Atomic has taken a new approach to just about everything related to ski-touring: skis, skins, bindings and boots. The Backland Ultimate is no exception. It’s a skimo race boot that incorporates Memory Fit, a revolutionary molding-technology that has made Atomic famous among skiers with ugly feet. The entire boot, including the shell, can be thrown in an oven for a few minutes (do not attempt). Cold compression wraps cool the boot around the contours of your foot to create the ultimate fit profile. Memory Fit is a moldable shell design that is soft and pliable when hot, but stiff and responsive when cold. A washable sock-style liner is employed in the Backland Ultimate to provide simplicity and supple comfort throughout a day of touring or racing. A large single-throw lever dictates walk or ski mode in a simple and durable fashion. The carbon cuff and frictionless pivots allow the boot to walk like a running shoe. A grippy Skywalk rubber sole encourages booting up ridgelines. The Backland Ultimate is Atomic’s proud debut into the world of race-boots and it will quickly be a favorite for some.
- 80° of articulation is well beyond the capabilities of the average human ankle.
- Carbon Cuff adds stiffness and precision while a Grilamid shell durably handles walking duties.
- Free/Lock 3.0 is one of the easiest and simplest boot closure designs out there.
- Serviceable, frictionless pivots are rock solid for skiing precision and walking freedom.
- Skywalk Rubber Sole summons Luke Skywalker-like traction and speed.
Update 2018/19: Atomic changed to a traditional tongue-liner instead of the previous sock-style liner, making it easier to put on and take off. They also gave the boots a new paint job and extended the built-in gaiter a bit higher on the shell to improve waterproofing. Weight went up about 60 grams (2.1 oz).
Update 2021/22: Atomic released a new version of the ultimate.
Specifications | |
Weight |
805g [27/27.5] 740g [27/27.5 - 2017/18] |
Weight (pair) | 1610g [27/27.5] 1480g [27/27.5 - 2017/18] |
|
1 |
Boot Sole |
248mm [23.5] 258mm [24.5] 268mm [25.5] 278mm [26.5] 288mm [27.5] 298mm [28.5] 308mm [29.5] |
Binding |
Tech only |
Cuff |
80° |
Forward |
13°, 15° |
Specs Verified | Yes |
Design | |
|
Grilamid shell, Carbon cuff |
|
Platinum Speed |
|
Skywalk rubber |
Skimo Co Says | |
Usage | Racing, exploring |
Notes | Fully customizable shell and liner |
Bottom Line | Light race boot that can mold to your feet |
Compare to other Race Boots |
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Questions & Reviews
Yes, this boot will fit narrower, low volume feet well! That said, it also has heat moldable shells, so it can be easily molded to fit wider feet.
I want use these as a split board boots.
If I use the initiation tour pro liner, should the size 26.5 HV fits in the 26.5 shell?
Regards
Young
The Atomic Backland Ultimate is a skimo race boot, which means it has a pretty low volume shell. The Intuition Pro Tour liners are very high volume, and generally a good pairing with a beefy freeride boot.
I would not recommend trying to squeeze an Intuition Pro Tour HV into a Backland Ultimate. You will likely not be able to get your foot in that boot, and there is no way that you will be able to close the cuff.
I would start with the Palau Tour Lite Pro if you are looking for something beefier than the stock liner.
Boy... you can do better than these. Really soft, not waterproof, low and small front cuff. My full plastic 800g Sportiva Racetron held the foot better on the up and were stiffer on the way down. The Atomics have sock liners that appear to be the same stiffness and durability as actual socks.
For only 100g more are the Alien RS, which must ski solidly three times as well
The best option that comes to mind would be the Scarpa Alien Gaiter. However, there are a few drawbacks to this solution. The Alien Gaiter is made to accommodate a boot with a Boa, so you will not be able to adjust the instep buckle once the gaiter is on. Additionally, the Alien 1.0 has a much higher cuff height, so the gaiter will most likely be too tall. We do not currently carry Alien Gaiters, so if you are interested in this waterproofing option, either order through Scarpa directly, or reach out to us at help@skimo.co.
I have Dynafit Evo boots (289mm) and want to change with the Atomic Ultimate (288mm). Is 1mm a problem without refixing the bindings.
Thanks for your answer
Has the Backland Ultimate some Carbon in the bottom of the shoe like the scarpa alien 1.0 or only in the shaft ?
Or does the thinner liner make that unecessary?
Also, couldn't decided which size I should have ordered because normally I wear 4.5 UK, but Backland's size chart I couldn't find it- just 4 and then straight to 5! So I ordered 24/24.5 but now I have some doubts bc it feels a little bit loose. Will double liners and thermo adjustment help me?
bought the Backland UL in a size larger (25.5) meaning the shell is the same size as the normal Backland in what was then her boot size (24.5). She skied them for 2 years with a very thick liner(narrow foot), and now this season she moved to a mid thickness liner. If her feet grow more, she can go to the stock liner, or since the old version we have was not such a nice liner, probably use the Palau Prolite Tour liners we got from Skimo.co a while ago.
To be clear, this is for normal touring, not racing.
I bought these boots a year ago and they've been part of my primary touring and race setup since, I've put about 50 days on them. I've skied several volcanoes on them: Mt Hood, Mt Adams, Mt Saint Helens, Mt Bachelor. I've skied every possible kind of PNW snow imaginable in them from schmoo to chunder to ice to powder to hot pow to corn to corn chowder.
These boots are incredibly comfortable in walk mode. I could drive home in them they have so much mobility to them. The transition from walk to ski and back is effortless.
Now in ski mode, they are admittedly very soft. I don't mind this that much. I like to say I'm a pretty bad skier, so I don't notice the flex, all skiing is survival skiing with me. But the truth is I wouldn't trade the weight and flexibility in walk mode for more stiffness.
I've also used these boots on my "race setup". Truth is I'm not doing a bunch of racing, so I'm not sure these are really podium destined, but they are lighter than some of the boots my friends race in.
I do have a couple of small complaints:
- On the 2018/19 model, the liner is really light weight, and I pretty much destroyed it after a season of use. I've replaced them with the Palau Ultralight Race Liners and am really happy with that upgrade.
- With the stock liners, side hilling was often pretty uncomfortable because the hard plastic shell would dig into my ankle. I just got used to feeling the pain as a trade-off for the weight... but the Palau Ultralight Race Liners eliminated this problem.
I'm 5'4" 150lbs and I wear these boots to ski the Movement AlpTrack 94 169cm, with Black Diamond Helio 200 bindings. I also wear these boots to ski the Atomic Ultimate 65 WC 2016 163cm Skis with Dynafit PDG Autolock Bindings.
Cord durability? Can these be replaced with another better cord?
In the old model (White) is it possible to modified the angle of the cuff??
Thanks!!
Do you think its possible to pair this boot with a Zag Adret 88 ski (88mm underfoot, 980grams) and use it for
endurance touring?
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