1 / 6Atomic Bent Chetler 120 Skis
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PTO Verdict
“A 120 mm deep-snow specialist: huge float, playful and light, but it hands the mountain back the moment the snow turns firm.”
Best for: Advanced and expert skiers who ski soft snow first and want a light, forgiving, playful ski that floats without a fight - deep resort days, tree runs, pillow lines, and cat, heli or touring laps where the snow stays soft. It also suits a confident intermediate who mostly rides powder, since the big float and low swing weight do a lot of the work.
Not for: Anyone skiing mostly groomers, or after a do-it-all ski. At 120 mm the Bent Chetler 120 barely grips firm groomers or ice - it reaches the lift and no further - so on-piste skiers and true one-ski buyers are better served by the Bent 110 or Bent 100. It is also the wrong ski for hard-charging skiers who want a metal ski's calm at speed in broken snow; a heavier directional charger does that better. And it is a poor fit for budget-first buyers, or anyone who rarely sees deep snow: it is a $1,100 specialist sold flat, so a binding and mounting come on top, and it earns its keep only on the days it was built for.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible Ski Bindings
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
The wide end of Atomic's Bent line, built for one job: floating soft snow. At 120mm underfoot with a Powder Rocker profile, the HRZN 3D Bent tip and tail lift out early so the ski planes and surfs instead of plowing.
- Skiers who get real deep-snow days — powder, soft chop, storm-day bowls
- Riders who want a surfy, playful feel, not a locked-in carver
- Anyone adding a powder ski to a quiver that already has something narrower
- One-ski-quiver shoppers — at 120mm it's a specialist, not a daily driver
- Groomer and icy-resort skiers — too wide and slow edge-to-edge
- Beginners — that much width and float is a handful before the basics
The light build that makes it fun in soft snow is its limit: in heavy, cut-up snow it gets knocked around and won't bulldoze crud like a heavier ski.
If deep and soft is your idea of a great day, it's one of the most enjoyable ways to ski it. Sold flat (no binding), in 176, 184, and 192 cm — it rides short thanks to the rocker, so most won't size down. Talk to us about length and binding.
Specs
- Waist width: 120 mm
- Sidecut: 143 / 120 / 134 mm (at 184 cm)
- Turn radius: 19 m (at 184 cm)
- Weight: 1800 g per ski (184 cm)
- Profile: Rocker / Camber / Rocker
- Core: Light wood core (poplar)
- Construction: DuraCap sidewall; carbon backbone
- Base: Sintered
- Lengths: 176 · 184 · 192 cm
- Source: independent ski test, 2025
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Atomic
- SKU
- AA0030690176
- UPC / GTIN
- 00887445463412
Multicolor / 176
Atomic Bent Chetler 120
By PTO Team, Based on the manufacturer’s published specs and published third-party testing
Spec analysis and published third-party testing · Analysis dated
These 10-point scores express PTO's editorial assessment of suitability for each use. They are not customer ratings or instrumented measurements; the analysis below explains the trade-offs.
The take
“A 120 mm deep-snow specialist: huge float, playful and light, but it hands the mountain back the moment the snow turns firm.”
Atomic's Bent Chetler 120 is a specialist, and it is honest about being one. This is Atomic's playful deep-snow ski: a 120 mm waist, a fully three-dimensional HRZN 3D Bent tip and tail, and a light wood core, all tuned to chase float and fun ahead of hard-snow grip. The 26/27 reads as a straight carryover of the redesign that pulled the Bent Chetler back toward its backcountry-freestyle roots: Atomic's workbook marks it carried over rather than new, and the current specs line up, so we treat the redesign-era reviews as still describing this ski.
In soft snow the independent reviews line up, and float is the story. Reviewers describe it planing high and feeling almost frictionless underfoot, stable and surfy when you open it up, yet quick and easy to pivot at low speed despite the size. That low swing weight is what lets it slash, nose-butter and spin so readily, which is the reason the ski exists. The redesign left it firmer under the foot than the old one, so it backs up landings and small drops without feeling dead, though reviewers are clear it is still a soft ski, not a powerful one.
Away from soft snow the Bent Chetler 120 gives a lot back, and this is where buyers get it wrong. On firm groomers and ice the edge hold is limited; it will ferry you to the chair, but it does not carve. In fast, cut-up crud a heavier metal ski stays settled where this one gets shoved around, so it is not a charger. And the size run is coarse: three lengths, spaced wide. The deep tip-and-tail rocker makes it ski a bit shorter than the number, which eases the gaps, but it is still a blunt set of choices.
Within Atomic's Bent family the 120 sits at the powder-specialist end. For one ski to handle the whole hill or genuine hard-snow bite, step down to the Bent 110 or Bent 100 instead; they trade float for range and grip. Want a metal ski's composure in fast, firm, broken snow? A heavier directional charger such as the Salomon QST X, or a metal ski from Atomic's own Maverick line, does that job. The Bent Chetler 120 is for the skier who truly gets the deep days and wants to play on them.
On sizing, reviewers slot the 176 into tight trees, the 192 onto big open faces, and the 184 as the do-most middle; because the rocker skis short, most advanced skiers can pick by terrain rather than sizing up. It is light for its width - about 1,800 g per ski at 184 cm - light enough to double as a lightweight touring ski on a pin binding. It sells flat at $1,100 MSRP, so a binding and mounting come on top; that cost is part of why this reads as a second ski for the deep days, not a budget one-ski buy.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - the binding is a separate purchase and needs mounting. Our pick: A freeride binding, sized to you at fitting.
- Freeride resort bindingLift-served and slackcountry deep days
A burly freeride binding suits inbounds powder and side-country laps; we help you choose and mount it.
- Lightweight pin setupEarning turns on bigger backcountry lines
Its low weight also lets it build into a touring ski on a lightweight pin binding for bigger lines.
Sold flat, so the binding is chosen and mounted separately; our workshop sets it up and a technician sets release. These are shop suggestions, not an official Atomic pairing.
Common Questions
- Is the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 a good one-ski quiver?
- No - it is a deep-snow specialist. At 120 mm it floats and plays beautifully in soft snow but has limited grip on firm groomers and ice. For a ski to cover the whole mountain, the narrower Atomic Bent 110 or Bent 100 is the better choice.
- What size Atomic Bent Chetler 120 should I get?
- It comes in just three lengths (176, 184 and 192 cm). Reviewers put the 176 in tight trees, the 192 on big open faces, and the 184 in the middle as the do-most size. The heavy tip-and-tail rocker makes it ski a little shorter than the number, so most skiers can choose by terrain.
- Does the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 come with bindings?
- No - it ships as a flat ski, so a binding is a separate purchase that needs professional mounting. Its low weight also lets you set it up as a lightweight touring ski with a pin binding. With your boots and skiing style, we size the ski and fit a binding for you.
- Is the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 any good on groomers and hard snow?
- Not really. This is a soft, 120 mm powder ski with limited edge hold, so on firm groomers and ice it holds only well enough to return to the chair, not to carve. If you want hard-snow grip, a narrower all-mountain or freeride ski with metal is the better tool.
