Atomic Backland Carbon Boot - 2018/19

I have the 2018/19 Carbons (not Carbon Lites), but as with your photo above, the tongues are black, not orange. I had understood the tongues that came with the Carbon were the stiff version, but reading your Backland tongue page, maybe I need to buy the orange if I want more stiffness? School me!

First off a comment about my star rating, it's for how I have my boots right now after some non permanent* mods. BONE STOCK these are 4 stars.

Yes this is a VERY late review considering there is now the newer version with the BOA. But skimo.co has a good collection of reviews for race to burlier boots so figured add to it for people looking to buy used ones.

Me
5'11"
160lbs sans gear
Foot has a high instep that's narrow otherwise

Mods done to boots:
-Replaced stock "powerstrap" with Scarpa stretch one that came off a TX Comp
-Liners are now the stock Tecnica Pro Tour liners
-Shaved down the tongue tab to make removal WAY easier (only permanent mod)
++no longer running++ Tried replacing the clog's cable system with dyneema cord which let me drop 25grams off each boot but the fiddle factor wasn't worth it for me.

Pros:
-Sans tongue the walk mode rivals race boots
-Great ROM
-Light (and ways to make it lighter)
-Enough stiffness for large majority of touring needs (110-105 w/ tongues, 100-95 sans per TGR "true" AT flex consensus)
-Moldable shell
-Can add adapter to make compatible with Kingpin and Tecton.

Purgatory:
-Flex pattern is a little weird compared to alpine boots or burlier AT boots but with a stretch powerstrap it's much better.
-If using tongues you either have to accept a walk mode that feels more like a TLT6 or a little more time at the top transition.

Cons:
-Stock powerstrap is worthless IMO
-Tongue from the factory is hard to remove (but easily modded to make easier w/o sacrificing performance)
-Stock liners not the best long term

Before this I had some TLT6's that never got along with my feet even after mods. This boot though (especially for my high instep) is awesome especially when compared to a TLT 7, its true contemporary. It's lighter than the TLT7, skis better, and walks with FAR less resistance (sans tongues), plus no dumb speed nose. I've used them in the Sierra's, Shasta, Oregon, and CO. Everything from skimo race sticks up to BD 116 Helios at 186cm. Raced in them, summited Shasta, and even some 10'ish drops. I REALLY enjoy having the removable tongues as it makes the boot walk as well as race boots since there is almost no resistance, so it makes a great average person once a year race boot. When I summited Shasta last spring they actually felt easier to hike in than many mountaineering boots since the cuff didn't offer resistance like a mtn boot. Now to the flex pattern, like many carbon cuffed boots the first bit of the flex profile can be a little harsh. When I added the Scarpa stretch power strap it really helped ease the transition of that first part of the flex curve into middle and end of the curve. At the end of the flex curve with tongues it doesn't feel like you're hitting a brick wall or continuing to fall forward like some other light touring boots will feel like. Without tongues you go through the middle of the flex much faster than with. I can't comment too much on the stock liner feel since I got these used and they were already towards the end of their life, but from other users I've heard they don't last long term (but the vented aspect of them is clutch for sweaty footed people like me).

Re modding the tongue: 1. Chamfer the front edge of tongue nub on the clog shell. 2. For the tongue slot that interfaces with that nub increase the radius on the edges of the slot that face downwards. This makes removal MUCH, MUCH easier. And because of how the tongue interfaces with the clog you don't lose ANY performance. Not modding of the boot, but another way to make tongue transitions quicker is to have a carabiner/ice clipper on your waist belt to clip the tongues on the uphill so you can easily have them on hand and not need to take off your backpack.

In Conclusion:
So if I'm going out and not planning to hit drops, or high speeds I'm reaching for these boots. Especially if I have a big day planed. I'd say for a large majority of the BC crowd that isn't looking to hit drops and just wants to get some good snow in the BC I think they'd really like this boot (if it fits your foot).

I love my Backlands. Three years of quality skinning and skiing. I’m ready to buy some of the black (softer) tongues, mainly because I love going tongueless for our long north Idaho approaches and my gaiters are looking pretty ragged. I used some glue last year to try and stop a tare in the gaiter but after last spring they are in bad shape. So my question... apart from using tongues have you guys seen any nifty gaiter repairs... reading a prior review you mentioned using an external gaiter? Any tips would be appreciated to get another season or two out of these boots without getting powder snow down in the Shell. Don’t worry though I’m still gonna buy some new boots from you guys.

How do the fit of these compare to the Dynafit Speedfits?

These took me a little while to get dialed in but i really enjoy them now. I initially had a lot of rubbing/bruising on my inner leg just above my ankle on just my right foot only while skinning and walking. I had the liners molded to allow for extra room here and also had both inner ankles punched out and ground down a bit. The boot fitter i went to mentioned that the rubbing i had was common for this boot. My rubbing persisted until i figured out that while skinning and walking i need to have the tongue out and the top buckle on the tightest notch possible. I think this is what the manual describes so I should have just RTFM. I cannot skin pain free with the tongue IN but the range of motion and lack of resistance without the tongue is so good that I have no interest in skinning with the tongue in. I really like how supported my leg feels while skinning. I skied a few days on some TLT7s but didn't like how unsupported my ankle was as compared to these. Downhill performance is good. I feel pretty locked in even though the liner height is significantly lower than on the scarpa maestrales i'm coming from. I really wish there was a spot for clipping a binding leash but i see that's been addressed in the new model.

Following up on my last post, I noticed that the bottom and middle eye lids of the liner are very far apart. This results in an outside folding of the liner with every step. The the liner fabric is compressed between the shell and my ankle which seems to be the cause for my ankle bruise.
Compared to my old tlt6 liners the eyelids are about one inch further apart.
Has everybody else observed this?

I bought these boots to replace my TLT6. I have a narrow foot and they seem to fit me much better than the TLT7 which are much wider than the TLT6. While they are light, climb well and and are sufficiently stiff for skiing I am having several issues with them.
I had the shell fitted (by a non Atomic boot fitter) but I am still having a lot of pressure on the inside of my ankle, even immediately after putting them on, resulting in bruised ankles. Strangely this doesn't happen all the time. There have been plenty of real long days where they fit super comfortably and I had no issues what so ever. Not sure why it differs so much from day to day but this issue has been so bad a couple of times that I got to a point where I am considering using those boots.
Also I find the buckles extremely fiddly and they seem to open easily when hitting on firm snow or rock while boot packing. I never had that issue with my TLTs.
The inserting the tongue and the transition from uphill to skiing mode also is quite a bit trickier than with TLT6. Also one gotta take care that the gaitor doesn't get stuck between the tongue and the shell otherwise the lower buckle doesn't close completely.

Wondering what size I would best fit into. I currently ski a 27.5 MTN lab and cochise 130 in a 27.5, those both fit well. The BSL looks to be quite a bit shorter on the backland, should i jump up a shell size to 28? or do yall think a 27.5 would be doable?

Cheers!

The durability of gaiter seems to be lacking. I am using intuition pro tour liners so that could play a role as well.
Any suggestions on how to replace the gaiter or fix it up?
It seems to be glued to the shell. Duct tape doesn't seem to be a good solution as it needs to bend in too many directions.

I am thinking about up-sizing to a 29 from a 28.5. Do you think I could swap the cuffs between the two shells if need be, or are they size specific?

Thanks!

Bought them because on paper they were exactly what i was looking for. But....
I never could find a way how to ski in them. They are plenty stiff with the tongue, the support is not there though.
Might be because they are VERY low(and i have smaller feet for my height), but plenty time had a feeling like i could just fall out of the boot or even break my ankle(?!?).
Tried insert bigger tongues, change lean angle, different liners....nope
Buckle screws keep loosening...
OTOH pull out the tongue and the skinning is incredible, very close to a race shoe.
Atomic seem to make the shoe without significant changes years in a row now, so might be just be mine issue.

Hey guys I just picked up a pair of these for a future “light” ski tour set up. My current skis are mounted with kingpin’s . I have read a lot of back and fourth about the compatibility. I do not plan on skiing them with kingpins in the future but until then I wanted to try them out a couple days and all I have are the kingpins. If somebody can clear up the compatibility issue for me that would be great.

Thank you

After 8 seasons in the Dynafit TLT5 and 6s, I was ready for something comparable in performance but that didn't develop so much slop and play in the cuff rivets and walk mode. I didn't like the direction Dynafit took with the TLT7, so this season I gave the Backland Carbon boots a try. So far I am really pleased.

The stock liner left my low volume foot swimming a bit, so I used the Intuition Pro Tours I had been using in my TLT6s. I molded the shell at home in my convection oven...I didn't get too aggressive with it as I was a bit nervous about DYI but successfully alleviated some of the mild pressure points I had prior to molding.

The cuff pivots and walk mode lock are the most solid I've seen in a boot of this genre. Time will tell, but after ~20 days they are still super solid in ski mode and from what I understand the serviceable cuff bushings are quite durable. They tour better than the TLT6 since there is no plastic tongue of any sort to restrict forward motion, but you do need to use the removable tongue for acceptable downhill performance. It's a bit trickier to insert than on the TLT6, but I found grinding the tab down made it more friendly. Some might find all the buckles and removable tongue fiddly compared to some one-lever style boots out there, but for me an extra 30 seconds during transitions is well worth the added performance. In downhill mode with tongue inserted, the boot skis at least as well as the TLT6 - a level of stiffness more than adequate for my 190 pounds and driving bigger skis in variable snow.

Do you climb in this boot with the tongues in, or do they have to be removed?

Realistically, how wide of a ski can these boots ski well with? If someone is going to be looking for a solid uphill performer that skis a lot of powder and soft snow are these a solid choice? If these aren’t a good choice for a ski in the 95-100mm range, what other boot options that have a wider forefoot would be worth considering?
Thanks

Like the boots after a few (long) days. I do want to switch the liner to something taller and a bit beefier though, Intuition Wrap or Protour. Would like a bit more support fore/aft (added boosters already), and got cold feet on windy days (thin socks). Never had this issue on my previous Scarpa Maestrale RS.

No shop around to test for size, so hoping someone here could help. What size Intuition liner should I get?
I have 27-27.5 backlands.

Does anyone happen to know whether they can be resoled? Thanks.

Hi, im about to order but have no chance to try them on anywhere nearby.
Scarpa F1 27.0 is perfect fit, Spitfire 26.5 is tight but good..after few hours in them i belive it would be super fit as well.
Also Scott Celeste 26.0 seem ok.
So far i have been on Syborgs 27.0 for two seasons. Lately it started to feel really lose in the forefoot (i guess liner needs replacing).
So its obviously 26.5 or 27, but thats where the size breaks so it might feel quite a lot different.
Might trying atomic alpine boot help sorting this?

Is there any difference in the shape of the shell or liner between this and the women's version? I.e. if I want to have a stiffer boot and don't care about having girly colors, would I get the same fit with this as with the women's backland?

any idea on fit (length wise) of these? I wear 42 cycling shoes, biggest foot is 267mm. Flat, low volume foot.