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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.
Mantra 88 — advanced and expert directional skiers whose home snow is firm, and who want carving performance out of a 90 mm-class all-mountain ski: groomers, ice, morning refreeze, chalk and shallow crud.. 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 | Mantra 88 | Bent 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 9🏆 | 6 |
| Park | 2 | 7🏆 |
| Playfulness | 3 | 9🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 5 | 8🏆 |
| Stability | 9🏆 | 5 |
| Powder | 3 | 6🏆 |
Advanced and expert directional skiers whose home snow is firm, and who want carving performance out of a 90 mm-class all-mountain ski: groomers, ice, morning refreeze, chalk and shallow crud. One independent review puts its on-piste carving ahead of some skis sold as piste-specific, and another describes edge hold as exemplary on hardpack refrozen overnight. It also works off piste on firm surfaces: one independent review calls chalk and shallow crud a fun blend of precision, power and suspension, while a tester who scored the ski 8/10 overall still reports it deflecting once the snow turns variable and choppy.
Skiers who log more off-piste days than groomer days: one independent review routes them to something more rockered, more tapered or softer, and means it. Deep-snow days: the tips submarine in fresh snow five or six inches deep over a frozen base, the ski gets hooky as depth builds, and Völkl's own tag set withholds Powder from it. Back-seat skiers get schooled by the tail — the review that defends this ski hardest agrees it becomes less predictable when you lean back. Anyone wanting a playful or forgiving ski should read the scores before buying: one panel logged Forgiveness 4/10 and Playfulness 4/10, and the panel split hardest here. Skiers who want tight, slow short turns will fight the sidecut and the flex pattern. Lighter, finesse-oriented skiers get pointed at the Völkl Blaze 86 or 94 instead. Mogul-first skiers are the unsettled case: one review tells them to choose another ski, while a PSIA demo-team coach and one more reviewer say it works in bumps — demo before you commit on that axis.
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.
Mantra 88 is best for advanced and expert directional skiers whose home snow is firm, and who want carving performance out of a 90 mm-class all-mountain ski: groomers, ice, morning refreeze, chalk and shallow crud. 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.
Völkl Mantra 88 has the highest Stability score in this comparison at 9/10. That score compares composure; it does not by itself mean the product is the most versatile choice.
Völkl Mantra 88 leads Carving in this comparison with a PTO score of 9/10.
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.
