Atomic Backland UL 78 Review

The Atomic Backland UL 78 is an outlier product. It sits way outside the main pack – on the lightweight end. Just as far outside the other end of the pack are heavy skis that are likely high on your list, while this end of the bell curve goes unnoticed. We think that dedicated ski tourers should be considering skis in this general category; super light tools for high-volume, rowdy missions. The light weight of these skis enables you, with commensurate improved efficiency and fitness, to ski twice or three times as much terrain as you might have imagined. If skiing Mount Rainier is a big day, imagine doing it before lunch. If you skied the Grand Teton, these will support a mission to ski the Grand-Middle-South. Like the Haute Route? How about doing it all in one day? Our lead test editor took these skis on a recent tour in which he and (similarly equipped) partners racked up nearly 12000 vertical feet of human-powered skiing. Try that on your 8-pound hard-chargers.
REASONS TO BUY