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PAST REVIEWS OF THE ATLAS PRO
Hello and welcome to my Union Atlas Pro bindings review.
In this review I will take a look at the Atlas Pros as freeride snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Atlas Pros a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other Freeride bindings.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Union Atlas Pro 2024
Price: $469 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Other Uses: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Stiff (9/10)
Flex Feel: Stiff (8/10)
Rating Score: 86.9/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Bindings
Out of the 13 Men’s Freeride bindings that I rated:
- The average score was 85.9/100
- The highest score was 92.1/100
- The lowest score was 80.1/100
- The average price was $466
- The Atlas Pro ranked 7th out of 13
Overview of the Atlas Pro’s Specs
STYLE:
FREERIDE
PRICE:
$469 - BUYING OPTIONS
$469 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
Mounts to:
2x4 | 4x4 | Channel
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK BOOT SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 5.5-7.5 | 37-40.5 | 4.5-6.5 |
M | 8-10 | 41-43 | 7-9 |
L | 10.5-13 | 43.5-46 | 9.5-12 |
Who are the Atlas Pro Most Suited To?
The Atlas Pro are best suited to someone looking for a stiff binding to get the most out of high speed carves. If bombing/carving is your main stay, then these bindings will treat you well. But they're certainly capable at more moderate speeds and give you good support and control in uneven terrain as well.
Not for beginners - too stiff for that, and even intermediate riders might struggle with these, unless they're particularly strong or big.
Best matched with boards in that 7/10 to 9/10 flex range. So best for stiffer boards, IMO.
The Atlas Pro in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Atlas Pro are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Union Atlas Pro 2024, M
Date: March 16, 2023
Conditions
Sunny, barely a cloud in the sky. Perfect visibility.
Temperature was -1°C (30°F) and -6°C (21°F) with wind, in the morning and 2°C (36°F), which was -2°C (28°F) with wind, in the afternoon. NW winds 5kph (3mph) morning and afternoon.
24 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
48 hour snow: 2" (5cm)
7 day snow: 16" (41cm)
On groomer: Hard pack but not icy. Overall really quite nice. And fast.
Off groomer: Doable but not ideal. Hard and crunchy.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 555mm (22″)
Board tested with: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker 157
Boots tested with: Adidas Response ADV, size US9.5
Control Bindings: Burton Malavita, M
Baseplate Length: 24.5cm (9.7”)*
*measured on the top side of the footbed - a little bit of angle down to underside of baseplate which was 23cm (9.05").
Baseplate (footbed) Length fully extended: 25.5cm (10")
Highback Height: 21.5cm (8.5")*
* from bottom of heel cup to top of highback. From bottom of baseplate to top of highback is 27cm (10.6")
Weight: 980 grams (2lbs, 3oz)*
* for one binding, including screws and disc. The average weight of a small sample size of around 80 bindings (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models) I have weighed is 920 grams (2lbs). So the Atlas Pro were a little heavy than average on the scales, but on snow felt normal.
Flex
In Hand: Barely any twist when twisting the high back in hand. But there's some twist there. More than what the Atlas FC had (high back on the Atlas FC is super stiff!). In terms of pull back, there's basically no pull back flex - though there's just a very subtle hint of it vs the Atlas FC. Bit of flex in the ankle and toe straps. Not super flexy but not overly stiff either.
On Snow: I couldn't get these to a 9/10 flex. They had more forgiveness than that. But I could get them to an 8/10, bordering 7.5/10. In hand the highback feels like it's going to be stiffer than what they feel when riding them.
Responsiveness
Vs my control bindings (Burton Malavita), the Atlas Pro could get deeper and more aggressive on carves. And just felt like they could hold on to carves noticeably better, when digging them in at higher speeds. So sweet to carve with!
At slow speeds, they were harder work than my control bindings. They didn't make the board feel too slow edge-to-edge or anything but definitely took more effort to turn at slower speeds with them.
Board Feel/Butterability
Given there was no mini-disc or anything like that, the board feel was actually really good. There isn't much in the way of padding on the footbed, which is likely why the board feel was better than expected. That doesn't help with shock absorption but for board feel, it helped with these bindings.
Pop/Ollie Power
They took a little more energy input to get them to pop the board, but they were able to extract a little more pop than my control bindings. If you're looking for a casual, effortless pop out of them, I fond my control bindings better for that, but the pop ceiling on these felt higher - you just had to put more effort in to extract it.
Adjustability
Really good adjustability overall. See below for details.
Heel Cup: Yes - which I really like, great for boot centering.
Stance Width: Full disc that can run horizontal or vertical. There are 5 screw placements, so can get nice and micro adjustable stance width with this – and, because of that heel cup adjustability, you should never have to run disc vertical.
Highback Lean: Yes and tool-less. But a very different type to the Atlas FC – this is a little dial thing that twists, like a cog. It’s quite stiff on the Atlas Pro (easier on the Atlas that I also had) – I found it really hard to move, particularly one of them – it almost felt like it had seized.
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: Yes – 2 positions
Ankle and toe strap length: Tool-less.
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: Yes, with a 1cm range.
Highback Rotation: Yes - 2 positions.
Compatible with: 2x4 | 4x4 | Channel
Shock Absorption
The footbed has some padding in the toe and heel but it's fairly minimal and feels hard to the touch - not cushy.
On snow, the shock absorption was better than the feel of the footbed would have suggested, but still nothing amazing. But a little better than average.
Entry/Exit
Was easy enough to get in and out of. Ratchets were pretty smooth and didn't have any problem releasing the straps on the move.
Comfort
Overall nice and comfortable.
Ankle Straps: They felt nice and comformed well to my boots with no pressure points.
Toe Strap: Ditto ankle straps.
Canted Footbed: Yes
Padded Footbed: Pretty hard, but shock absorption still decent.
Highback: Minimal padding and stiff, but still didn't get any calf bite or anything and that's the main thing.
Ankle Support
Ankle support was good. Nothing super locked in feeling, but certainly not loose feeling. Secure enough, with some forgiveness/freedom of movement.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.5 | 27/30 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
ANKLE SUPPORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 86.9/100 |
Overall, the Atlas Pro are really good bindings that handle speed and aggressive carves really well. That's their best attribute, but they ride well at moderate speeds too and overall are comfortable and provide decent board feel.
So they're not something that you have to ride fast and aggressive but when you feel the need for it, they can take you there confidently.
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