All photos by: Cam McLeod

Earlier this month I got invited to spend a few days with the Atomic team in Utah to test out some of their new offerings, for the coming 24/25 season. I’ve been on a few ski trips over the years but none quite like this one. We had athletes Chris Benchetler, Chris Rubens & Daron Rahlves, the product development team, a group of skiers from all over North America, and a venue that was nothing short of spectacular. I’ll do my best to summarize some of the updates that I got to test out.

Bent Chetler 120

Some of the more exciting news we got upon arrival was the all-new Bent 120 and 100. These skis have been immensely popular over the years and for them to change the winning recipe means they're onto something. With all the fresh snow we got, I must say the 120s were my go-to over the past few days. They manage deep snow very easily, in part thanks to the new tip shape and HRZN tech that made for effortless floating. No matter how deep it got, the playful early rise in the tip and tail made them really fun to dump big slashes, pull mannies and butter around on.

Having skied the Bent 110 a bunch last season I found the 120 did not feel as big a leap in size as it sounds. Although I did not send many side hits the recommended mounting point has a very freestyle oriented position making them very suitable for taking flight and or landing switch.

Bent 100

I unfortunately didn't get to test these out so I can't speak to their performance but it is an entirely redesigned ski made to do everything from park to all mountain. If it’s anything like the 120 upgrade I’m sure it’s gonna be sick. There has also been an upgrade in edge thickness to give you more durability when it comes to sliding rails. Chris Benchetler was kind enough to show me some of his paintings and where the graphics came from. If you think these graphics are sick, you should keep an eye out for the full piece he painted.

Backland Series

For those who get off the beaten path a little more and are looking for a touring ski that doesn’t suck on the way down, the new Backland series is not one to ignore. Like many of you who noticed over the years, with lightweight skis often worse performance on the ski down. In this case, I got a couple runs in on the 109 and they managed incredibly well in deep & shallow snow. I’m not one to tour too often so when I do, I appreciate a lighter load and these skis were very easy to walk up in (even for my office legs). I didn't get to test them out in subpar conditions or crud but I must say these have me reconsidering my current pair of touring skis. Dumping over the head turns and zipping through trees on these were a whole lot of fun.

I only tested the 109 but this series also comes in a 102 as well as a 108W & 101W. I think anyone could ride any of these 4 models and have a good time.

Maverick series

I won't go too deep into this model as it’s not quite a category of ski that is as popular here but I kind of have to because the Maverick 105 might be one my favorite all-around skis I’ve been on in a while. This weapon handles deep snow, tracked out pow..and can fire off long wide carves like no other. I did a couple of laps on the 115 and found them to keep me above snow effortlessly without leaning back no matter how deep it got (and it got deep). I then jumped into the 105 and found them to be even more fun and maneuverable in deep snow - the perfect sweet spot In my opinion. They can easily manage tracked-out pow and are an absolute weapon on groomers. My skiing over the years has evolved from dull edge park skis to skis that can really carve and allow me to hit everything in sight at top speed. The Maverick 105 CTI resonated very well with that style.

Overall, the conditions we got for this trip could not be more ideal for testing out gear, and the people I got to share these turns with really made it unforgettable. Going into that week not knowing many and leaving with a bunch of new friends reminds me what it’s like moving to a ski town and meeting all types of like-minded people from all over. I wish more brands invited us out on trips like this so we can feel how the products perform instead of how we are told they will ski at a trade show. I'm hoping I can spend some more time on some of these models so I can see how they perform in other scenarios. In other news, something seriously sick is coming out next week that I was not able to discuss yet. Keep an eye out for it!

Big thanks to Sean, Charlotte, and Chris for sending out the invite. Here’s a photo dump of what we got up to. All photos were taken by the legendary Cam Mcleod.