Atomic Backland Carbon Boot

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.

About me: 6', 180lbs, 11.5 shoe size, 29.5 in this boot. Wide forefoot, narrow heel. Skied one day in this boot before heat molding. Mostly used with a Fisher Hannibal 94 177mm.

Lots of good info already in reviews here, but I wanted to leave another long term data point. I have been using these boots exclusively the last 12 months, and have skied every one of those months. They have held up very well to all of the rocky, snow covered approach scrambles, as well as cold, long days, and deep pow turns. I appreciate the simplicity of the boot design, which has made, for instance, replacing buckles and such straight forward. I would recommend loctite for critical screws once a season. The tech interface has held up tremendously, as have the soles.

I really like the way these ski, and for my usage, they are downright excellent in terms of balance between weight and performance. Used on steeps, multiday hut to hut trips, and every day touring.

Admittedly, these fit my feet really well, but I have seen these more and more in the backcountry and I believe that is due to the ability to heat mold the liner to a shape that will work with many people's anatomy. If you are looking for a single light boot for backcountry use, this one should be at the top of your list.

I am curious (baffled) by how the heat molding process works on the shell. Is it one step or do you mold the liners first like a traditional boot fitting to see if the shell even needs adjustment. Seems odd to heat mold the whole shell. Any experiences good or bad with heat molding these shells?

I have a question about the BSL for these boots.

I have a pair of Skimo skis with Dynafit Superlight 2.0 mounted for the original TLT 5 (Mountain), size 28.5. I would love to replace my old TLT's with the Atomic Backland, but of course the binding isn't adjustable.

What I'm wondering is whether I might be lucky and they might just fit anyway? The BSL for a Backland in size 28.5 is exactly the same as the TLT. But is the distance between the front and back tech fittings also the same?

I've been in the Backland Carbon all year and have grown to really love this boot. It wasn't always beer and skittles - no matter what I did I couldn't get the liner to work for me (but it is also important to know that I have ankle geometry that is well outside the standard norm - the medial protuberance is positioned fully on the leading edge of that side of my ankle and the tongue just chewed it up no matter what we did to try and flatten that location out). After switching to an Intuition wrap liner I could not be happier, the boots truly have all-day comfort along with outstanding performance pretty much everywhere it matters.

Compared to the TLT6 the cuff of the B/C is noticeably stiffer laterally giving you a better sense of control and leverage on your edges - particularly when conditions get icy. With the tongue in these ski like a solid downhill boot (though the cuff is definitely lower than any downhill boot I've ever skied). The Grilamid shoe does a great job of transferring your power through the ski.

My favorite thing about the boots is the versatility. You can skin with little to no ankle-restriction when the tongue is removed (even with my wrap liner in place of the OE liner). The boots are not what I would call race-able light, but they don't weigh you down when charging out into the backcountry or up the steeps. They're nimble enough to get the most out of an 80-90 underfoot ski, but can drive 100-110+ without making you feel like you're missing something.

The walk-ski lever is simple and solid - an absolute winner in my book. But the tour-keepers on the buckles are the opposite - flimsy and half-functional. Call it nit-picking, but they are why I wouldn't call the boot a 5-star boot, more of a 4.5.

For those with wide feet, this boot will readily accommodate you, with the heat-molding Frodo could probably fit his boxy Hobbit foot in these boots. For me (with a fairly narrow foot) that means that I have had to add shims under the boot liner. While this is less than ideal due to the the extra weight of three layers of fiber boards, the big benefit that I found is that I now have the ramp angle dialed in perfectly so that when I am skiing in a neutral stance my weight is evenly distributed over the full length of my foot. This means that I have no hot-spots or foot fatigue and that I am able to really move my weight around the entire foot to steer my skis.

Final notes:
- The tech-binding hardware is great, and I've had no problems with my Dynafit TLT bindings. Step in is easy and consistent.
- Soles have been durable so far - great for scrambling on rocks or booting your way in when there's a no-snow approach.
- While the weight is fairly low, I can't help but wish that it was possible to shave off another 100g. Seeing all the new boots that are coming for 2016-17 (particularly the Sportiva and Scarpa carbon slippers) makes the geek in me think that getting 100g out should be child's play and more than that shouldn't be too difficult with some material substitutions (ie. more carbon/composite).

The Backland Carbon is a great one-boot quiver for anyone except a weight-weenie/racer, or for big freeride hucking; but, in between those extremes is where this boot really shows you what it can do and just how versatile it is.

How's the cuff height compared to TLT6 and Spectre?

Thoughts on this boot's efficacy at climbing real ice and mixed (say up to WI5 and M7) as compared to the TLT6 and Spectre?

How much will the shells expend to accommodate wide feet. I currently have 100mm lasted boots that I hate and can barely tolerate with a liner for a sock. Can I stretch these out to an effective 102-104mm width?
Also how does the sizing on these run, I fit in a 25.5?