2022 Atomic Backland 98 W

Returning unchanged for 2022, the Atomic Backland 98 W is an awesome choice for ladies who are looking to get a versatile and well-rounded setup for both in and out of bounds use. Built the same way as the men’s Backland 100, but with a different graphic and a slightly narrower waist due to sizing, the Backland 98 W is a light, fun, and energetic ski that has just a ton of uses. With a light weight wood core and a carbon backbone, these skis weigh 1200 grams per ski in the 164, and that’s pretty darn light. Also containing Atomic’s HRZN tech tips, the skis displace snow like a boat hull through the shovel, making them float better than their 98 mm waist width would indicate. The end result, when combined with a tech binding of your choice, makes a supreme backcountry and touring ski that also can be used in a front-side and resort format as well. It’s all up to the user, and that’s just the way we like to see it. Interestingly, we did have some conflicting opinions on this ski in our test this year, but it wouldn’t be as fun if everyone thought the same thing about the ski. All testers were on the same 164 cm length ski.

Alix Klein and Louise Lintilhac both had less-than-ideal experiences on their turns on the Backland 98, and my guess is that the ski was just too short for them to get a good feel of what it can do. The longer lengths will have a longer turn radius, so perhaps they just felt like the ski was a funky shape for the size. Alix stated that she felt the ski was “short,” and that resulted in low scores of 2 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. Her top score of 3 was given for flotation. Her comments sure sound like she was on a ski that’s just too short: “I felt like the tip was too wide, didn't want to roll over and was chattery. It was hard to get it on edge and didn't feel quick edge to edge. I also could not find the sweet spot in terms of turn radius.” This tends to happen when the ski won’t flex appropriately for the technique or the sizing of the skier. We’ve also found that the Atomics tend to feel like they’re mounted about 1 cm too far forward, exacerbating the issue for Alix. Louise felt a similar way and just couldn’t get the shaping of the ski out of her head. Her top scores of 3 out of 5 were given for stability and flotation, with all other scores in the 2 range, so it’s pretty clear this ski in this size was not a proper match for Louise, and this information is as important as any positives we can find as well. “There is something seriously funky with the geometry of this ski. It was slow edge to edge, hooked up weird and the sidecut ratios were hard for me to get to.” For some skis, sizing is more important than others, and when you get on something this light, that tends to push any issues to the forefront as well.

Not too many issues with Alli Ruschp and her experience on the same Backland 98. Maybe she skied it first and just trounced it for the next ladies. At any rate, on her time on the ski, Alli scored the Backland 98 5’s for quickness, maneuverability, and overall impression. All other scores were 4’s, leading to a polar opposite experience as Alix and Louise. Alli was “surprised how much I liked it, perfect for the conditions, slushy spring skiing or even soft powder. Would be even more flexible and soft with shift bindings. Nice stability and not chattery in crud. Smooth for being so light weight. Would be a great uphill/downhill ski setup since it still skis nice on-trail.” This is the whole point of doing this test. Skiing and skis mean a million different things to a million different skiers, and the sport would be boring if everyone felt the same way about all the skis.

The Atomic Backland 98 W is light, there’s no doubt about that, and if you’re using it in a resort-specific format, you should be prepared for that, but if you’re using it in a double-duty capacity where uphill skiing is required, then that light weight is going to get you more benefits and merits. It’s all about balance in this sport, and the Backland 98 certainly teeters on the lighter side of the scale, so be prepared for that when you click in.