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December, 2024

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The New Bentchetler!!!

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freeski1620
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 1,718
Well done Atomic.

You revitalized a ski that was dying because Technology had all but passed it by. Remeber the original bent was one of the first true good pow skis along with JJ and S7. Not only is this ski going to bring it back to its former glory but the Horizon Tech is something that is for sure here to stay. It makes the ski so much more playful and easy to break loose in butters and also helps massively with the planing of the ski in deep pow. You thought a rockered tip floats well? wait till you ski one with Horizion Tech in Pow.

As for the ski itself.

More traditional camber than the last. Yes. Great upgrade.
A usable sidecut. Yes. Great Upgrade.
A softer more forgiving and playful flex. Yes. Great Upgrade.
Horizion Tech. Yes. Great upgrade.

Surprised I dont see anything on here yet about this but get hyped everyone. this ski is a step in the next direction for Pow skis!

Yes it rips on groomers.
Jan 16 2014 9:57PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
I'm really excited about this ski and 'spoon' tech in general. Only letdown for me is the added camber, I want zero underfoot!
Jan 16 2014 10:33PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
but camber just feels so much snappier. Dont get me wrong, flat is nice but the bentchetler has no need to be flat underfoot.



Jan 16 2014 10:49PM
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dabsandskis
Posts: 91 - Karma: 244
Definitely buying as soon as possible , super excited
Jan 16 2014 10:51PM
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alexg1687
Posts: 1505 - Karma: 1,581
Doesn't the horizontal camber (read: boat hull) make it impossible to ski on groomers? I have Armada JJs and the reason I love them so much is that they ski well ANYWHERE.
Jan 16 2014 10:52PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
Ya I get that the Bentchetler doesn't need it.. And I don't care for snap, I want damp and surfy.
Jan 16 2014 10:52PM
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Dr.Dickless
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 1,392
 you lost me
Jan 16 2014 11:23PM
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japanada
Posts: 13785 - Karma: 1,956
So they softened them? I thought they mad them a tad stiffer? I want something that will handle the chop and cut up better!
Jan 17 2014 12:12AM
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K-Dot.
Posts: 3749 - Karma: 7,828
wait it's made of rubber?
Jan 17 2014 12:25AM
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SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
Curious how this will be recieved here as well. For the past few years it's always been Bentchets are better than JJs because they're stiffer and burlier.
Jan 17 2014 1:07AM
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Caucasian_Asian
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 1,665
I bought this year's 192 BentChetler BECAUSE it was stiffer.


How did they change the turning radius?
Jan 17 2014 10:17AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6679 - Karma: 11,013
It is not rubber, it is sidewall material
Jan 17 2014 10:20AM
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K-Dot.
Posts: 3749 - Karma: 7,828
I was gonna say...
Jan 17 2014 1:53PM
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freeski1620
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 1,718
I perceived it as softer. More like a Blog. A great replacement for the blog since it will be gone next year.

This might not be well received on here but I always thought the old chetler skied like shit. Granted I live in Breck and see a lot of hard pack. Those of you from the PNW may feel differently about that.

To those of you who want no camber on the ski I have a few points:

Remember Traditional camber and side cut are what make a ski ski well on hard pack. Have you ever skied and ARG on hard pack? if you have you should understand why making a completely flat ski or full rockerd ski coughvolklcough is not really the best way of doing it. Inevitably you will run into some hard pack regardless weather you ski BC or resort. its a fact of life. having the ski hold up there is important.

Like I always tell people here in the store. we can look at a pow ski and tell its going to float. to me the real sell is how it skis on the hard pack back to the lift after the epic pow run. are you carving it out or are you going to die?
Jan 17 2014 3:27PM
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freeski1620
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 1,718
OK. What do you think the first real good pow skis were then?
Jan 17 2014 3:29PM
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K-Dot.
Posts: 3749 - Karma: 7,828
Idk volkl has the whole reverse camber thing dialed imo. Volkl shiros bust through everything and can ski hardpack just fine. However, i agree that the benny should continue to use camber because it does provide good pop.
Jan 17 2014 4:18PM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
threads
Jan 17 2014 4:58PM
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49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,704
Dude I 100% agree with this. There are way to many pow skis out there that are absolutely horrible on anything but a foot of fresh. It's super easy to make something float and be fun in deep snow, but I'm not impressed by that and lots of those same skis are a nightmare when conditions change relative to their more versatile counterparts. A ski with some early rise that's ~100 under foot can usually ski those conditions super well too. We used to enjoy pow on skis waaaaaay smaller than we do now and it was still a blast.

I'm sick of seeing people's reviews of S7's, Hellbents, or ARG's that say "These kill it in everything". If you honestly think that you either:

A) Ski like a bitch
B) Have only ridden 3 skis in the last 5 years
Jan 17 2014 5:44PM
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NikOtiN
Posts: 1352 - Karma: 222
freeski1620 I think you already know the truth, teacher!
Jan 17 2014 7:23PM
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
As long as you keep on edge. Liberty's (the guys who came up with volkls rocker profile)stealth rocker feels really fun in the soft stuff but once you get to groomer or ice you better be on edge cause you feel like you are on tiny ass snowblades.

The mellow rocker in the bridge though feels good surprisingly to me without that snowblade effect on groomers. I don't understand what makes them ski good on groomers but I'm okay with that.
Jan 17 2014 10:07PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,488
Most definitely ditching my blogs and getting these next year
Jan 17 2014 11:36PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
Nope.

I'm not getting into a debate, but I've ridden a lot of skis and zero camber/rocker profiles rail just as hard if not harder than other designs. I ride Gypsy's every day in the park and all over whistler and they kill it everywhere. I know what I like, and I want a zero underfoot ski.
Jan 18 2014 3:12AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6679 - Karma: 11,013
Flat camber skis are fun and I do like them but In my personal opinion, having skied the same exact construction with traditional, single camber underfoot and then the same build but flat underfoot, I think that camber certainly plays a roll in pop, rebound, and feel on a groomer. Flat was good, but single camber is better on a groomer.
Jan 18 2014 6:53AM
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49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,704
Frankly that's a style preference. There's no debate that a zero camber ski will not perform as well on hardpack as it's cambered counterpart. Sure you CAN ski just about anything hard if you're a good skier, but it's definitely not the optimal design.
Jan 18 2014 11:43AM
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.nasty
Posts: 10582 - Karma: 11,181
all I read was "blah blah I have my own preferences blah blah I ride shitty icelantics"
Jan 18 2014 1:32PM
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49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,704
C'mon dude, give him credit....he rides Hellbents.
Jan 18 2014 1:43PM
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Valhalla.
Posts: 587 - Karma: 154
Got lucky enough to ride a pair today. (Live in Jackson) and I'm definitely picking up a pair as soon as they become available to the public.

We haven't gotten snow in a few days now so everything is either groomed, or tracked out crud. They handled everything I threw at em really well, stuck mostly to playing around in the trees and under the gondola. On the lower mountain where it was groomed (still soft though) they were a little squirrely but definitely an improvement over the past few years Chetlers ( I have the 192s right now)

I only had em out for one full lap but I'm sold. Can't wait to ride them in the deep stuff.
Jan 18 2014 2:38PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
That's pretty much sums up what I said.. so ya, well comprehended.


^ And I usually ride bents, but I'm trying out gypsys this season just for a change.
Jan 18 2014 7:19PM
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