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Touring bindings: ATK Raider 12

snow addict

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Despite having a BSL on a short side (275), I never really experienced any issues related to delta on alpine bindings. The biggest delta is on my Look Pivots 14 bindings that is about 7-8 mm and they never gave me reasons to complain. However, with majority of pin touring bindings (which I think are a must have if you are into long days with 3-4 hours approaches) one is into double digits territory, with my Radicals ST having delta of about 15mm, and I suspect somewhere in between, there is a line between bindings being comfortable and bindings that make you fight to keep your stance.

I didn’t help that my Dynafits Mercuries had even shorter BSL (264) due to their design, so I was one of those who was dreading descents in anything but light powder or forgiving spring corn. I sucked it up, but it was not enjoyable and often scary. I subsequently changed the boots for Scarpa Gea that have more generous BSL despite being the same size inside, which addressed the problem somewhat but not completely. Finally, I decided that I had to swap bindings and started my “research”. I considered the Dynafit Beast that has the smallest delta of all Dynafits (not sure about their race offerings), but was told by the shop that they are pretty awful for the purpose, hence lot of used copies on the market at a fraction of a price. They are only suitable for shortish tours that only consist of steep approaches, due to the absence of a flat setting, and on inevitable during long tours traverses, they must be a real torture.

I didn't want to trade one problem for another, and then the same shop told me about ATK bindings that are flat. After a short deliberation (they are not cheap just like all tech bindings) I pulled out Radicals and had Raiders fitted.

I didn’t tour last season but this season I finally gave them a go, and OMG, they are amazing. Gone is the dreaded feeling that I am wearing high heels instead of ski boots on descents. At 350 grams per binding, they are also much lighter that Radicals (ca 500 per bindings) and they are very strong, with a feeling with heels locked very similar to regular alpine bindings. They are easy to operate, with instructions on the bindings, so I don’t need to go to Internet after a summer break to check how they work in different modes, and heel piece can be rotated in either direction.

You can check them out here https://www.atkbindings.com/en/prodotto/bindings/free-touring-en/raider-12/, and I cannot recommend them highly enough for any touring Diva who is looking for technical bindings but has similar concerns regarding delta/pin height. These bindings will keep you happy on ascents and descents equally, and as a bonus they look very kinky, with brakes attached to a toe piece instead of traditional heel piece. Can be a conversation starter)
 

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