ATK Raider EVO Review

The new ATK Raider EVO builds on years of success with the ATK Raider and Freeraider lineup. For people following the backcountry skiing scene, the Raider binding needs little introduction- it has made a name for itself as one of the best lightweight freeride touring bindings ever. The new Evo features a redesigned toe piece with an adjustable release value and a redesigned brake mechanism. Other notable updates include tweaks to the freeride spacer and an easier adjustment on the heel release value. For people looking for a hard-charging freeride touring binding, the Raider Evo is the answer.
Check out the new ATK Raider: cripplecreekbc.com/collection...

[@gernott6059]

Fritschi EVO Pin bindings have adjustable DIN release on the front since 7 or 8 years. It is a good feature but not that new and not invented by ATK. But you are right, ATK builds great bindings.

[@tjb8841]

He said ‘straight tech binding’. The Vipec and Tectonic are very different. That’s not what we are talking about here.

[@marcximenis6706]

You are right

[@lindsaywiebold]

Hey Doug, thanks for the review. Lots of hype about these bindings. The locking mechanism/lever on the toe piece looks quite long. Did you experience any unlocking of the toe piece when kneeling down/forward in walk mode? The Dynafit TLT Speedfits do this and it’s a huge bummer.

[@cripplecreekbackcountry6800]

We have noticed this, but it's boot-specific. For instance, on big hybrid boots like the Tecnica Cochise or K2 Mindbender, the front of the boot can cause the toe to release by hitting the lever. However, touring-specific boots that have a more svelte design don't have that problem. With that being said, we still tour with these bindings and hybrid boots, it just takes a little extra caution when kneeling down.

[@colinress]

Do you think the toe piece will be available by itself to use with a heel C Raider 12?

[@tjb8841]

I do wish they had made the toe piece base taller, for reduced ramp. Yes, it would be a touch heavier, but the people who care about that won’t be skiing a Raider anyway. You buy the Raider because it’s still pretty light, and skis well. But currently, you need to add shims to get to anything reasonable, and if you need a flat angle, you might be SOL, since the shims would be so thick as to compromise the screw security.

[@scottsimmons7407]

Skimo is now selling an evo specific 4mm riser plate. Doesnt make it totally flat but is a big improvement!

[@BryanManning]

buy the moment voyager evo, they have the spacer built in

[@martinottosson6583]

I hate flat ramp bindings and always have. So for me they are good as they are.

[@ehvoslef]

Any potential issues with maxing out the release value to 11 on these?

[@cripplecreekbackcountry6800]

Conventional wisdom says to try and keep your release value somewhere in the mid-range. That being said, we haven't personally had any issues with running ATK at the upper end of the range. They also make this binding in a 13 and 15-release option, so if you run an 11-release, it might be worth getting one of the models with a higher release option.

[@ehvoslef]

@@cripplecreekbackcountry6800 I actually would run at 9, maybe 10 at the very highest

[@thicccboyztv]

Friends dont let friends ski sub 100 on a pow day, or ski a atk raider evo for wiggling! In all seriousness i wish atk would make bindings with reasonable ramp. Double digit is a non starter which is most raiders. Even the lowest ramp on the moment branded version is above average.

[@torreyintahoe]

Pardon my ignorance but what do you mean by ramp?

[@thicccboyztv]

@@torreyintahoe ramp is the difference in height between heel and toe piece measured in mm. It is non standard in the touring industry. All resort bindings have a ramp of 0. And therefore are neutral. Ramp very much affects skiing stance. Atk raiders have a ramp of over 10 mm which has a very dramatic effect on skiing compared to an Alpine binding. For some people having high ramp counter-intuitively makes them dig their heels in essentially putting them in the back seat just to get back to neutral. For some people it helps ankle and balance issues by allowing them to get more forward. To complicate things, both of these issues can also be resolved with boot fitting forward lean And ramp inside the boot by using heel shims. So essentially you could have a marker alpinist that has a ramp of 2 mm and an ATK raider Evo that has over 10 mm and use the same boot and in one of them you will look like you don't know how to ski and the other you will ski just fine. You can adjust to the differences over time, but if you use different setups and you also ski resort then extremely high ramp like ATK has can affect your skiing in ways you don't want it to

[@thicccboyztv]

@@torreyintahoe so basically skiing in atks is like skiing in high heels

[@torreyintahoe]

@@thicccboyztv Thank you very much for that very thorough explanation. It's great to learn something new. So I was an avid backcountry skier until about ten years ago when I started having knee problems. Got a knee replacement last year and now I'm ready to get back out there. My 12 year old setup has dynafit ST bindings that are still in good shape. I'm debating whether to upgrade or not. I don't know what kind of ramp they have but they always felt pretty good. What's your favorite binding right now?

[@thicccboyztv]

@@torreyintahoe old dynafits have high ramp, similar to atk. It's not really that one is superior or not as far as high ramp or low ramp. I just like he standard of keep the ramp neutral like Alpine bindings and shim within the boot. Rather than having a different starting place with every binding. Atk makes fine bindings and if your body agrees with high ramp then go for them.

[@cliff9286]

Love the fake snow. Haha

[@Ibrahim-tf3zb]

P r o m o S M