JJ vs. Bentchetler?

D

dbstar

Active member
So i did searchbar both and read some pretty good reviews and such and have narrowed down my next pair of skis to these two. Looking for some opinions on which is better for me, I am 5'9, 160 and would be getting the 185 JJ or the 183 bentchetler and am living on the east, ski mostly at jay so i do get some pow and shred the backcountry fairly often, go out west all the time though as i am from alberta, very aggressive skier I dont ski to much park but am starting to try and jib cliffs and shit, my main concern between the two is which one will be better when the pow isnt around
 
JJ:stiffer throughout especially underfoot, but with deeper sidecut that makes long turns harder on groomers. Both measure 183. JJs are lighter. Chetlers are more snappy and flex around the binding much more
 
something makes me feel like the chetler will do well on rails jumps and shit, as where i dont think the JJs would be a ski to even touch the park, but thats just the impression i have so far. has anyone slayed rails and boxes and massive park jumps on JJs?

basicaly i think the chetlers will be more all mountain compared to the JJs being a very specific ski to the pow and backcountry. but thats just a guess i havent tried either ski yet, but i think im going with the chetlers because they're going to hopefuly be my one-quiver ski.
 
I would love the Chetlers. Those are probably the next ski I will purchase for powder. They have an amazing graphic and I think Chris did a good job. I also would like to see more of Atomic in freeskiing, it could be really good for them because the skis are killer.
 
'Chetlers for sure. Through advanced thought processes, I have formulated that the Bentchetler would be the best East Coast playful powder ski. If Jay peak is anything like I have heard, you should be smiling all the way down.
 
Call me dumb, but I thought these skis were almost identical. I have never seen or looked up the specs, the dimensions could be a little different, but the only difference is the length as far as I could see.
 
What you really have is three skis to think about. the atomic blog, the armada jj, and the atomic bentchetler.

the blog is a narrower lower rockered version of the bentchetler. It's a 110 waist ski, and it's also a little bit stiffer.

I found the ski be a riot on everything, and more manageable than the bentchetler was. not that the bent was hard to ski, but it didn't like iced out moguls that much. they were a lot smoother on the blog. the blog was also a little bit more lively edge to edge, but that's because it was narrower.

I found both the atomics to do better than the armada due to the fact that there is still some sidewall in the rest of the ski, as opposed to straight capped. atomic uses a "step down" sidewall, and it keeps the weight down and makes the skis relatively chip free .

Atomic also uses faster bases than armada, even though they are made in the same factory. at least that was what i was told.

If you ski 80% pow, and trees go bentchetler, 60% go blog, or jj.

and if you land switch in pow a lot you'll dig the bentchetlers a lot more as well, due to the higher rocker.

as for the jj, if weight is your primary focus, go that route.
 
sorry to double post but we have a couple issues going on here...

yo man, I do a lot of "wood chopping" and tree jibbing when I ride my bents... I have some sidewall dings for sure, and I've dropped 20+ feet onto rocks on accident a few times... my fault for being a dumbass but I don't really get stressed about stuff that size to check landings out.

In all I have plenty of base weld action, but the edges have held up well for the most part. I don't think they will be the most bullet proof skis on rails and boxes. I mean i've done some light jibbing on them, but that's not my thing.

and the jj's really aren't any more specific than the bents are. tanner hall can do his x games pipe run on them.

I rocked the bents pretty much daily last year unless i was straight lining faces, or doing really large drops, in which case i switched to my ants. they work great, but any less than a 60% pow skier, go jj, or blog, like i said in the earlier post.

those skis rip. over 60, and bent is the best way to go.
 
I'm not a park rat by any means but I love to take a lap or two down the park. Of coure the JJ's handle better in deepr snow, but I really don't mind hitting jumps with them. They truly are an all around ski that can tackle anything that you make them face. Best ski I have ever owned, Hands down.
 
really like my JJs, they are really sick. but after being able to take a look at the chetlers, i wish i had gotten them. they are an extremyl similar ski, the chetlers are a little wider and softer. the JJs are dope but they are pretty stiff, somtimes its nice to have a little more flex to play around on. one thing that sketches me out on mine (would be the same on the bentchtlers) is nollieing off stuff, cause of the super low profile tips it sometimes seems like they're gonna catch. but really you cant go wrong, you will love either of them.
 
thanks for the opinions i am leaning more towards the bentchetlers because they are not as stiff and may be more playful for the east but still not 100% sure
 
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