Alpine Touring Bindings

Having created the design for pin bindings as we know them today, Dynafit has rightfully been associated with durable and long-lasting tech binding designs that perform at the highest level. With the Ridge binding, Dynafit continues this proud tradition but with an increased emphasis on user-friendliness. Generally, most braked bindings require the heel piece to be rotated 90-180° ..

The most fundamental of ATK's "Evo" series of bindings, the RT 8 Evo binding is the evolution of the Crest 8. Historically, lighter-weight skiers have a more limited selection of touring bindings to pick from, but thankfully the RT 8 Evo exists to fit the needs of almost any backcountry setup. The "Evo" nomenclature indicates the inclusion of ATK's automatic brakes that self-deploy..

To start, these bindings are sturdily built out of metal and POM, providing an exceptionally stout construction at a very reasonable weight. Complementing this hard-working construction is the Elastic Response System, which gives the heel room to move fore and aft, keeping your release values consistent through variable terrain. Speaking of the heel, the Pin-Up Evo bindings now uti..

After a truly historic winter, it appears the Marker Kingpin M-Werks and Alpinist spent a lot of time together, tucked cozily away indoors between bouts of incredible powder skiing. The evidence for this is the Cruise 10 binding, which clearly has 23 chromosomes from each of them. Compared to the Alpinist, the Cruise has two heel risers easily accessible, helping tame even the stee..

The ATK Crest 10 reminds us of that saying, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Except, with these bindings, you actually can…metaphorically, anyways (don’t eat your bindings). They prove that you can have all the features AND go lightweight too. The Crest 10’s paltry weight and three walk modes won’t inhibit you on the up, no matter the size of the ascent. Meanwhile, ski br..

Small and light skiers know it can be hard to find a touring binding that meets all your needs without infringing on your safety. A lightweight, full featured binding with low release settings can be a rare gem, but thankfully ATK has excavated the gleaming sapphire that is the Crest 8 from the mines of touring technology. The fully adjustable lateral and vertical release values ca..

With its reasonable weight, full-featured personality, and competitive cost, the Crest series from ATK has been a smart choice for many getting into backcountry skiing. Further distilled and refined, ATK has made thoughtful updates and improvements to the Crest 10 that build upon this already-proven platform. Compared to its predecessor, the updated Crest binding utilizes two heel ..

Designed with the same DNA as the now ubiquitous and revered Raider line, the Raider 10 SL from ATK is a light(er) fully featured binding that isn't afraid of rowdy descents. Similar to the Raider models, the SL features a hard-charging heel piece, complete with elastic travel, two magnetic heel risers, and an ability to independently adjust vertical and lateral release values, whi..

ATK's latest addition to their composite Raider series delivers another durable and weight-conscientious binding in the C-Raider 10. With a carbon composite toe frame interspersed with aluminum and stainless steel parts, this binding is fully featured, fully balanced, and lighter than many of its competitors. The same wide mounting pattern and 12mm of heel travel as the aluminum ve..

Dynafit has taken a classic 90's expression and slapped it onto the Radical ST binding to let you know how amazing it truly is. Note that Radical should be capitalized, which is pretty much an invite for you to get Rad, something you can very much do with this stout yet lower weight binding. A flick of the wrist (or pole) has you changing riser heights on the fly for those steep sk..

When it comes to bindings, DPS gets H10/10 stars - especially the DPS H10 binding! Made by the geniuses at ATK, the DPS H10 has all the features you could want at a weight that makes the competition shudder. With fully adjustable lateral and vertical release values, 20mm of boot sole accommodation, elasticity in the fore/aft and lateral directions, brakes, and multiple magnetic ris..

Nothing goes better with those smile-inducing DPS skis than a pair of DPS bindings! From the factories of legendary binding manufacturer ATK, comes the DPS R10 binding. Much like the acclaimed Pagoda skis, the R10 is also fully featured without being a burden. Lightweight construction with three walk modes means you'll get to the top without a hitch. And the downhill? Well, let's j..

Are you looking for a simple, durable, all-around ski touring binding? Do you want brakes, magnetic risers, elastic heel travel, and a fully adjustable release without unnecessary weight? Would you like to adorn your skis with hints of polished aluminum, steel, and fine Italian metallurgy? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the RT 11 Evo may be for you. This bind..

The Raider Evo series sits atop the ATK throne as their flagship binding, with the Raider 11 Evo positioned to serve lighter-weight skiers. Setting itself apart from other, non-Evo Raider bindings, the Raider 11 Evo has automatic brakes and release adjustment in the toe. With non-Evo Raider bindings, the brake is deployed and locked with a manually pressed button, positioned und..

The Hagan Core 12 Pro has been a crowd favorite for those wanting a highly functional binding at a minimal weight. Not ones to sit idle, the folks at Hagan have been devising ways to better this already proven design. Their answer comes in the form of the Hagan Core 12 Evo, which we think could be characterized as evolutionary rather than revolutionary. To start, Hagan kept the sam..

Like the renaissance in Europe, we too, as the backcountry skiing community, are experiencing a renaissance in technology after enduring the dark, dark years that saw the usage of such torture devices known as “frame bindings.” Front and center in this rebirth is ATK, who with their introduction of the Raider series, delivered a durable and lightweight binding that could satisfy th..

You flock to the backcountry because you don’t want to follow rules or be told what to do. Ski touring allows you to set a skintrack and go where you want. In the backcountry, there aren’t ski patrollers telling you to slow down or restricting where you can go. So, if you’re the type of skier who goes to remote places and enjoys popping off features while getting down the mountain ..

While the regular Raider bindings were already known for having a high performance-to-weight ratio, the Raider SL 12 from ATK truly exemplifies this principle. Utilizing the same tried and true heel piece of the Raider line, the Raider SL 12 has all the features of a modern fully featured binding: Elastic travel, two heel risers thoughtfully secured using magnets, adjustable releas..

Blending the performance of the popular Alpinist and Kingpin M-Werks bindings, Marker's Cruise 12 finds the middle ground between the two. The gapless design with 4mm of length compensation allows the heel piece to move backward in response to ski compression, helping to smooth over variable snow and keep release values consistent. The two riser heights are easily accessible, provi..

The Raider 13 Evo is ATK’s new flagship binding, and it’s ready to take you to the top of the mountain and get you down in just about any manner you desire. A couple of key features make it stand out from past models and the competition: automatic ski brake retraction and a toe release adjustment, respectively. After testing for a season in Europe, ATK is releasing into the US t..

A more elegant binding for a more civilized age. The ST Rotation is the DIN certification-ready kid on the block, and it’s now one of the best choices for backcountry skiers who want to optimize for knee-protection. It’s a full-featured binding with brakes, multiple risers, and generous adjustability. Dynafit’s latest and greatest also has refinements for smooth operation and easie..

After proving the ION could handle abuse by aggressive skiers on big skis, G3 has now introduced a version with release values more appropriate for average folk. The ION 10 is essentially the same award-winning platform as the original version but tuned for touring instead of freeriding. The ION is notable for eliminating common frustrations with tech bindings such as toe-wing icin..

Perhaps nothing emphasizes the principle of "simpler is better" than relationships, life, and backcountry bindings. While we'll leave the first two to coffee shop talk on a rainy day with a sympathetic friend, simple and reliable backcountry bindings can be the difference between a warm and cozy après or miles and miles of post-holing back to the car. Proudly embracing its minimali..

Historically, the lack of backcountry equipment designed for children was a convenient excuse to leave them behind for some much-needed alone time in the backcountry. Unfortunately (fortunately?), ATK is blowing this excuse out of the water with the introduction of the ATK Candy 5. While bindings designed for smaller skiers traditionally have been relatively clunky affairs, the Can..

With the many challenges inherent in ski touring, the last thing you want your kid to face is a hard-to-use binding, especially when it's cold, the snow is flying, and they're running on a few hours of sleep. Purposely made for children, the Dynafit Youngstar binding promises ease of use, safety, and performance. Unlike their previous junior binding, Dynafit has taken great care to..

With the launch of the Rotation 7, many lighter skiers were delighted to finally have a binding that provided reliable release at lower settings. Now, taking it a step further, Dynafit has built upon the reliable platform of the Rotation 7 to come up with the ST Rotation Lite 7. By utilizing an aluminum toe piece instead of one made from steel, Dynafit was able to shave off a littl..

The Ski Trab TR1 is the epitome of innovation coming from Ski Trab, and that is saying quite a lot for the company with a one-of-a-kind 14-layer ski construction and an utterly unique titanium-based elastic toepiece. Yet here we are, describing another paradigm-shifting product from our ingenious friends in Bormio, Italy. The prodigal son of the TR2, the TR1 (not the TR3, that woul..

Fritschi's Vipec Evo binding will not fold your skins for you or reach down and put your boots into walk mode, but it will allow you to free your heel without exiting your toe piece. Whether you need to traverse in a sticky situation, or are using scaled skis and it's time to climb, this slick system pulls the pins back away from your rear tech fitting with the push of a lever, fre..

As we've journeyed away from the archaic days when frame bindings reigned supreme, many have found that light doesn't necessarily equate to total compromise. For those who count grams, value durability, and enjoy a fully featured binding, the Raider SL 14 from ATK may fit the bill. Built with the same heel piece as many others in the iconic Raider series, you'll be treated to elast..

Built for the hardest chargers amongst us, the Freeraider 15 Evo is designed to provide the confidence needed to send it in the backcountry, while still being friendly to haul far away from the trailhead. Setting itself apart from other Raider bindings is the adjustable toe piece and Evo Brake system. With the adjustable toe piece, we should note it shouldn't be thought of as a ..

If you can’t see the point of skiing unless you leave the ground or go at least a measly 50mph, the Dynafit ST Rotation 14 is your binding. Dynafit has taken their super consistent, bomb-proof, TÜV-certified Rotation 10 binding and cranked it up to 11 14. This binding is ideal for the skier who is getting super rowdy in the backcountry and cannot risk pre-releasing, but also might ..

Like the Ugly Duckling that grows to be a beautiful swan, the Fritschi Tecton has always stood out from other tech bindings. And like The Little Engine That Could, it exceeds all expectations of what traditional pin bindings are capable of. Thanks to the ingenious design of the toepiece, the lateral release occurs at the toe instead of the heel, which is designed to protect your an..

Skimo Co's newest hire is an aspiring Freeride World Tour athlete who stands a proud 5'3" and has no fear about straightlining down couloirs or doing backflips off of 25-foot booters. But you don't need to be flying all over the world -- and off of massive cliffs -- to appreciate the innovations of the perfect on-piste/off-piste crossover binding. With the arrival of the Shift 10, ..

Featuring several improvements over the first Shift, the Atomic Shift2 MN 10 binding from Atomic is a welcome upgrade. The toe wings and lever have been reinforced with more material to increase durability, and the brake lever has been similarly strengthened to better keep the brakes locked up for climbing. The new AFD with an aluminum Power Block sees upgrades in micro-adjustabili..

The alpine-touring “plate” bindings of yesteryear had a knack for being heavy, clunky, and walking very poorly. Dynafit-style tech bindings had a reputation for superb walking performance and low weight but at the price of sacrificing alpine-style release and retention characteristics. For some skiers, this meant there was sacrifice involved in choosing a touring binding. Either no..

Despite the appearance of the name, the Salomon Shift2 is no binding for squares. With an all-in-one design, the Shift2 (read: Shift Two) allows transitions without having to take parts on and off of your bindings, allowing you to quickly switch your pin binding into a fully-fledged alpine binding without juggling around extra toe pieces. This establishes the Shift 2 as the quintes..

The striding efficiency of tech bindings is a requirement for those who have tried them. But there is a class of skier that demands zero compromise on downhill ski performance or release safety. If that sounds like you, Atomic (together with Salomon) has finally solved your dilemma. The Shift MNC 13 is an alpine binding that has tech pins hidden in the toes so you can have the best..

It seems like the Euros are always showing us what to do when it comes to ski gear, and if they weren't right all the time, we might be more upset about it. Manufactured by the Italian pin-tech binding giant ATK, the fresh-out-of-the-factory Pure 8 and Pure 10 bindings from Hagan are just what the lightweight, peak-bagging, and pow-ripping doctor ordered. With the key difference be..

The 22 Designs Lynx Telemark Binding combines the uphill performance of tech bindings with the downhill power and performance of an NTN telemark binding, giving you the best of both worlds. The tech-toepiece is made from thick, machined aluminum components and is built here in the good ole' USA, so you know it's made to last. The composite flex plate, adjustable preload, and three ..