This year our test team got a chance to get the Atomic Backland XTD 120 on their feet, out the door and all around 360-degrees of mountain to see what it could do. Some of our testers managed to do some uphill testing with it as well. The consensus was that the comfort and fit of this medium width backcountry access unit was one of its strong points, though testers couldn't decide if it's light weight and touring range of motion might not be even better.
The XTD in the name indicates that it's a 100mm last. There are 3 narrow (98mm) Backland models, recognizable by their lack of XTD badging, and 1 very narrow (96mm) Backland Ultimate available in Atomic's backcountry line-up. There are 3 men's and 3 women's Backland XTD models to choose from, and our men tested the backcountry-soled (ISO 9523) 120-flex but there is also a molded GripWalk norm sole available in an otherwise identical build that offers skiers some interesting binding compatibility opportunities.
The majority of our testers liked the lightweight, carbon-infused polyamide shell's anatomical shaping and several commented on a well-formed ankle and heel pocket, nicely padded by the 3D Platinum liner that's fully thermo-moldable but also washable which our testers called-out as a unique and useful BC boot feature. Though whether your average backcountry skier will take advantage of that freshen-up feature is pure speculation. The liner is a minimalist affair, and a couple testers felt it lacking enough padding to cushion against the shell in places, but they noted that the combination of a Memory Fit shell molding session followed by a full liner customization would likely even out those fit issues for them.
Testers felt the Backland XTD's downhill game came with some trade-offs for power and stability that would favor lighter weight skiers and those placing a premium on comfortable uphill travel over aggressive descent in difficult snow. Testers felt that there is obvious differentiation between the touring-focused Backland XTD range and the more area-centric freeriding Hawx XTD line-up, and for skiers looking for on-area-level downhill performance the Hawx XTD boots would be the obvious choice.
Testers loved the way the Backland XTD 120 got them where they wanted to go with a featherweight feel underfoot and easy operation of the both the Free/Lock 4.5 cuff release mechanism and also the clean closure of the buckle-on-cable Cross Lace 2.5 system mounted on the lower boot.
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