Hello and welcome to my Union Atlas review.
In this review I will take a look at the Atlas as all-mountain-freeride snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Atlas a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain-freeride bindings.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Union Atlas
Price: $369 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain-Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 85.6/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings
Of the 21 current model all-mountain freeride bindings that we tested:
❄️ The Atlas ranked 7th out of 21
Overview of the Atlas’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Atlas’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
All-Mountain Freeride
PRICE:
$369 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
Mounts to:
2x4 | 4x4 | Channel
Sizing
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 Most Suited To?
Best suited to those looking for a binding that's stiffer than medium, offers a better carving/high speed riding performance than the average bindings, but are still forgiving enough to perform well when riding more casually or playfully. A really good balance, making them a versatile ride for boards that they match well with (see below).
Not for beginners, IMO - to stiff for that. Best for solid intermediate riders and up.
Best matched to boards in the 5/10 to 8/10 flex range and even better for those in the 6/10 to 7/10 flex range, IMO.
Test/review details for the Atlas
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Atlas are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Union Atlas 2025, M
Date: February 27, 2024
Flex
Highback Twist: When twisting the high back I found the medial side (inside) to be stiffer than the lateral side (outside) . Not as big a difference as on the Atlas Pro (which I also had for testing at the time, along with the Falcor and STR). The Atlas was softer medially than the Atlas pro, but actually a touch stiffer laterally (but not as much difference between them laterally as there was medially. Medially the same as the Falcor, but stiffer than the Falcor laterally. The STR was significantly softer laterally and a little softer medially.
Highback Pullback: There's almost no pullback at the top and bottom of the highback - as little as there is on the Atlas Pro. And while there is a little bit of movement when pressing into the middle of the highback, it's actually less in there than I found with the Atlas Pro. It was the stiffest of the 4 for pullback flex.
Ankle Strap: The Atlas had a fairly stiff ankle strap - not quite as stiff as the Atlas Pro, but stiffer than the STR and Falcor.
Toe Strap: The STR's toe strap was the stiffest, followed by the Atlas, with the Atlas Pro and Falcor toe straps being softer.
On Snow: The overall flex feeling on snow was certainly softer flexing than the Atlas Pro and more similar to the Falcor (though a different overall feel - as described in the responsiveness section below). Definitely not an 8/10 flex - at least not by my feel. It's stiffer than medium, but 7/10 is a more accurate rating for its flex, by my feel.
Responsiveness
The Atlas made my board feel like a better carver than with my control bindings and handled speed better than them as well. Not by a whole lot, but enough to be noticeable.
But even with that bit of extra power and carving ability, they felt just as good for slower speed turns. A great balance between higher speed riding/carves and slow speed turning/slashing.
As mentioned above, I felt they had a similar overall flex to the Falcor. But the feel was different. I often describe this difference when people are weighing up between the Atlas and Falcor. I've always (and still do) felt that these produce a very even, consistent, predictable response feel. Whereas the Falcor give a more explosive/springy kind of a response.
The advantage of that predictable, even response is that and you feel like you've been riding the bindings forever, right from your first couple of turns (or at least I do). And you always know what they're going to do, which can help to make corrections if you start to lose a bit of control.
Board Feel/Butterability
They don't have the board feel of the Falcor's, but given they have a full size disc, it's better than you'd think. I found ollies easy to initiate and presses were good too - enough board feel to feel enough for a smooth transition to lock in the press.
Pop/Ollie Power
I found these had slightly less pop power than the Atlas Pro, but was easier to extract that pop than with the Atlas Pro. Overall pop power wasn't bad though. It was typical. There's usually not much difference in this, that I've noticed.
Adjustability
Heel Cup: Yes - which is great for boot centering.
Stance Width: Micro adjustments possible - can run disc horizontal and that allows micro stance width adjustments. And given you can use the heel cup for boot centering, you're pretty much always going to be able to run the disc horizontal, as the only advantage of running the disc vertical is to adjust for boot centering.
Highback Lean: Yes and tool-less
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: Yes - 2 position options
Ankle and toe strap length: Tool-less
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: Yes - a 1cm range.
Highback Rotation: Yes - 2 position options
Compatible with: 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel
Great overall adjustability, to help you get great boot to binding and binding to board fit.
Shock Absorption
The Atlas' ability to absorb shock/chatter was noticeably down from the Falcor and my control bindings. It's not terrible, but it's not amazing either. Very similar to the Atlas Pro, by my feel.
Entry/Exit
There's nothing special with entry exit going on, but the ratchets are smooth enough and no issues with releasing the straps quickly and easily.
Comfort
Apart from feeling a bit of chatter/shock, they were overall nice and comfortable. No calf bite, no pressure points, conformed well and they have a canted footbed, to help with longer term fatigue.
Ankle Support
Ankle support felt typical, which was fine with me. Enough support without being so locked in, that there was no forgiveness.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4 | 20/25 |
| Slow Speed Response | 4 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Ankle Support | 4 | 12/15 |
| Board Feel | 4 | 8/10 |
| Shock Absorption | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Comfort | 4 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit | 4 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 85.6/100 |
The Atlas are Mr reliable, Mr consistent. They match a wide range of boards and are the kinds of bindings that you feel you've been riding all your life, right from when you strap in.
They don't provide the exhilaration of something like the Falcor (from my experience with them), but they do exactly what you expect and seem to be able to remain the same whether you're riding fast, slow, mellow or aggressive.
They've got enough power to drive stiffer boards, but enough forgiveness to not over power softer boards - and just have nothing about them that I could find any fault with. OK they're shock absorption isn't amazing, but even that isn't that bad.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Atlas, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Atlas compares to other men’s all-mountain-freeride bindings or want to check out some other options in that category, check out the next link.
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