Review: 2027 Atomic Bent 110 Skis

Atomic’s most versatile Bent is back unchanged for another year, and we’re absolutely not complaining about that. When Atomic first introduced the Bent 100 in 2018/19, fans of the brand and Chris Benchetler immediately started asking when a 110mm version—that everyday freestyle powder ski—would show up. In 2022, Atomic finally came out with that Bent 110, and fans of playful, versatile skis all collectively got very, very excited. Lucky for us, we get one more year out of the fan-favorite and award-winning ski. For 2027, the ski remains unchanged, save for a sick new muted topsheet colorway.

On paper, it’s an interesting hybrid of the more directional Bent 100, and the uber-playful deep-snow-only Bent 120. It’s light, but not too light, rockered, but not too rockered, and of course, it features yet another iteration of beautiful topsheet art by Chris Benchetler. There’s even a limited-edition version of the ski floating around with some psychedelic Grateful Dead topsheets. 

View the 3 images of this gallery on the
original article

Atomic Bent 110 Specs

• Size skied: 188cm, 180cm, 172cm
• Lengths available: 164cm, 172cm, 180cm, 188cm
• Sidecut: 134mm – 110mm – 125mm
• Radius: 19m (188cm)
• Profile: twin rocker
• Weight: 1750g (180cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Twin rocker shapes are a dime a dozen when it comes to playful powder skis, and Atomic executes it quite well with the Bent 110. There’s tons of tip and tail rocker and taper, a medium-length turn radius, and a few other tricks up its sleeve. Both the tip and tail feature Atomic’s HRZN Tech (3D turned up edges) to give the ski a bit more surface area and less hooky edges.

Inside, there’s not much in terms of space-age tech or crazy construction. It’s a wood core ski, with no titanal layers or elastomers to dampen the ride. Instead, a thin poplar core keeps the weight down but adds to the springy and lively character of the ski. Atomic adds their full-length Dura Cap sidewall construction for extra durability (I’ve skied nearly 200 days on a pair of these and they’re still going, so I can attest to the strength).

The Bent 110 has a very progressive recommended mount point of -3 cm from true center, and that’s where we liked it. 

On-Snow Performance

Now in its fifth year, we’ve had A LOT of time collectively on the Bent 110 here at POWDER. For me, I owned a pair a daily driver resort and sidecountry ski at Jackson Hole for two full seasons. It now resides on my entryway wall as a coatrack. This past winter, our crew of POWDER testers skied it in all manner of conditions at Grand Targhee, so we’d say we have a pretty good idea on what’s going on.

On snow, the Bent 110 is a story of both compromises and versatility. Two sides of the same coin, if you will. It’s pretty good at most things, but not really the best at any. Sometimes, while skiing the Bent 110, I found myself asking what conditions it actually was designed for. 

In deep snow, it pivots and slashes with the best of them, offering a really fun slow to medium-speed ride but lacks float and stability compared to similarly-sized skis. In resort conditions, it had plenty of edge grip and a ton of pop and rebound on hardpack, making for a very energetic and fun ski when laying it on edge. It wants to spend the day playing around, but it lacks the guts for all-out high-speed shredding, especially when things get choppy and tracked out. One thing is certain, though, I never got tired of skiing it and it always left me with a smile on my face.

When asked what conditions it works best in, tester Liz Schwab says: “Wind buff powder. You’ll feel invincible. Open it up, the skis have your back on every last second movement, or quick save. You can find your center again fast. And then the charge continues. The ski comes around making your turns a blast.”

“I was prepared to hate it. But I had a ton of fun on it. The ski is really easy to ski, and is a blast in the air. It’s lightweight and balanced in a way that makes you feel really solid in the air,” says tester Jack Beighle, who usually prefers stiffer, more directional skis.

The biggest compromise the Bent 110 makes is in its weight. It does get slapped around by variable snow a little more easily than most brands’ 110ish underfoot “playful” all mountain skis. That means it’s more suited to touring than those other options, but if you want to absolutely mob the day after the storm, make sure you bring your A-game and a centered stance if you want to push the Bent 110 hard. Tester Ian Halderman points out that the skis is best suited for “people with a neutral stance who like a fun surfy, ski. I think it’s not for people who drive the ski hard, particularly in crud. In weird snow it can feel really deflecty.”

It almost feels like the Bent 110 could either get 200ish grams heavier, and be a playful all-mountain crusher, or 200ish grams lighter and be a really cool lightweight touring ski. That fact that it isn’t either of those things though, makes it unique–and most of all, versatile.

Comparisons

Two comparisons immediately stand out when on this ski, to the Salomon QST X, and to the similarly-shaped but very different feeling Rossignol Sender Free 110.

Next to the Salomon, the Bent 110 offers a similarly playful ride, but offers better firm-snow performance thanks to a longer effective edge. I still wouldn’t consider the Bent 110 a firm snow specialist, but it can hang. The QST X is a better choice for deep powder touring.

While the shapes a quite similar, the Rossignol Sender Free 110 is a much better option for harder-charging skiers looking for a ski that offers high-speed stability and the ability to muscle through bad snow. On the flip side, the Bent 110 is far more approachable, and will make a better option for most skiers, especially those on the lighter side.

What type of skier is the Atomic Bent 110 best for? 

If you’re looking for a very versatile powder ski that can handle some inbounds skiing and some pow touring, the Bent 110 fits the bill. The freestyle-focused shape keeps things fun, no matter the conditions, and the low enough weight means you can mount a touring binding on them without breaking too much of a sweat on the skintrack.

What does the the perfect day on these look like? Click into your hybrid bindings (the Shift, Attack Hybrid, or CAST Freetour makes a lot of sense for this ski) or your pins, and grab first chair. Head out the gates, and ski shin deep pow all day. Maybe drop a few cliffs, duck through a few chutes, straightline out onto the apron. Then head back inbounds, and ride chairs for a few hours, making sure to jump off of everything, finishing up with a few laps in the park.