Why Union Atlas Bindings Are My Daily Drivers
I've been riding Union Atlas bindings for the past 6 seasons of my 35 seasons of riding. Back in the day I used to want the stiffest binding and boot out there. But as I have gotten older and a majority of my riding has been with young kids over the past couple decades my need for rock solid stiffness and response has taken a back seat. That doesn't mean from time to time I don't want a good bit of response out of my equipment. That is where I think the Atlas shines. At least for me. According to Union the Atlas is an 8/10 on their stiffness scale. And while that 8 is a pretty high number on the chart I don't feel like this binding is that stiff until it needs to be and I really start charging which is when I am riding by myself or with my older kids that have been riding for a while now. When it's time for mellow, slow turns on greens and blues the Atlas is still plenty comfortable and gives compliance where it needs to. They always feel comfortable. The high back has enough flex when twisting back and forth, however when leaning straight back for deep trench digging carves that high back is giving all the support and then some. Same goes for the platform underfoot. When chilling out with the little ones, there is just enough cushion and flex that it doesn't cause pain and suffering. But when I drive my shins into the tongue of my boots, all of that power goes straight into ripping toe side turns like Peter Bauer and Jean Nerva on a Burton PJ board.
The Atlas offers plenty of adjustability with most of that being tool less. These bindings give you plenty of forward lean options, adjustable toe and heel straps and you can rotate the high backs by removing just two screws. You can also move the footbed forward or back giving you the option of where you have that gas pedal at. I also like the fact that you can center the boot via binding adjustment and not just putting the disk sideways which takes away from fine tuning your stance width. There is also a bit of canting on the Atlas binding, however I wish binding companies would increase the canting as the size goes up. A person with a size small binding most likely has a narrower stance than someone riding an XL binding. As stance width increases so does the need for canting.
Ratchets on the Atlas are some of the smoothest out there which makes getting in and out super easy. The pre curved toe strap is nice but sometimes I think it has a bit too much curve to it causing it to go under the ratchet entry.
Disk compatibility includes 4x4, 4x2, and channel.
Who Is It For
If you are a rider that wants a binding that is comfortable in a variety of conditions and riding styles but is not focused on hitting the park, but lives for ripping groomers and slashing pow the Atlas is a great choice. The Union Atlas and other Union products can be purchased through this link at EVO.
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