2021 Atomic Backland 107

The Backland 107 from Atomic is a fantastic soft snow ski that can double as a resort powder ski or a backcountry touring ski. A superb choice to mount with an Atomic Shift binding, the Backland 107 is stable at speed, yet lightweight. At just 1550 g at the 182 cm length, it is, in fact, quite impressively lightweight. Atomic's Backland line of skis is what they refer to as their "Touring" collection, but realistically they are much more than just dedicated touring skis. Atomic uses their Ultra Power Woodcore and Carbon Backbone in the Backland 107, which provides a supportive, confidence-inspiring flex pattern without excessive extra weight. A 20/70/10 rocker profile is paired with HRZN Tech in the tip (Atomic's boat-hull-like tip shape). With the 107 mm waist width and that shape, it has superb float in deep snow. Our testers were consistently impressed by the combination of stability and responsiveness with such a lightweight, playful feel.

Marcus Shakun skied the 189 cm Backland 107 and described it as a "light all mountain charger." High scores from Marcus for flotation, stability, quickness/maneuverability, torsional stiffness/edge grip, and overall impression. He clearly enjoyed skiing it, quickly commenting that it "fits right into my wheel house. The lightness of the ski was great, making it feel quicker when transitioning edge to edge. A bit stiffer than I thought it would be, which helped in the stability at speed and in varying conditions. Would be great for an aggressive skier that wants to seek out pow or just charge all day in all conditions. Light and wide enough to be a backcountry setup as well." You're going to notice a trend in our testers, who all were impressed and somewhat surprised by its stiffness and level of stability. Bob St.Pierre is one of those testers, having also skied the 189 cm length. "Very stable for how wide it is and gives a great consistent flex from tip to tail. Awesomely floaty, hit it right with the snow and had a blast in soft spring corn. The playfulness was off the charts, this thing loves to dance down the sides of the trail." That blend of feeling stable, but also playful is what makes the Backland 107 a special ski. It's hard for manufacturers to achieve that combination of performance, and Atomic clearly has done a fantastic job of it in the Backland 107.

Matt McGinnis opted for the 182 cm length, which he found to be the right length for his size and ability level. Matt was another tester who was impressed by the Backland 107's stability, giving it 5 out of 5 scores for stability and torsional stiffness/edge grip. "These skis are super powerful and offer exceptional edge grip. What is most surprising though, and what makes these skis unique, is their ability to shut down at a moment's notice. Typically, that's not something you see with a ski this big." There we go again, back to the combination of stability and maneuverability! Evan Caha had a similar reaction after testing the 182 cm length. "Get in the front seat and take these for a rip! Very versatile. Can't be afraid to get forward and take charge, but also turns surprisingly quickly. Just as happy with wishy-washy turns in deeper snow."

The highlight of the Backland 107 is certainly its combination of power, stability, maneuverability, and playfulness, and the fact that it achieves that combination at an impressively light weight. That 1550 g figure is easily light enough to use as a backcountry touring ski, and it would be a really good ski for that application. Most of us go touring in the backcountry with the goal of finding fresh, deep, soft snow, but that's not always the reality. We often encounter firm conditions, refrozen layers, and sketchy variable snow that requires a ski with a confident, stable feel. The Backland 107 is a blast in ideal terrain and snow conditions, but won't let you down if you have to make a technical traverse or navigate through some challenging conditions.