2027 Atomic Bent Decode Ski Review

Towards the start of the ski season, I started seeing an Atomic ski in World Cup Slopestyles and other events that I just couldn’t quite place. There was something about the tip shape I had never seen from Atomic before. I looked like a Bent, but it also didn’t look like a Bent. Could it be a new Bent 90? Something new all together? My curiosity was piqued.

Fast forward a few weeks or maybe a month and I got my answer. It is something new all together! That ski I had been seeing on the feet of some of the best park skiers in the world was the new 2027 Bent Decode, and addition to the popular Bent lineup for 2027. It’s important to note that the rest of the Bent collection stays intact as is for 2027, aside from receiving new topsheet graphics as they do annually. If you’re a fan of the Bent collection, rest assured all the skis you know and love come back with the same performance. This Bent Decode is almost a completely separate thing. I do think it belong in the line, but I like how Atomic has differentiated it through its name and also its graphics. The existing Bent skis, particularly the 90 and 100, have become exceptionally popular skis and speak to a wide range of skiers thanks to their versatility. If anything, at least subjectively, I have always thought of them as all-mountain skis first and park skis second. They’re perfectly appropriate in the park, but their capabilities outside the park have always made me point to that performance first. The Bent Decode goes the other direction. To quote Atomic, it is “specifically engineered for high-performance park skiing with advanced durability, a bold new tip shape, and optimized flex and sidecut.” That’s quite different than how Atomic talks about any previous Bent skis. As a park skier myself, curiosity was piqued even more.

So what’s different about these skis compared to other Bents, and particularly the Bent 90 since they share similar widths? On one hand, not much. They’re both twin tips and they’re both around 90 mm underfoot. On the other hand, A LOT. They’re almost completely opposites when viewing them through a certain lens. To start, the Bent Decode is a much more symmetrical ski. It’s not perfectly symmetrical, but it’s close. There’s a 5 mm drop from tip to tail width, but the rocker profile is perfectly balanced with equal amounts of tip and tail rocker. Compared to the Bent 90, which is much more directional, the Bent Decode has less tip rocker, but more tail rocker. It also has a shorter turn radius, with the Bent Decode coming in at 17 m in the 177 cm length and 18 m in the 185 cm length I have been skiing. That’s a considerably shorter radius than the Bent 90, which has always had a relatively long radius within its class of skis. While you could stand at a distance and look at a Bent Decode and Bent 90 and they might look relatively similar from a shape perspective, the closer you get and the more you start looking at the details, the more and more different they become.

At a Glance:

2027 Atomic Bent Decode Skis

Then there’s the construction. Bent skis have always had relatively simple construction, which helps Atomic keep them affordable. The Bent Decode doesn’t take a huge departure from this concept, but there is a little more going on here. It starts with a poplar wood core that’s bolstered by a layer of ABS underneath the core that Atomic is calling “ABS CoreGuard.” According to Atomic, “ABS CoreGuard adds strength underfoot for higher impact resistance to meet the modern demands of the park.” Anytime a company speaks directly to improving durability on park skis, I really appreciate it. As a lifelong park skiers, I’ve broken countless skis and it almost always starts with cracked edges underfoot. Even if it prolongs the inevitable by a marginal amount, I’m all for it. Adding this layer of material does do a couple things. It increases weight by about 250 g compared to the Bent 90. It’s important to remember that the Bent 90 is exceptionally light, so adding 250 g still keeps the Bent Decode in what I would consider the lightweight range. The 177 cm comes in at 1850 g, which feels about average for a park ski of this width. It also adds some cost to the manufacturing process, which is reflected in the price of the ski. For 2027, the Bent Decode comes in at $699 compared to the Bent 90 at $599. $699 is getting up there for a park ski, but I think it’s justifiable on the Bent Decode as a lot has gone into its development. While adding material is improving durability, it’s certainly not adding stiffness. In fact, the Bent Decode is noticeably softer than the Bent 90. It has a lovely flex pattern that’s quite consistent from tip to tail with an easy-going, round flex that has a nice amount of energy too. The last important construction element is the HRZN 3D tip design. This is essentially the third version of HRZN Tech we’ve seen in Bent skis. It’s more like the shape found in the 90 rather than the recently updated 100. Still, it’s a little shorter than the 90 and the metal edges actually extend further towards the tip and tail in the Decode.

When it comes to performance, Atomic states the Bent Decode is “75% Park, 25% All-Mountain.” I don’t necessarily disagree with that, but it does feel like it could actually be 90% Park, 10% All-Mountain. As a park ski, it is phenomenal. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a brand like Atomic, but it’s still praiseworthy. Bob asked me what word I would use to describe it in the park and I said precise. I think that’s an interesting word to use to describe park skis, but it feels accurate. This ski gives you so much control. There’s relatively high camber, which in turn gives you a great connection to the snow. Some park skis these days feel exceptionally loose, washy, or buttery. The Bent Decode can do buttery things when you ask it to, but it doesn’t have that personality first and foremost. It feels quick, agile, accurate, precise, and for me, actually encouraged and inspired me to ski with a little more purpose and intention myself. The older I get, the more I can justify being lazy in the park. The Bent Decode is still a forgiving ski, but it encourages good skiing. It wants you to try a little harder, but never gives you a hard time if you can’t muster that extra energy. I can’t think of another park ski that strikes the same level of precision while still providing the necessary forgiveness to allow for mistakes.

Sticking with park for a little bit here... if you read our reviews or watch our videos, you might know the K2 Reckoner 102 has been my “favorite” park ski for at least a couple seasons now. I can’t say that the Bent Decode has dethroned the Reckoner 102, but now it’s more of a parliamentary situation with those two skis sharing governing powers. If I lost you with that analogy, I think I now have two favorite park skis: the Reckoner 102 and the Bent Decode. Interestingly, I ski them differently. The Bent Decode energizes me and my skiing, while the Reckoner 102 influences my skiing with more flow and potentially a smoother style. I thoroughly enjoy skiing both and will definitely ski them both in the park next year, but I do think I’ll choose certain skis based on my attitude, energy level, and ultimately stylistic preference for that day. While not everyone will own both skis, I do think you can use a similar strategy when choosing between them or choosing between this ski and another twin tip with different properties.

So, it’s great in the park. If I haven’t established that yet, let it be known, this is a fantastic park ski. What can it do outside of the park? To be honest, considering how good it is in a park setting, I kind of don’t care what else it can do. I, and I think a lot of other park skiers, are perfectly willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve the feel and performance I want on snow. What, then, are those sacrifices?

In soft snow and off-piste scenarios, it’s actually quite fun to ski. The tip and tail shape cuts through soft snd choppy snow conditions. It does, however, have the limitations that come along with being a relatively soft-flexing ski and also being center mounted. In deep snow, you won’t find as much float here as you do in the more directional Ben skis. You might feel like you’re going over the handlebars from time to time. It’s just something to be aware of, you can’t be too far forward on them in soft snow. They’ll kind of plow with the soft-flexing tip and then you’ll feel unstable. In bumps and tight trees, you have to be aware there’s a lot of ski behind you. This isn’t different than any other center mounted ski, however, and if anything, the Bent Decode is very manueverable considering its mount point. I had a lot of fun in the bumps as despite the mount point and there being a lot of ski behind you, the soft flex and the HRZN 3D tip design lets the ski swivel around behind you much more easily than most park skis. If you want a ripping park ski that can handle bumps, this is a fantastic option, which isn’t terribly surprising the Bent 90 has those attributes, except I would classify the Bent 90 as a ripping bump ski that can handle park.

On a groomer, you just have to curb your expectations and ski within its means. It’s not intended to be a carving ski. None of the Bents claim to be carving focused skis. They’re about creativity and fun and the Bent Decode has that in spades. While it doesn’t really have the torsional stiffness to lay over powerful carving turns, you will find yourself popping off side hits, finding natural features, skiing switch, ollieing, nollieing, and doing all sort of other fun stuff. It’s really good at making the most of a rolling groomer as you make your way to the park. It’s not very good at high speed, high edge angle carves on steep, firm terrain, but that’s not surprising by any means.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the addition of this ski to Atomic’s Bent collection. While I’ve always enjoyed the Bent skis and fully appreciated their performance and their success as a product, I have wished there was a more park-focused option. When the Bent 90 came out, we skied it in the park a lot, and it certainly works, but it never felt like park was its primary focus. That’s completely flipped for the Bent Decode, and I think that’s awesome.