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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (All-Mountain, All-Mountain Freestyle). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
FREERIDE 98 — advanced skiers who already own something narrow and want one wider ski for everything else at the resort: groomers in the morning, chopped-up snow by two o'clock, a run off the side of the piste when they find one.. Bent 100 — intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle.. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all skis on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | FREERIDE 98 | Bent 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 7🏆 | 6 |
| Park | 1 | 7🏆 |
| Playfulness | 3 | 9🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 3 | 8🏆 |
| Stability | 8🏆 | 5 |
| Powder | 4 | 6🏆 |
Advanced skiers who already own something narrow and want one wider ski for everything else at the resort: groomers in the morning, chopped-up snow by two o'clock, a run off the side of the piste when they find one. It suits skiers who ski fast enough to want two full sheets of metal working for them rather than against them, and skiers who want a flat ski and their own choice of binding. PTO carries all four lengths.
Four skiers should look elsewhere. If deep snow is the point of the purchase, the FREERIDE 108 is what Van Deer built for that, at exactly the same price. If you are a beginner or a soft intermediate, 98 mm on two full Titanal sheets is a demanding platform - Van Deer states no ability level, so that read is ours, but it is not a close call. If you want a quick, tight turn on a groomer, 16 to 19 m at this width will not make it: go narrow, to the PRO or the H-POWER 68. And if you want something light and playful underfoot, a two-sheet metal build is not that. One more, and it matters at this price: what you are buying is a spec sheet and a shape, not a ride report.
Intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle. It rewards people who like to press, slash and ride switch, plus lighter or less aggressive skiers who do not want to fight a heavy ski, and anyone after one do-it-all ski that still floats on a soft day. It also makes a light resort-to-sidecountry option.
Skiers who want a metal ski's hard-snow bite and race-like precision: with a light woodcore and no metal laminate, the Bent 100 handles a groomer but will not match a metal ski's edge hold on firm snow or feel as locked-in on ice. Heavier, aggressive skiers who charge through cut-up crud will feel the light build deflect - a metal all-mountain ski like the Nordica Enforcer 100 tracks that line better. True beginners should skip it too; independent reviews place it at intermediate and up. And if deep powder is the priority, the wider Bent 110 or Chetler 120 is the better tool.
FREERIDE 98 is best for advanced skiers who already own something narrow and want one wider ski for everything else at the resort: groomers in the morning, chopped-up snow by two o'clock, a run off the side of the piste when they find one. Bent 100 is best for intermediate and better skiers who value a light, quick, playful ride and drive the ski with finesse rather than muscle. The right choice depends on your terrain, ability, and riding style.
Van Deer FREERIDE 98 has the highest Stability score in this comparison at 8/10. That score compares composure; it does not by itself mean the product is the most versatile choice.
Van Deer FREERIDE 98 leads Carving in this comparison with a PTO score of 7/10.
Atomic Bent 100 has the highest Forgiveness score here at 8/10. Forgiveness is one factor in progression, not a claim that every beginner should choose it.
Not sure? Ask us.
