Strive 16 binding to test on his, while Jeff got a Strive 14. Bob mounted his right on the Factory Recommended line, while Jeff opted to go as far forward as Atomic recommends, all the way to +6. That 6 cm difference in mount points causes a pretty significant difference in ski performance, and to start, we’ll here from Bob:

Bob’s Review - Skis Mounted on Factory Recommended Line:

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Just diving right in here, I’m having an absolute blast on these skis. I picked up a pair of Bent Chetler 100’s in the 188 last year after my beloved Nordica Soul Rider 87’s finally succumbed to years of proper use. I was instantly impressed with their powder and tree-skiing performance, but they did feel wider than they needed to be for my daily application here at Stowe. My eyes and ears perked right up when I found out about the incoming Bent 90’s for 2023, and the reality of my experience has met right up with my expectations. I wanted something for the tight bumps and narrow trees that I find myself in more often than not. Skiing with the kids, or by myself, I often end up in exploration mode—searching out still-hidden gems on Mount Mansfield. This is where the Bent 90 really starts to light it up. My 184, combined with the new Atomic/Salomon/Armada Strive 16 binding, this setup is light, maneuverable, and a ton of fun.

Starting with moguls, this is, quite simply, the best mogul ski I’ve been on in a very long time. It does not seem like it’s 90 mm underfoot for the quickness it provides. The Duracap construction, featuring HRZN Tech in the tips and tails, allows for nice, even, and predictable flex in the front and the back, making it easy and fun to drive the tips into the mogul and affording true zipper-line bump skiing. The tails release easily, providing the ability to push down on the back side of the trough keeping the skis on the snow. When you want to lift up and pre-hop some bumps, the 90’s respond well to that as well. Simply give the skis a little pop and slam them on the top of the next crest—the flex and bend of the ski conforms quite well to these maneuvers, giving the skier the ultimate in input as to the dynamics and style of line choice and approach angle. If you’re more of a “slowly ski over a few bumps at a time and then turn” type of skier, the Bent 90 will do that too—they're extremely amenable to making all sorts of turns when the moguls are in fine form. Or not. The jagged and burly bumps that we run into more often than not around here are a ton of fun as well! They do not have to be perfect moguls to enjoy on the Bent 90, and I think a lot of skiers are going to have newfound confidence and abilities in the bumps on these skis.

In the trees, the Bent 90 takes the quickness, maneuverability, and agility of the 100 to the next level. While you’re giving up a bit of surface area when the snow gets deeper, the 90 still handles up to 6-8 inches of fresh with no issues whatsoever. Here at Stowe, we go from tight evergreens up top to widely-spaced hardwoods at the bottom, so you need to be able to handle the bobsled-style on the upper mountain while being able to open it up down low. The Bent 90 is a totally intuitive ski in this arena. My kids can fit really easily in the banked turns of the spruce trees, but I can’t. As a result, it’s super-helpful to have skis that don’t fight against me in these zones, and that’s where the Bent 90 really comes in handy. The swivel, wiggle, and smear-factor of these skis is very high. You can put them where you want, when you want, and this allows for not only faster skiing in the woods, but also more creativity. They really raise the bar for playfulness in the woods, increasing the overall joy that you experience on skis. I’ve also talked quite a bit about the benefit of a twin tip in the woods around here, in that you can be skiing, make a hard turn or stop to scrub speed, and if you end up facing uphill, simply K-turn out of it and continue on your path. Bushwhacking and maneuvering through sketchy terrain is a total snap on the Bent 90, as you can falling-leaf down otherwise unapproachable lines. Jump turns happen almost preternaturally, giving you time to react to terrain and features further down the fall line. Anyone who wants to advance, progress, and make tree skiing a priority should take a square look at the Bent 90’s.

If bumps and trees were all that were, you would be a happy skier on the Bent 90, but fortunately there’s on-piste skiing, too! While the Bent 90 works just fine for me on groomed terrain, I do slightly outweigh and overpower my 184, especially at speed and on firmer conditions. I’m 6’2” and 225 pounds, so it’s not surprising that this is somewhat of a limitation for me on this ski. With a full-wood core, and partial cap construction, I’m not expecting Kendo or Brahma-esque carving performance. I can stand on the ski just fine and make clean and round carves, but I cannot push hard into the turn without over-flexing the shovel. If that’s the only area in which this ski falls short of perfect, I’ll take it because my priorities are in shorter turns and slower speeds, using the terrain as my playground. If you want to carve, get a carving ski, but don’t expect me to wait up for you in the bumps or trees. There’s no way I could ski a Brahma in the moguls or glades like I do the Bent 90, and that’s just how I like it. Skiers that want that on-trail carving performance and just want to dabble in the bumps or woods will likely prefer a stiffer and damper ski, but not me. I love the ease of turning, playful character, and fun-loving personality of the Bent 90.

Jeff’s Review - Skis Mounted at Atomic's +6 Line:

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I almost never get to slide rails when testing a ski for SkiEssentials.com. Big thanks to Atomic for letting me do that, and I’m really glad I did. I’ve been on the Bent 90 for almost a month now, using it as my personal park ski, my coaching ski, and basically my go-to daily driver if we’re not up there testing or filming something else. I opted for the +6 line to get them as centered as possible without screwing up the ski’s performance. That’s something I pay close attention to… You never want to go forward from the center of the cambered portion of a ski, and clearly Atomic understands that, as +6 is basically the limit here.

The Bent 90 is hands-down one of the lightest, quickest, most agile, and most forgiving park skis I’ve ever been on. Admittedly, it actually took me some time to get used to the weight. The total package is significantly lighter than my Soul Rider 97 + Pivot 18 combination that has filled the role as my park ski over the past few years. At first, I over-rotated a bunch of spins and almost didn’t know what to do, but after just a little bit of experience on the Bent 90, the lightweight feel turned into a massive benefit for me, rather than a hindrance. I’m 36 years old now. As many skiers remind me, that’s still pretty darn young, but in the park world, I’m an old guy. It shows in how I ski and I feel it when I try to ski to the potential of my mid-20s self. Throughout a day of sessioning park jumps with my good friend Karl, I found my legs were staying fresher throughout the day and it was easier for me to achieve relatively high level tricks. Super easy to throw around and once I got used to the lighter feel on my feet I was very pleased with some of the tricks I was landing. I kind of felt like my old self for a little bit, which was extremely rewarding.

On rails, they’re a blast. I’m usually mounted dead true center on a park ski, so I was a little concerned what being 1.5 cm back from true center would feel like on rails. I think the lighter weight feel has a lot to do with it, but they felt perfectly balanced to me, and the same light swing weight that took me a moment to adjust to on jumps was immediately helpful on rails. Spins on, multiple switch ups… they make high level rail tricks so much easier and again, less fatiguing, which for me is a huge benefit.

One of my favorite things about this ski in the park is the HRZN Tech tips and tails. I mentioned forgiveness earlier, and in my opinion, the HRZN Tech is responsible. They are incredibly smooth on takeoffs and landings. On some skis, if you’re not landing perfectly, the ski can feel kinda catchy and grabby. The HRZN Tech allows the tips and tails to move laterally ever-so-slightly upon landing, which gives you so much control as a skier and a less jarring impact if you’re not dialing in those 4-point landings. I also notice it when spinning switch. I often have a bad habit of initiating spins too early, which can result in your tip catching on takeoff and then usually a pretty bad fall. While it’s still best to be patient and do a correct switch takeoff, I found the Bent 90 was much more forgiving if I did rush things. That HRZN Tech once again adds a ton of forgiveness as the tip will wash around more easily rather than catching and sending you onto your side.

Now, admittedly park was my focus when I mounted these things where I did, but even on a centered ski, I’m going to ski it around the rest of the mountain too. Going this far forward did take away some carving performance. That’s what I noticed first. I couldn’t drive the fore-body of the ski and get it bend on the entry to a turn as much as when the bindings are further back. Instead, I had to rely on lateral turn initiation, which results in a less dynamic and less powerful carve. They still hold an edge pretty well for a simple wood core twin tip, but I won’t be laying over any GS turns on them anytime soon. The other downside to center mounting a ski is how much ski is behind you. Having a long tail can make trees, moguls, and other technical terrain more challenging, although I was pleasantly surprised how easy the Bent 90 was in terrain like with the setup I chose. I give a lot of credit to the narrower tail and straighter cut, combined with the HRZN Tech in the tail. The ski pivots and washes around behind you quite easily, allowing me to take it just about anywhere on the mountain, while retaining high level park performance.

Now, Bob and I kind of went to extremes here with our mount points. While there is 4 cm of potential mount points behind the Factory Recommended line, we don’t think too many skiers will feel a need to go back there. Between Factory Recommended and +6, however, there’s a huge range in mount points and a lot of customization to be had. Don’t want it as park-focused as Jeff, but also don’t want it as directional as Bob? No problem, you can go right in between those spots and get a nice blend of both sets of performance characteristics. With such an affordable price point and such a huge range in mount points, we’re excited to see how many people choose this ski, where they mount it, where they ski it, and ultimately what they like most about it. Regardless of how you choose to mount it and what it becomes for you, we’re very confident this ski is going to put a big smile on a lot of skiers’ faces next season.

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Written by Jeff Neagle on 02/23/22