Continuing the success of the Backland (and Automatic before that) series over the past few seasons, the 2019 Atomic Backland 107 is a continuation of a fantastic model. For freeride skiers with a backcountry mentality, the Backland 107 fits right in. They’ve changed it up a bit, with a lighter construction in mind, most likely to further differentiate itself from the Vantage 107 and the rest of the Vantage line. These skis still have plenty of tip and tail rocker with enough camber underfoot to maintain in-bounds performance. In terms of the core, Atomic has made a poplar and karuba wood core that is all about lessening weight without compromising performance. For backcountry enthusiasts, this is what it’s all about. In the fresh snow, the skis benefit greatly from Atomic’s HRZN Tech Tip. This adds about 10% more area in the tips and allows for amazing flotation in the fresh and broken snow. Advanced and expert level skiers will glean the best performance out of the skis, and in the world of these hybrid-type skis that excel both in and out of bounds, the 2019 Atomic Backland 107 is a fantastic option. Or testers loved the wide, floaty feeling of the skis and quickly and easily figured out that soft snow was these skis best friend.
David Raybould skied the 189 cm ski and found them to feel on the short side. David’s not a big guy, so it’s interesting to hear that a 189 skis short. The long tip rocker may have something to do with that. Even so, he scored the ski 5 out of 5 for flotation, while the rest of his scores were all 3’s. We can infer from this data that with the exception of the exceptional flotation, the Backland 107 is a very versatile ski. It has neither highs nor lows when it comes to the rest of the mountain and terrain. When a ski can earn the same score for forgiveness as stability, we know we’re dealing with a versatile and fun ski. David was impressed by the skis, but also saw the writing on the wall, that this is better used as a dedicated soft snow ski. He called the Backland 107 a “fat, lazy ski. They will carve wide open turns on groomers. Surprisingly forgiving in bumps, the skis are still obviously best for powder skiing and big mountain riding.” David is right on the money as far as the ski’s stated performance is concerned. Nobody’s mistaking this ski for a front-side crusher, they are certainly better suited for the ungroomed terrain.
Also skiing the 189, Mike Thomas had a pretty similar experience as David. He also scored the skis 5 out of 5 for flotation, but added another 5 for forgiveness as well. This is certainly due to the lightweight nature of the skis, and Mike picks up on that stuff pretty quick. His low score of 3 out of 5 was for versatility, which with the intended use and nature of the Backland 107, it’d be hard to find fault there. The rest of his scores were all 4’s out of 5, so Mike was pretty impressed with the overall performance of the skis. “Initially they felt a little surfy, kind of planky, but with a bit of speed they came alive when on edge. Solid through the chop.” Mike picks up on the lightweight nature of the skis, and they certainly seem to have grown on him, especially when he put the pedal down a bit.
The 2019 Atomic Backland 107 has its place and time, and our testers were able to pick up on that pretty quickly. While not a front-side cruiser, the skis are far better suited for, as the name suggests, Backland skiing in soft and fresh snow. When you get them in their intended areas and zones, the comfort zone becomes quite apparent.
