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Backland Tour | All Round

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The Atomic Backland Tour is a convenient and really lightweight tech binding for alpine touring. Like all Backland gear it’s incredibly durable and easy to use: it features a patented step-in aid at the front so your boot is automatically positioned to click in. Then two climbing aids work separately from the heel tower, so with one easy click you can choose between 0°, 7° and 13° positions. Performance-wise Backland Tour is exceptional, with a broad 40mm mounting for max power transmission on wide skis (this also cuts the risk of the screws pulling out). With brakes it weighs in at just 398g a pair, is compatible with standard crampons, and has a lengthy 30mm sole-length adjustment. Get ready to tour!

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2020-2021 Salomon MTN Pure / Atomic Backland Pure

Release value range: “women”, “men”, & “expert” (adjusted by changing out U-spring in heel)

Available brake widths: 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 mm

Climbing Aids: flat, 42 mm, 58 mm

Forward Elastic Travel: 0 mm

Mounting pattern width: 40 mm (toe); 28 mm (heel)

Heel Mounting Gap: 4 mm

BSL Adjustment: 30 mm

Stated Weight: 296 grams

Blister’s measured weight:

• Toe: 119.3 & 118.7 g
• Heel: 163.6 & 163.9 g
• Leashes: 25.8 & 25.6 g
• Screws: 15.3 & 15.5, g
• Total (with leashes): 324.5 & 323.2 g

MSRP: $449 USD ($499 for version with brakes)

Boots Used: Scarpa Maestrale RS ; Nordica Strider 120; Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro ; Atomic Backland Carbon

Ski Used: Salomon MTN Explore 95

Test Locations: Arapahoe Basin & Front Range Backcountry, CO; Teton Backcountry, ID

Days Tested: 8

[ Note : Our review was conducted on the 19/20 MTN / Backland Tour, which was not changed for 20/21, apart from the name changes to “Salomon MTN Pure” and “Atomic Backland Pure.”]

Salomon and Atomic got a lot of attention this past season when they announced their Shift MNC binding , and deservedly so — the Shift is a big step forward for downhill-oriented touring bindings that deliver the skiing performance of an alpine binding.

But Salomon and Atomic also make a touring binding that sits on the opposite end of the spectrum, where simplicity, low weight, and uphill performance are the priorities. The Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Tour takes the classic, minimalist, tech-binding design and includes a few notable upgrades, making it an interesting addition to the lightweight touring binding category.

(Both companies sell their own version of this binding, but apart from the names and colorways, the two bindings are identical.)

And for the record, this is a great example of how good backcountry skiers have it these days.

Just a few years ago you’d either be stuck hauling up a heavy and inefficient frame binding, or ski on super minimal (and often unreliable) tech bindings. But now we’re seeing a lot of innovation on both ends of the touring market, and there are now more options than ever in the lightweight tech-binding category — several of which we’ve covered in our Lightweight Touring Binding Shootout .

So how does the MTN / Backland Tour compare?

We’ve now had several reviewers use the MTN / Backland Tour. We’ve skied it back-to-back against the other bindings in our shootout at A-Basin, and toured on it around the mountains of the American West. Here’s what we’ve found:

Luke Koppa: The MTN / Backland Tour’s toe piece is very simple and reminiscent of many traditional tech binding designs. It’s made primarily of metal, with the upper toe lever being the only plastic piece. We haven’t yet spent enough time in the MTN / Backland Tour to test its long-term durability, but its construction (both in the toe and heel) feels very solid and the binding has fewer parts (that could potentially break) than all of the other bindings in our shootout.

The MTN / Backland Tour features a small, metal bar at the the front of the toe piece to help guide the foot when stepping in. While this makes the MTN / Backland Tour easier to step into than the Marker Alpinist , it’s not the easiest binding in our test when it comes to stepping in (more on that further down).

The MTN / Backland Tour’s toe piece has the widest mounting pattern of all the bindings in our shootout. While it’s difficult to determine exactly how much this affects power transfer or binding retention, the wider mounting pattern does inspire a bit more confidence (warranted or not) when driving wider skis.

While the MTN / Backland Tour’s toe piece has a lower pivot point than the Marker Alpinist, the MTN / Backland Tour’s toe piece feels like it requires more force to close and open it compared to the Dynafit TLT Speed and Alpinist. We haven’t used lab equipment to objectively test which bindings have the strongest holding power in the toe, but the MTN / Backland Tour definitely feels quite strong when opening and closing the binding.

Luke: The MTN / Backland Tour’s heel piece combines classic tech binding design with a couple small, but noteworthy upgrades. Like the toe piece, the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel piece is mostly made of metal, with the exterior U-spring housing being the only plastic piece on the heel.

The MTN / Backland Tour’s heel piece utilizes a U-spring that determines both lateral and vertical release. The binding includes three spring options of increasing retention values, labeled as “women,” “men,” and “expert.” We tested the binding with the medium-strength, “men” spring. [ Editor’s Note : we’d love to see a more useful labelling system for retention values. What’s wrong with numbers, or just something like “low, medium, high?”]

Like all the bindings in our shootout, the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel rotates to transition from ski to walk mode. However, unlike all the other bindings, there’s no need to rotate the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel a full 180° because its heel risers move independently from the actual heel tower. This means that you only have to rotate the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel about 90° to get a flat mode. Or if you just want to go straight to the low or high riser setting, you can flip the risers over the pins with the heel piece in downhill mode, making for quicker transitions when you don’t need to use the flat mode.

The independent risers are one of our favorite features on the MTN / Backland Tour, though they do come with a few quirks which we discuss in the Uphill Performance section further down.

In addition to the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel risers, it also stands out due to its mounting plate, which comes standard with 30 mm of adjustment (the ATK Raider 2.0 12 / Hagan Core 12 also has 30 mm of adjustment). This is a nice feature for people with multiple pairs of boots with different BSL’s, or on the occasion that you lend your skis to a buddy.

Luke: The MTN / Backland Tour is available either with brakes or leashes. We tested the binding with the included leashes, which I think are really nice.

The leashes are pre-coiled, so when they’re not clipped to my boots (e.g., on a bootpack), they stay shorter / compressed and keep from swinging around and whacking me in the face. The MTN / Backland Tour’s leash clip is also exactly 4 mm thick, which means you can use it to correctly measure the heel gap between the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel piece and your boot. Nice.

The MTN / Backland Tour can be purchased with brakes instead of leashes, and the brakes can also be purchased separately. The MTN / Backland Tour’s brakes have a stated weight of 96 grams per brake, and work independently of the heel tower. They instead utilize a lever that flips forward or backward to release / lock the breaks (similar to the brake on the Salomon / Atomic Shift binding). With the brake attached, the “flat” mode of the MTN / Backland Tour is slightly … less flat (as the brake takes up some space under the boot sole at the heel). Though since we haven’t used the brakes, we can’t attest to just how much of a difference this really makes on snow. We don’t expect the difference to be drastic.

Neither Salomon or Atomic make ski crampons specifically designed for the MTN / Backland Tour, but the binding reportedly works with crampons from both Dynafit and Plum.

Uphill Performance / Transitions

Luke: Overall, I think the MTN / Backland Tour is an excellent binding on the skintrack. It’s simple, allows for easy and quick transitions, and has proven to be pretty easy to use.

The only minor complaint I have with the MTN / Backland Tour comes when it’s time to step into the binding. While it features a toe stop to help guide your foot, I still found that it was a bit more difficult to step into the MTN / Backland Tour compared to the ATK Raider 2.0 12 / Hagan Core 12 and Dynafit TLT Speed. The MTN / Backland Tour requires a bit of force in the forward direction (i.e., toward your ski tip) in addition to just simply pushing straight down in order to get the toe jaws to snap shut. I still found the MTN / Backland Tour to be easier to step into than the Alpinist, and think I could easily get used to the MTN / Backland Tour after spending more time on it.

Once clicked in, the MTN / Backland Tour is a joy to tour on.

The MTN / Backland Tour’s heel risers are very easy to flick over with a ski pole basket or grip, and I really like the fact that they work independently of the heel tower. The MTN / Backland Tour’s high riser is also actually that — high. I found that it was plenty tall for steep skintracks, and noticeably higher than the highest risers on the TLT Speed and Alpinist.

I like to minimize transition time whenever possible, mostly because I’m lazy, so it’s nice to have the option of simply flipping the low and / or high risers over the heel pins of the MTN / Backland Tour, touring up, and then flipping the risers back and clicking in my heel. This is especially useful on shorter laps where I’m transitioning many times throughout the day. The Raider 2.0 12 / Core 12 and Alpinist also function similarly in that you can just flip a riser over the pins when you don’t need a flat mode, though the Alpinist requires you to turn the heel piece 180° if you want access to its (fairly short) highest riser setting.

When I do want a flat mode, the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel is pretty easy to rotate, though since the risers don’t rotate with the heel tower I have to grip lower on the heel piece when rotating it. I found this annoying at first, but if I flipped the risers forward (so they were above the pins), it was much easier to rotate the heel tower since there’s a pretty large protrusion where the U-spring is, and that’s much easier to grab when the risers are flipped forward.

It’s also worth noting that, since the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel risers don’t rotate with the heel tower, it’s not possible to rotate the heel with a ski pole. But I found that the MTN / Backland Tour’s heel tower was easier and quicker to rotate by hand than those on the Alpinist and TLT Speed, in part due to the MTN / Backland Tour only requiring 90° of rotation.

Downhill Performance

We’re putting this same caveat in all of the downhill performance sections for the bindings in this test…

Two things really stood out to us while testing these bindings:

First, the downhill performance of each binding is surprisingly similar. If we weren’t skiing them back-to-back, we doubt we would be able to discern many differences in performance.

Second (and perhaps even more surprising), is how hard we were able to ski on these bindings without breaking anything — including ourselves.

Much of our downhill-performance testing was done inbounds on firm or soft, chopped-up snow and at very high speeds. All of the bindings in the test performed surprisingly well (though the real standout in our shootout was easily the ski — the Salomon MTN Explore 95 that we had all the bindings mounted on is just soooo good).

(End caveat.)

Luke (5’8”, 155 lbs): The MTN / Backland Tour feels the most traditional of all the bindings in our shootout. It has that distinctive tech binding “feel” that transmits a lot of feedback and sensation from the snow to my boots.

In our shootout, I think the MTN / Backland Tour feels the harshest, though I didn’t notice much of a difference between it and the Raider 2.0 12 / Core 12 in terms of the feedback transmitted to my boots. The TLT Speed felt slightly smoother than the MTN / Backland Tour, and the Alpinist was noticeably smoother than all the bindings in our shootout.

In terms of power transfer , I think the MTN / Backland Tour sits at the bottom of our shootout. Its heel felt more vague than the Alpinist and Raider 2.0 12 / Core 12, and pretty similar to the TLT Speed. That said, I was still impressed by how hard I could ski on the MTN / Backland Tour and MTN Explore 95 in the soft snow at A-Basin.

If I were solely choosing one of the four bindings in our shootout for its downhill performance, the MTN / Backland Tour would not be my top choice. But if you’re used to the feel of minimal tech bindings like the MTN / Backland Tour and correspondingly tend to ski a bit more conservatively while on lightweight gear, the MTN / Backland Tour skis pretty well for how light and simple it is.

Sam Shaheen (5’10”, 140 lbs): I agree with Luke on his assessment. The MTN / Backland Tour has the most traditional feel on snow. But I think it is important to reiterate that we skied these bindings back-to-back on the same ski, and even then, the differences between the bindings were very subtle.

I personally would happily use the MTN / Backland Tour as my primary lightweight touring binding. And honestly, I think that all of the bindings in this test would be fine options for general touring. So I would be careful about basing your decision primarily or strictly on the differences we’ve teased out in the downhill characteristics of these bindings. Other features (and perhaps the price differences) ought to be given more weight / are more important, I believe. So, yes, the MTN / Backland Tour feels the harshest of the bindings in our test, and yes, it has the worst power transfer. But the differences that we’re talking about here are quite subtle.

Safety / Release

Sam: U-spring bindings like the MTN / Backland Tour have been shown to prematurely wear out the pin inserts on touring boots and change the release characteristics over time (in some cases, release characteristics can change dramatically). This is in contrast to other (often heavier) tech bindings that have separate heel pins which move much more easily around the boot heel insert when stepping into the binding.

Every time you step into a U-spring binding, the spring itself needs to bend outward to get around the boot heel insert, which is more abrasive than bindings with independent heel pins (e.g., Dynafit Rotation 10, G3 Ion, Fritschi Vipec Evo).

For more on the potential safety issues with U-spring bindings, check out our podcast with some of G3’s engineers where they discuss this topic around the 41:00 mark.

U-spring bindings also have much less adjustability when it comes to vertical release, since the spring itself dictates the vertical release value. And in the case of the MTN / Backland Tour, its U-spring also determines its lateral release value.

When it comes to safety features, each binding in our shootout differs a bit:

• The Alpinist has adjustable lateral release and its vertical release is determined by the U-spring. However, it also has active length compensation to help with release consistency and is the only binding in our shootout that does not require a heel gap.
• The Raider 2.0 / Core has independently adjustable vertical and lateral release at the heel and features independent heel pins (i.e., not a U-spring). It also has active length compensation, but still requires a heel gap.
• The TLT Speed has fixed vertical release (U-spring-dependent), adjustable lateral release, and no active length compensation.
• The MTN / Backland Tour’s release values can only be adjusted by swapping the U-spring (there are 3 stiffness options), and the MTN / Backland Tour has no active length compensation.

It’s very difficult to determine how much each of these bindings’ features contribute to overall safety without a large-scale study. But if being able to really fine-tune the release characteristics of your binding is a priority for you, it’s important to note that the MTN / Backland Tour offers the least level of precise release adjustability of the bindings in our shootout.

Luke: After 8 total days of testing, we haven’t had any durability issues with the MTN / Backland Tour. But that’s hardly enough time to test a binding’s long-term durability, so we’ll be putting more time on the MTN / Backland Tour next season and will report back if any issues arise.

And I think it’s again worth noting that the MTN / Backland Tour is mostly composed of metal, with the U-spring cover and the upper toe lever being the only plastic components. The MTN / Backland Tour also has very few moving parts, and few parts in general. So I expect the MTN / Backland Tour to hold up well.

Who’s It For?

Luke: I think the MTN / Backland Tour is a good option for anyone looking for a simple, lightweight touring binding that’s easy to use, tours very well, and offers decent downhill performance. The MTN / Backland Tour isn’t the best choice if you prioritize precise release adjustability or want the best downhill-performing binding in this class. But if you’re not charging in your lightweight touring gear — i.e., you’re actually using it how it’s meant to be used — the MTN / Backland Tour is a strong overall performer.

Sam: I think the key with the MTN / Backland Tour is its simplicity — it’s easy to use and has few parts that could potentially break. I found the MTN / Backland Tour’s downhill performance to be acceptable, and on the uphill, I’d say it’s one of, if not the best binding in our shootout. If you value simplicity and a streamlined uphill experience, the MTN / Backland Tour is definitely worth considering.

Bottom Line

While the Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Tour binding doesn’t have any really flashy new tech or radical design features, it’s still a solid, simple, and efficient tech binding that’s performed very well on the up, and pretty well on the down. The MTN / Backland Tour works really well on the skintrack, allows for quick transitions, skis pretty well for its weight, and has few parts that could potentially break in the backcountry. All of this makes it a pretty good all-around option for those that prioritize low weight and simplicity over maximum downhill performance.

9 comments on “2020-2021 Salomon MTN Pure / Atomic Backland Pure”

It’s pretty easy to rotate the heel piece from tour mode to ski mode when transitioning – use the end of your pole grip to push the side of the heel piece. Skied these bindings all season and love them. So simple and so far no durability issues.

With brakes installed, you do not have to rotate the heel piece at all.

Major issue I have with this bindings (after perhaps 35 days). The heel risers have become extremely floppy. They’re pinned and can’t be tightened so every step I don’t know what’s going to be under my foot. At this point it changes pretty much every step. Annoying.

Hey me too! It took a while, but yeah one of them started flopping out of high rise into mid rise. I am thinking about wrapping some thin wire around that pin to create resistance. Did you come up with something?

i bought the Atomic version with ski brake at the end of 2018/2019 season, already on the first tour i experienced issue with the brake. In sticky snow the snow accumulates underneath the brake and it opens by itself on the way up / in the walk mode. The brakes have been checked and replaced already 2 times but the problem remains. The shop i bought the bindings apparently contacted Atomic but no solution has been provided so far. From the shop I know that I’m not the only customer experiencing that problem. Apparently also Atomic confirmed that they heard of the issue.

Bought Salomon bindings, crampon hook broke on second outing. Impossible to get fixed without buying the entire set (2 front and 2 rear bindings again). Quite disappointed.

In the Alpin test, they used the brake, and found that it helped ski performance tremendously, due to the solid contact between boot heel and brake plate. But, the same plate severely compromised release, to the point where they couldn’t get a normal release torque.

https://www.alpin.de/tests-produkte/38390/artikel_test_die_besten_leichten_pin-skitourenbindungen_2020.html

The tool provided to measure the heel gap has the obvious 4mm spacer, but what is the pointy bit on the other end used for? It looks too specific to not have a function.

I bought them this year and I have the same issues. The brake opened itself couple of times during walk. But what concerns me more is that they didn’t release during two hard falls.

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Atomic Backland Tour

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Quick overview

The Atomic Backland Tour is a light Tech Pin binding. The simple design is durable and easy to use. The limited number of moving parts makes the binding very reliable. It is an excellent tech binding for some serious tour adventures.

+ Lightweight and reliable.

+ Easy-to-operate climbing aids.

+ With powerful and easy-to-operate ski brakes.

- Limited release settings.

The binding is supplied with 3 'U-Springs' for setting the release. Women (± Din 6), Men (± Din 8) and Expert (± Din 11).

The ski brakes are blocked by a lever, separate from the heel piece.

Three climbing aids for an easy ascent.

An adjustment range of 30 mm for versatility in ski boot use.

Crampon attachment also works with Dynafit and Plum crampons.

Weight: 392 grams, including a 100 mm ski brake.

HikeForPow(der)

Your guide to backcountry skiing and avalanche safety gear.

Long Term Review: Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Touring Binding

January 31, 2022 mike comments 4 comments.

After a couple of seasons of backcountry skiing on the Salomon MTN pin bindings I’m ready to share my thoughts. In short: simple, light, and solid (with one caveat I’ll get into below). The toe clamps are crazy strong, the lifters are easy to use, and they climb and ski like a traditional pin binding. Which is mostly good but can be bad in some scenarios – hard pack in pin bindings is never great. But hard pack isn’t what these are bindings are intended for.

The MTN binding suits my needs pretty much perfectly but they won’t be ideal for some skiers. To save weight, Salomon limited the release adjustability by using a replaceable U-spring. Unfortunately the spring only comes in 3 flavors, so really light or really heavy skiers are out of luck. And if you aren’t a fan of the ‘direct’ feeling of a pin binding you may want took at a different set of clamps.

MSRP: $449/$499 USD (leashes/brakes) Weight: 296 grams (no brakes) Brake sizes: 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 mm Brake weight: 96 grams Release range: ‘women’, ‘men’, ‘expert’ (aka light, medium, stiff) Risers: flat, mid, high Pin height delta (ramp delta): ~9 mm BSL adjustment range: 30 mm

Buy now: Backcountry.com , evo.com , REI

Salomon has been making excellent alpine bindings for almost as long as I’ve been alive. It’s no surprise that they decided to dip their toe into the light(ish) alpine touring segment of the market. And boy am I glad they did. The Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland (same binding, different graphics and name) is a solid piece of kit.

It has been available for quite a few years now and Salomon recently tweaked the design. The differences are slightly beefier toe wings and heel tower. This review is based on the original version and the fact that Sally only made minor tweaks is a good sign (if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it).

Salomon didn’t try to reinvent the wheel with toe of the MTN/Backland binding and that’s a good thing. It’s a simple design that looks like a fairly traditional tech toe and is pretty much entirely metal. The ski/walk lever is the only plastic bit and even it has proved to be durable.

My favorite thing about the toe piece has to be the springs. They are strong af. The amount of force required to close or open them is noticeably higher than Dynafit ST or G3 Zed 12 (the other pin bindings I had on hand to test side by side). I have definitely forgotten to lock the toe more than once when touring but I’ve never popped out, even on steepish side hills. In theory you could leave the toe unlocked when touring in terrain where that might be beneficial.

Stepping into the MTN is pretty straight-forward, similar to most other tech bindings out there. A small metal guide helps keep your boot in the right spot, but it can still be tricky to get it right in deep snow. But like all tech bindings, it gets easier with a bit of practice.

There is a leash loop integrated into the ski/walk lever so there’s no fiddling around to find a leash attachment point. There’s also a crampon attachment built into the toe. Salomon crampons are available, but Dynafit crampons also work with the included ‘keeper’ (basically a little plastic clamp that keeps the crampon from sliding around). Unfortunately I don’t have a pic of the keeper thingy…I lost it almost immediately. Plum crampons apparently work too, but I can’t verify.

Heel Tower and Risers

Like the rest of the MTN bindings, the heel tower is an all metal build with a generous 30 mm of boot length adjustment. Rotating the heel tower takes an appropriate amount of force in my opinion. It feels confidence-inspiring in that it isn’t super easy to rotate, but it isn’t so difficult that you’ll struggle.

One thing that surprised me about the MTNs is that the heel tower rotates independently of the risers. Coming from Dynafit ST bindings, my first instinct was to try and turn the whole tower but this obviously didn’t work out. You have to grip the big ‘middle’ portion of the tower (with the pins) and spin that. The risers don’t move, which is actually convenient in that you can just flip down the mid riser and cover the pins. No need to spin the tower at all if you don’t need flat touring mode.

The risers are a simple but effective design. A smaller riser on top acts as the mid-height and you can flip another riser over top of this for steeper tracks. They’re both fairly quick to grab with a pole handle and you quickly go directly from flat to the high riser with a pole basket.

You also get a true flat mode when using leashes by rotating the heel 90° in either direction, but with brakes your heel is slightly elevated due to the lever that secures the brakes in walk mode. I’ve found both ‘flat’ modes to be just fine for long flat approaches provided your boot has enough cuff movement (most semi-modern touring boots do).

Brakes and Leashes

Salomon gives you the choice of going with leashes for a simple, light setup or with brakes for a slight weight penalty (~95 grams). I should point out that the leash model is ~$50 cheaper. If you opt for leashes, you can also mount the heel without the stomp pad to get an almost flat ramp delta if that’s your thing. The leash also works as a spacer to get the correct heel gap (4 mm) which is a nice touch.

I’ve had these set up both ways and they both work well. The leashes are fairly short and don’t have a break point, so it’s very possible you could get tangled up in your skis in a crash. The brakes mount under the heel tower and require one additional screw in front of the heel. The walk/ski lever looks similar to the one on the Shift binding, but this one has been way more effective. It actually holds the brakes in place, where on the Shifts I find my brakes pop loose at least once a tour.

Uphill Performance

Weighing in at a hair under 300 grams without brakes, the MTN tech binding is on the lighter end of the spectrum (ignoring ‘race’ bindings). Although important, weight isn’t the only factor that affects how a binding feels when skinning. But I’m happy to report that with heels free, the MTN feels great. It’s a tech toe so the pivot point feels fairly natural and as I mentioned above the toe springs are strong. Even with toes unlocked they stay solidly attached to your boots.

Flipping the risers up/down is a simple affair with a pole grip or basket. And with the high riser you’ll be in a good position for steeper skin tracks.

Downhill Performance

If you’ve skied an ‘old-school’ tech binding with no elasticity you have a fairly good idea of how these are going to feel. Direct is a good way to describe them. The ramp delta is around 9.5 mm, so a slight forward lean but you can flatten this with leashes by omitting the stomp pad.

In soft snow I have absolutely zero complaints skiing the MTN. Driving biggish skis has been no problem (I had these on Candide 3.0s for a season, which are 108 underfoot) and they feel very connected with the ski. I haven’t noticed any play/slop in the heel (until recently, more on that below) and have had zero pre-release issues when charging fairly hard.

On hardpack snow…well they’ll get you down the hill and keep you attached to your skis but they’re harsh, like many other tech bindings. I wouldn’t consider these for a 50/50 binding.

Release Adjustability

One compromise Salomon made to keep weight down is to limit the release adjustment range in the heel. Many tech heels now have continuous adjustment from 4-10 or 4-12, but the MTN only has 3 discrete release values. Release pressure is adjusted by swapping out the u-spring in the heel. Thicker u-spring, higher release value (basically the resistance of the metal to bending determines release pressure).

The MTN binding comes with 3 sets of u-springs they call Women, Men, and Expert. This translates loosely to light, medium, stiff and from what I’ve read this equates to something like 6-7, 9-10, 11-12 on a DIN scale. This is anecdotal, but sounds like it’s in the right ball park. I’m ~180 pounds with no gear and ride the Men’s spring (I have big ass feet and usually run a DIN of 9 or 10 on alpine bindings). Stepping into the heel needs a solid effort.

After banging on these bindings for 2.5 seasons (part-time – I don’t always ski these) the heel tower has developed a bit of play where it interfaces with the adjustment track. I can slightly wiggle the heel by hand (on both bindings) and if I really pay attention, I can feel it when skiing on hard snow. When skiing in soft snow it isn’t noticeable at all, but it will be if it gets any worse. I’ll keep this updated if that happens.

This is the only complaint that I have with these bindings, and apparently is a fairly rare issue only with the very first generation of MTN bindings. From what I’ve gathered there have been few reports of this, so I think I just got unlucky.

Many many users of these bindings do not have any heel play and word on the street is that Salomon did a little something to address this in the new generation (can’t confirm…let me know in the comments if you can).

On the plus side, everything else about the MTN has held up beautifully. There is no detectable play in either of the toe pieces. Rotating the heel still needs an appropriate amount of effort and the lifters are still solid.

Final Thoughts on the Salomon MTN Binding

Despite the durability issue in the heel I encountered, if/when the play gets worse, I’ll more than likely replace these with another set of MTNs. With my own money – these were not given to me or discounted in any way. The pros of these bindings (light weight, easy to use brakes, no pre-release, flat mode, 2 risers, etc.) are enough to outweigh the small chance of a bit of heel play.

Provided that the limited release ranges work for your weight and ski style, I would highly recommend the Salomon MTN binding as a touring specific binding. There are much better options for a 50/50 backcountry/resort binding but that’s not what the MTN is intended to be. Mount these on some light skis and fly up the skin track to your nearest powder stash.

4 thoughts on “ Long Term Review: Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Touring Binding ”

Hi I really like my atomic version. I try to only ski soft snow and am consider going to the W spring for safety. I have a question. When storing these bindings should the toe be in the closed or open position? That is, the lever should be down or up? Thanks

Hi Al, good question! To minimize tension on the toe springs over the summer, you should close the toe piece.

Thanks for the answer. Just to be clear, the toe lever should be parallel to the ski for storage, as in the same position as when you’re skiing?

Also, I’m an old guy that is pretty ez on equipment and stick to softer snow. I’m thinking of dropping down to the W uspring (im currently using the M uspring) as I rarely fall and probably don’t need the same retention as younger person my size who skis harder on harder snow.

What do you think? Thanks, al

Yep, lever parallel to the ski, same as ski mode. Locking it out in walk mode might put a bit of tension on something (probably minimal, but there’s no reason to lock it out).

As for the W spring question, I can’t make a solid recommendation over the web – it sounds like it would be fine but if I were in your shoes, I would consider the consequences of an unexpected release. Using the weaker spring you might pop out when you don’t want to. Skiing somewhere steep or in trees this could be bad news. If you do switch to the W spring, test it on a run where a binding release will be of low consequence. Ski as hard as you normally would and see if you pop out. If not, great! But if you do release in fairly ‘normal’ circumstances you may want to reconsider…

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Written by Lou Dawson

Atomic Salomon Backland MTN

Salomon MTN version of the binding, with optional brake.

MTN binding configured without brake.

In 2016 Atomic began retailing a classic tech binding they developed in partnership with Salomon (both companies are under the same ownership. The only difference in the bindings is color. The binding comes in a regular version with 30 mm of boot length adjustment, and a “Light” version with less boot length adjustment.

Salomon-Atomic MTN-Backland “light,” no boot length adjust, 236 gr Salomon-Atomic MTN-Backland, no brake, 296 gr Salomon-Atomic MTN-Backland, w/ brake, 385 gr

Heel unit (regular, with screws, without brake): 157 grams. Toe unit, with screws: 130 grams. Brake, 90 mm: adds 96 grams per binding.

Available brake widths: 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 millimeters.

Brake trivia: You can’t step into downhill mode with the brake stowed — the brake latch holds your boot too high. We’re told this is to satisfy nigglers at TUV who won’t certify a touring binding to DIN/ISO 13992 if it can be skied downhill with brake held retracted. That’s fine, except we don’t expect this binding to ever be DIN/ISO certified, so perhaps that’s mythology and the brake simply is, what it is? At the least, it’s idiot proof. You can’t take off down the hill unless it’s enabled.

Specs: Boot adjustment length for Backland Tour, 30 mm. Weight, Backland Tour, 280 grams per binding with screws (verified). See our weight chart for toe, heel and other bindings.

Toe screw pattern width, 40 mm. Brakes, none integrated, leash included (leash hook doubles as spacer or binding heel gap adjustment. Nice.) Add-on brake is available. Crampons, none OEM, accepts all major brand “Dynafit” compatible crampons. Hand test of boot/pin action at toe, pass.

Release values are set with 3 different rear unit springs that are easily user swapped. As follows: Women, marked as “W” is roughly equivalent to DIN 6 Men, marked as “Men” is roughly equivalent to DIN 8 Expert, marked as “Exp” is roughly equivalent to DIN 12

Stack height and ramp angles : Tour : toe pin center to topsheet is 3.00 cm. Heel pin center to topsheet is 4.00 cm Tour Light : same toe as Tour, heel pin center to topsheet is 3.50cm Those are relaxed ramp angles, see our ramp angles post for comparo chart.

Ski crampon compatibility: Dynafit, ATK, anything compatible with Dynafit.

Related blog posts and reviews, in somewhat chrono order:

2019-2020 version.

First look 2015, Atomic Backland binding at Atomic’s European HQ.

Unboxing of Atomic Backland version binding.

Proof of concept, mod Atomic-Salomon brake to work on other touring binding setups.

Bob Perlmutter review of binding, X-Alp ski and more.

Backland MTN Binding Mounting template

Curious how the heel unit functions on this well engineered ski binding? Check here.

Atomic HQ visit, 2017, seeing the gear at the source.

Availability: Limited during summer of 2017, fully available starting autumn of 2017.

• Touring Bindings
• an older model
• a model that we can not order anymore from the manufacturer
• or an model that is not available right now

Product details : Atomic Backland Tour inkl. Stopper Alpine Touring Bindings Black / Gunmetal

The Backland Tour is lightweight and durable, with the patented step-in aid. The Backland Pure is as simple and lightweight as it gets, with a leash option for experienced ski-runners. No matter your uphill objective, Atomic makes a binding that gets you there.    

The Atomic Backland Tour is a convenient and really lightweight tech binding for alpine touring. Like all Backland gear it’s incredibly durable and easy to use: it features a patented step-in aid at the front so your boot is automatically positioned to click in.

Then two climbing aids work separately from the heel tower, so with one easy click you can choose between 0°, 7° and 13° positions. Performance-wise Backland Tour is exceptional, with a broad 40mm mounting for max power transmission on wide skis (this also cuts the risk of the screws pulling out).

With brakes it weighs in at just 398 g per piece, is compatible with standard crampons, and has a lengthy 30 mm sole-length adjustment. Get ready to tour!  

Hike and Ride Switch     A switch lever to shift between hike and ski mode    

Patented Step-in Aid     The patented step-in aid guides position your boot perfectly   

Climbing Aid     With a flick of your pole, you have hasslefree and easy switching between different climbing positions   

Touring Brakes     The light, strong brakes feature a unique lock/unlock system that helps you switch easily from hike to ski mode, and guards against you skiing with a locked brake

Please note: the selected stopper size should be the next largest, based on the center width of the ski (example: center width 95mm -> 100mm stopper). The selection "Size" corresponds to the stopper width. When ordering a set we automatically mount the suitable stoppers without surcharge.

Atomic Backland Tour inkl. Stopper Alpine Touring Bindings Black / Gunmetal

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