Atomic Backland

**gregL** · 11-28-2015, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Meathelmet

And oh, the Salomons forward walk flex is about the shittiest ever. Slight movement in the cuff and bam. Thats it.

I felt the same thing the first time I skinned in the MTN Lab - just a few degrees of movement forward and then a hard stop. I was undoing the lean lock lever and loosening the power strap a tad like I'm used to doing with my TLT6's.

Then I tried it with the power strap fully loosened and the top buckle in the open tour position and it was fine. If you don't loosen everything the strap and buckle pull the spine into the lower shell and the thing locks up like a vise. It takes a few more seconds in the transition, but you still don't have to mess with the removable tongues.

**BrokeSomeRibs** · 12-09-2015, 09:49 AM

Anybody fit a proper ice climbing crampon onto the Backland? Which one? How's the fit at the toe bail? Any interference with the crampon heel lever and the ski/walk lever?

**Lindahl** · 12-15-2015, 07:36 PM

So I was removing the powerstraps, but the screw that goes into the square nut is REALLY fucking tight - like gorilla strength threadlocker? Feels like I'm trying to remove cranks on a bike. It spun the square nut and carved grooves in the plastic. Anyone get one of those bad boys off?

EDIT: Nevermind. Vice grips to the rescue. Those buggers are on there good.

**XXX-er** · 12-15-2015, 07:39 PM

Maybe its loctited ... try some heat ??

**GeezerSteve** · 12-15-2015, 07:41 PM

Too much heat will melt the plastic.

Lindahl, are you certain is screwed, not riveted? Sometimes a rivet look like a screw/nut.

**I've seen black diamonds!** · 12-15-2015, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by BrokeSomeRibs

Anybody fit a proper ice climbing crampon onto the Backland? Which one? How's the fit at the toe bail? Any interference with the crampon heel lever and the ski/walk lever?

Bump. Anyone?

**wendigo** · 12-15-2015, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by Big Steve

Too much heat will melt the plastic.

Lindahl, are you certain is screwed, not riveted? Sometimes a rivet look like a screw/nut.

Mine have screws. Came off alright and replaced with a scarpa maestrale strap. Grab the nut with some locking pliers and replace with a small t-nut?

**Lindahl** · 12-15-2015, 08:21 PM

Vice grips to the rescue. Those buggers are on there good.

Does heat really work with loctite?

2016 Dynafit powerstraps are now on. Damn those things work great. So much nicer than velcro.

**XXX-er** · 12-15-2015, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Does heat really work with loctite? .

Sure it works with Loctite or epoxy I would use a soldering iron put it on the screw and count to 10

An oxyacetelyne cutting torch is less elegant but would also work

**I've seen black diamonds!** · 12-30-2015, 08:54 PM

Are people sizing down from TLT5's? Any one skied these and Maestrales and can tell me which size worked? Anyone know where I can try a pair in the Northeast?

**wendigo** · 12-30-2015, 09:29 PM

I have og maestrales (mango) size 28. Got the backlands in 28.5, they come with an additional foot board if you want a 28 (all sizes you order are the .5 size, then adjust down if needed).

I pulled the maestrale "booster" strap off and put it in the backland. Use the same Intuition pro-tour liners in both. Backland is a way smaller boot (binding adjustments needed), but it drives a ski better than the old maestrales (182 praxis yeti & 191 lhasa pow). I haven't molded the boots yet. No idea how they fit compared to TLT5.

**LeeLau** · 12-30-2015, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds!

Are people sizing down from TLT5's? Any one skied these and Maestrales and can tell me which size worked? Anyone know where I can try a pair in the Northeast?

I ski a Backland, Maestrale, Vulcan, TLT5, TLT6, F1 Evo in 27. I ski a Cochise in 26. But my feet are weirdly generic which is probably why I can test so many boots. Many people sized up the TLT5 to make them fit yet mine fit fine in the same boot as the Vulcan

**gregL** · 12-30-2015, 11:39 PM

I sized down from a 27.5 in the TLT5P and green TLT6P to a 26.5 in the Backland Carbon. I wear a 26.5/27.0 in a Maestrale, and would take a 26.5 in a black 2016 TLT6P. I went up in the TLT5 and first gen TLT6 for volume and instep height more than length (measure 27.6 on the Brannock).

**miserywhip** · 12-31-2015, 08:05 AM

For anyone who has had their backlands heat molded - did you get or need room over the instep? Bootfitter I went to didn't think instep height would change. Then again, he wasn't convinced that it could be heat molded at all, so perhaps I should take that with a grain of salt.

Trying to fit my liners from my orange maestrales, but definitely need instep height.

**Bronco** · 12-31-2015, 09:40 AM

I feel like I gained a bit over the instep. Still snug but tolerable.

**ctw55** · 01-08-2016, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by BrokeSomeRibs

Anybody fit a proper ice climbing crampon onto the Backland? Which one? How's the fit at the toe bail? Any interference with the crampon heel lever and the ski/walk lever?

BUMP

**Cocximus** · 01-09-2016, 05:57 PM

Personally I found the backland to be the shortest out of tlt6/marstrale/spectre/khion. 265 backland was impossible'

**zion zig zag** · 01-13-2016, 10:09 AM

I've read reports that these "feel" wider than the 98 mm last would suggest. Any comparison on width to the One/Mercury/Vulcan last? I'm in a pair of Ones that don't feel wide enough, although part of that is them being too short I'm sure. 26.5 Ones don't fit, 26.5 Maestrale does.

Also, how much width can be gained by padding problem areas and heat molding the shell?

**auvgeek** · 01-13-2016, 10:51 AM

Any experience with the Backland W? Atomic claims they softened the flex just for teh womenz...just how soft is it?

Stoked it comes in a true 22 and that the calf appears to be stretchable (unlike Dynafit ultra-lock cuff).

**zion zig zag** · 01-14-2016, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by zion zig zag

I've read reports that these "feel" wider than the 98 mm last would suggest. Any comparison on width to the One/Mercury/Vulcan last? I'm in a pair of Ones that don't feel wide enough, although part of that is them being too short I'm sure. 26.5 Ones don't fit, 26.5 Maestrale does.

Also, how much width can be gained by padding problem areas and heat molding the shell?

So the official Atomic line is that up to 6mm of width can be gained by heat molding the shell. Has anyone had personal experience that this is true? Also, if you were to add intuitions down the road, would there be any reason to re mold the shell? Or just mold liner per normal? Hoping to get some answers, may pull the trigger on these.

**Bronco** · 01-14-2016, 09:25 AM

Did the heat mold on my 103mm feet. Worked ok, certainly not the same as if we had actually punched them, which I might still do. I don't know about re-molding for the new liner, probably would be a good idea.

**auvgeek** · 01-14-2016, 09:50 AM

Based on that one dude in Jackson's experience with the Fischer Vacuum series, it seems like you might get the best results from molding the shell and an intuition simultaneously. (But I'm too lazy to search for his name/posts, so I might be remembering incorrectly.)

**zion zig zag** · 01-14-2016, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

Based on that one dude in Jackson's experience with the Fischer Vacuum series, it seems like you might get the best results from molding the shell and an intuition simultaneously. (But I'm too lazy to search for his name/posts, so I might be remembering incorrectly.)

Skiinginjackson. I read some his posts yesterday and saw that, made me wonder if the memory fit was similar. I know that the initial molding is with the liner in place, I just don't know if you'd want to remold the shell with a new liner. Also makes me wonder how many molds you can get on a shell before bad things happen.

**gregL** · 01-14-2016, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by zion zig zag

So the official Atomic line is that up to 6mm of width can be gained by heat molding the shell. Has anyone had personal experience that this is true? Also, if you were to add intuitions down the road, would there be any reason to re mold the shell? Or just mold liner per normal? Hoping to get some answers, may pull the trigger on these.

Worked well enough to ski a day with my 103-104mm feet as well. I augmented with some punches for my bunions at the first and fifth met heads and they are money. Heat moldable shells, whether they be Salomon or Atomic, are good for a general width/volume increase; for pointy conflicts (met heads, navicular, maleoli) you should probably also punch manually.

**zion zig zag** · 01-14-2016, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by gregL

Worked well enough to ski a day with my 103-104mm feet as well. I augmented with some punches for my bunions at the first and fifth met heads and they are money. Heat moldable shells, whether they be Salomon or Atomic, are good for a general width/volume increase; for pointy conflicts (met heads, navicular, maleoli) you should probably also punch manually.

Good to know. My feet aren't terribly wide but any pressure across my fore foot irritates my morton's neuroma.