First Look: ATOMIC BACKLAND 109

Atomic’s Backland 109 replaces the venerable Backland 107 in the touring lineup with a slightly more playful shape.

A first look and some impressions from a few days last winter with the new Backland 102 and Backland 108W. 

Atomic is updating the widest offerings in their Backland line this winter. What were the Backland 98W, 100, and 107 are updating to 4 new models, the 101W, 102, 108W, and 109. The W models comprise the shorter end of the spectrum, generally overlapping with the Unisex models at 176. Otherwise, there doesn’t appear to be a significant difference in specs; rather, it’s just a layup/construction tuned to shorter lengths and lighter skiers.

Fans of the old skis (the 107, in particular, has some devoted fans here at THR) will immediately notice the upturned tail in the new model–a sign of the general direction the new models are taking toward more playful skiing. 

Last winter, we demoed the Backland 102 and 108W for a few weeks of the season. My friend and new contributor, Sophie Danison, and I got a few days on the new skis mounted with the Shift 2.0 bindings. For both of us, the Shift didn’t feel like a great match. We both fall into the heavier skis with lighter bindings crowd. That being said, we got a first impression of the new models and got excited to test the new skis with lighter bindings this winter. 

I spent time on the 179cm Backland 102 over a semi-dry period of the season, where dust on crust and faceted powder were the prevailing conditions. The size and width were just right for these conditions, which didn’t warrant something wider but were fairly punishing of smaller or lighter skis when navigating refrozen tracks under the dusting of fresh snow. A broad impression of the 102 was a smeary, surfy feel relative to the width, with a relatively turny sidecut and strong camber that felt quite energetic relative to many of the other skis I was using last season. The lightweight and especially feathery HRZN tips were a bit lacking in dampness and felt like they were often deflected and transmitted a lot of impact to the skier. I was left feeling that the 102 was easy, intuitive, and generally “middle of the road” in nature but best suited to good snow. 

Sophie found the 108W to strike a nice balance between stiffness and confidence in firm snow with dampness and suspension in some refrozen 3D conditions that were quite challenging. She was impressed with the float and surfy feel despite the plentiful camber. Sophie and I had similar complaints about the mismatch of Shift bindings on such a lightweight ski. Overall, she gave the 108W the go-ahead as “quite enjoyable.” 

The side profile shot illustrates the change in shape compared to past iterations of the Backland 107—most notable is the increased tail rocker.

A side profile of the Backland 107 for comparison.

This season, we have the Backland 109, in the 184 cm length, with a Backland binding. The 109 has some extra heft, which I think will be comparable with many of my favorite mid-winter daily driver skis. The tips and tails are quiterockered, but the tail rocker seems to be intentionally designed for function in the backcountry (unlike, say, the brand’s Benchetler skis). Perhaps most notably, the camber pocket is rather high and has a stiff closing force; this should lead to a poppy and energetic feel and likely a good edge hold. I’ll be interested to see how the camber and rocker interact with the medium turn radius interact.

Dimensions in the 184cm Backland 109 are: Radius—19m, Sidecut—135mm-109.5-124. Weight/ski claimed ~1540g.

The Backland 109 features the now classic HRZN tip and ample tip rocker.

The Backland 109 features the now classic HRZN tip.