How Chris Benchetler Transcended the Ski Industry

When Atomic signed Benchetler as an athlete in 2007, the brand was focused primarily on alpine racing. Benchetler adhered to a different program, known for surfy powder turns, massive airs, and switch landings. In joining Atomic, he wanted complete creative control of a planned freeskiing-focused pro model, dictating everything from graphics to design. Atomic agreed, and the Bent Chetler was born. "Chris really helped kind of push the door open in terms of developing more of the freeride component of Atomic," says Kennedy.

Now branded as both the Bent or Bent Chetler (it depends on the specific model), Benchetler's ski lineup has expanded, covering numerous waist widths alongside kid-sized junior options. The skis' top sheets feature his colorful brushwork, starting as physical paintings before being transposed onto that season's Bent offerings.

Benchetler never sets out to create ski graphics in his home studio. "I don't want to limit my unfiltered process," he explains. "I'm not a designer as much as I'm an artist." So, Benchetler does what he would do anyway: paint—a lot. He paints every day, spending anywhere from one to eight hours crafting vast, colorful, semi-abstract scenes. When he produces something that could look good on a pair of skis, he builds a digital mock-up to see what works compositionally. While some of these paintings slot neatly into the curated visual identity of a multinational ski brand, they remain introspective for Benchetler—he calls them his "personal life journal."

Skiing initially took precedence over painting. As a young professional athlete, Benchetler nabbed POWDER covers and appeared in films from Warren Miller Entertainment, Poor Boyz Productions, and Nimbus Independent. But he loved to make art from a young age, experimenting with everything from charcoal to colored pencils. "I was always a passionate artist," he said. "I was just focused on skiing for a majority of my 20s."

These dueling passions eventually coalesced for Benchetler: "I started to realize that skiing was an art form as well, and put all these things together in my head; that's kind of when that journey of self-expression came together." Today, Benchetler serves as Atomic's Creative Director of Freeski, helping craft the Bent series' continued evolution, although Kennedy says he informally occupied this role for years prior. "Since Chris was signed in 2007, he's effectively been managing the direction of the Bent Chetler line and all the artwork that's been associated with it," Kennedy says.

Benchetler's creative projects haven't been realized alone. He credits the growth of the Bent line to Atomic's "designers, product developers, and engineers" and regularly seeks input from the athletes who ride the skis. This collaborative spirit also guides Benchetler's visually spectacular video projects—Fire on the Mountain and Mountains of the Moon—the production of which involves a team of talented filmers, editors, and lighting designers. He likens these experiences to playing in a "band" where "we're trying to riff off each other." “I try to give everyone the space to be as creative in their own right as possible,” notes Benchetler.

Mountains of the Moon, which will be released in 2025 and is billed as an "immersive experience," was teased during the Dead And Company's Las Vegas Sphere residency this past summer. Skiers and snowboarders wearing glow-in-the-dark suits appeared on the Sphere's encompassing screen as the band jammed. For all his influence within skiing, Benchetler's vision had finally permeated the mainstream consciousness—a rare feat, even for someone like him.

It’s uncommon that passion and work overlap so neatly. Benchetler has found a groove where some of his deepest loves—art and skiing—produce financial stability. "I call skiing and I call painting work, even though, when I'm doing those things, they don't feel like work," he says. But growing up has involved accepting some less-than-inspirational tasks: "The only soul-sucking thing in my life are phone calls and emails." There, Benchetler might not be in a league of his own.

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This article originally appeared in POWDER's Not Another Gear Guide. Keep reading for more information about POWDER's second print issue of the year, The 2025 Photo Annual.

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