And the Backland 107’s lower weight moves it closer to the “dedicated touring ski” category, whereas the FR 109’s weight put it more in the “50/50” category.įor reference, here are a number of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. Our pair of the 182 cm Backland 107 comes in at around 1650 grams per ski. This is arguably the biggest difference between the Backland FR 109 and the Backland 107. So, we’ll be playing around with the mount point of the Backland 107 during our testing. That said, we ended up liking the Backland FR 109 at a variety of mount points, including all the way up to -5 cm from center. The Backland 107’s recommended mount point is around -9.2 cm from center, which is fairly similar to the FR 109’s -8.5 cm, and falls in line with the mount points on more traditional / directional touring skis like the Black Diamond Helio 105, Blizzard Zero G 105, and K2 Wayback 106.

Compared to the new Blizzard Zero G 105, the Backland 107 is softer in the shovels and in the midsection, but has a slightly stronger tail. Compared to the Amplid Facelift 108, the Backland 107 is again a bit softer at the tip, ramps up a bit slower as you move from the tips to the center, but has a stronger tail. Compared to the Line Vision 108, the Backland 107 is a bit softer at the very tips, but ramps up much quicker as you move to the middle of the ski, and finishes with a stronger tail. The middle of the ski is pretty strong without feeling “planky,” and the tail is much more supportive than the tip, but not super burly.Ĭompared to the Backland FR 109, the Backland 107 is softer in the tips, and maybe a touch stronger in the tail. And that section that’s very soft is really only where the tip is rockered and raised off the ground / snow. Its tips and shovels are very soft, but then it quickly stiffens up. The Backland 107 has an interesting flex pattern. Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Backland 107: In other words, the Backland 107’s rocker profile is a bit more conservative than its predecessor’s, and it ditches the Backland FR 109’s twin tail for a much more subtle, lower tail rocker line. In the tail, the Backland 107 has a shallower rocker line than the FR 109, and the Backland 107’s tail splay is much lower (19 mm vs. The Backland 107’s tip rocker line is shallower, and rather than a gradual rise like the Backland FR 109’s tip rocker line, the Backland 107’s tip rises pretty abruptly (it’s fairly similar to the Atomic Bent Chetler 100 in this regard).

The Backland 107’s rocker profile is an aspect where it differs significantly from the Backland FR 109. For how wide it is, the Backland 107 has pretty moderate tip taper lines, and more significant tail taper compared to other skis in its class like the Black Diamond Helio 105, K2 Wayback 106, and Blizzard Zero G 105. The Backland 107’s shape looks very similar to that of the Backland FR 109. But we’ll see if that changes with the Backland 107. But after using the Atomic Backland FR 109, Bent Chetler 120, and Bent Chetler 100 (all of which feature HRZN Tech), we’re not ready to say that it makes a massive difference. They also chose to classify it as a “backcountry” ski, and that seems sensible, given its weight (more on that later).Īs for the talk about Atomic’s beveled-edge “ HRZN Tech,” well, we’ll hold off on any conclusive statements until we ski the Backland 107. And specifically, they say it’s supposed to charge through powder, not just lazily play around through it. In their short description, Atomic chooses to emphasize the Backland 107’s powder performance. “The Atomic Backland 107 is a powder-charging backcountry ski – now featuring HRZN Tech in the tip for even more floatation.”

So what is this new ski, and how does it compare to its predecessors and other skis on the market?Ītomic keeps things brief with their description of the Backland 107: And given that it effectively replaces Atomic’s very popular Backland FR 109 (and previously, the Automatic 109), that makes sense. Well, we finally have the ski in hand, so you can all stop flooding our inboxes with requests (just kidding, we appreciate the input). The Atomic Backland 107 won the award for “most requested review” of the past year.

Atomic skis 2021