2020-2021 Majesty R12 / ATK Raider 12
Test Locations: Crested Butte & Mt Sneffels, Colorado
Days Tested (so far): 11
Release Value Range: 5-12
Available Brake Widths: 75, 86, 91, 97, 102, 108, 120 mm
Available Crampon Widths: 75, 86, 91, 97, 102, 108, 120, 135 mm
Climbing Aids: 0, 27.5, 30, 44, 49 mm
Forward Elastic Travel: 12 mm
Heel Mounting Gap: 4 mm
BSL Adjustment: 25 mm
Stated Weight per Binding: 330 grams
Blister’s Measured Weight:
- Toe Pieces: 124 & 124 grams
- Heel Pieces: 182 & 182 grams
- Brake Units (97 mm): 46 & 46 grams
- Total Weight per Binding: 352 & 352 grams
MSRP: $649 USD
Boots Used: Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 130; Lange XT3 130 LV
Ski Used: Majesty Superwolf
Intro
A couple years ago in our Lightweight Touring Binding Shootout, the ATK Raider 2.0 12 was one of the standouts. It was quite light yet also quite burly (with an almost entirely metal construction), featured a heel unit more similar to heavier bindings, offered the best heel risers we’ve used, and skied very well for its weight.
For the 2020-2021 season, ATK is tweaking their lineup, including the introduction of a few new bindings in their “freeride” collection. One of those is the new “R12” or “Raider 12” binding (we know it’s confusing, we’ll help clarify below), which is positioned as the next step in ATK’s quest to create a very lightweight, pin-style touring binding that can handle more aggressive skiing in the backcountry.
We tested the Majesty-branded version of the R12 binding this past spring and throughout the summer in Crested Butte, so now it’s time to go over the design of the new binding, how it compares to the rest of the market, and discuss our initial on-snow impressions.
Different Versions, Names, & Branding
ATK is the Italian company that actually makes the bindings, but if you live outside of Europe, getting one of their bindings with “ATK” on it is tricky. Instead, ATK works with a few different distributors in North America that sell some of their bindings under different names — and often in different colors — but with the same exact construction.
One of ATK’s newest distributors is Majesty Skis, and we’re reviewing their branded version of the R12 binding (mounted to their excellent Superwolf ski).
Hagan also sells the same binding as the “Core 12 Pro.” Black Diamond is also selling BD-branded versions of ATK bindings, and the new Black Diamond “Helio 350” binding seems similar to the R12, though it looks like it uses a totally different toe piece.
As for ATK itself, they are reportedly just calling the binding the Raider 12.
The previous Raider 2.0 12 that we reviewed is still basically in their line for 20/21, but it’ll now be called the “Front 12” and features some subtle design changes.
If all of that wasn’t confusing enough, ATK is also making a version of the Raider 12 / R12 with a higher release value at the heel, dubbed the “Freeraider 14.” Apart from having higher release values at the heel, the Freeraider 14 also comes standard with ATK’s new “Freeride Spacer.” The Raider 12 / R12 requires a separate purchase for that accessory, which is designed to create an even more solid boot / binding / ski connection.
Oh, and ATK is making a “C-Raider 12” that uses a slightly different toe piece with a carbon-composite base plate that reportedly shaves off 30 grams per bindings vs. the regular Raider 12 / R12. And we’ve just been discussing their “freeride” collection of bindings — they make tons of others that are lighter and more minimal.
(I need a drink. Or a dozen.)
So with all that said, for this review, we’re just going to be referring to the binding as the R12.
But rest assured that it’s the same construction as the 20/21 Majesty R12, 20/21 ATK Raider 12, and 20/21 Hagan Core 12 Pro.
Design — Toe Piece
Alright, onto the actual design of this new binding. It isn’t 100% different than the Raider 2.0 12, but there are some notable changes, including an entirely new toe piece design.
The most obvious change is that the R12 features a more traditional brake position in front of the binding’s heel piece, whereas the Raider 2.0 (and now, “Front 12”) featured a brake that was positioned in front of the toe piece. We’ll go into the brake below, but there are more changes to the R12’s toe piece.
One of the unique updates is that the R12 allows you to reportedly change the release characteristics of the toe piece when it is in “walk mode” (i.e., when it’s locked for the uphill). ATK calls this the Up-Hill Hardness Variator, or U.H.V., and they say it “allows you to change the up-hill locking hardness of the toe part. It compensates the boot toe insert wear and tear during the years, provides a proper locking strength for each user and reduces the pressures on the locking mechanism.” This does not play any role in the retention characteristics when the toe is not locked out (i.e., when it’s in downhill mode).
With the R12, you can choose from “soft,” “mid,” and “hard” settings, and those settings reportedly only change the minimum distance between the toe pins when the toe is locked out, in order to compensate for different widths required by different boots and those boots’ particular toe inserts.
Personally, I’ve just kept the R12’s toe piece in the “hard” U.H.V. setting since I’ve mostly been using it on super firm skin tracks where I really don’t want the bindings to release. But as we’re able to experiment with more boots and in more conditions, I’ll update this if I notice anything noteworthy regarding the adjustable U.H.V.
Another update is the addition of some “guides” on the toe piece’s lever that were absent on the Raider 2.0. This isn’t a massive change, but the toe stops on the lever do make the R12 easier to step into than the Raider 2.0.
ATK also claims that the new toe piece design is less prone to ice buildup. We didn’t have any major issues with that with the Raider 2.0, and I haven’t had any icing issues with the new R12, so I can’t yet say how much of a difference that made.
Design — Heel Piece
The heel piece of the R12 also features some minor changes vs. the Raider 2.0.
The R12 still features ATK’s excellent 5-position “Magneto” heel risers, though the heights have changed a bit. The R12’s risers are just slightly lower across the board (this may just be due to the R12’s new heel baseplate, rather than the risers themselves).
Fortunately, I have never found myself complaining about the R12’s highest riser being too short, unlike some other bindings in this class, like the Marker Alpinist and Dynafit TLT Speed. Like the Raider 2.0, the R12’s heel risers have magnets embedded in them that let them stick to each other, and there are also some small detents in the risers that let you stick the riser into the heel piece’s pins to keep them from flapping around (something I admittedly did not realize during my first few tours…). Just like the Raider 2.0, the R12 features my favorite heel risers of any binding.
The R12 reportedly offers 12 mm of horizontal elasticity at the heel, vs. the Raider 2.0’s stated ~5 mm (though the 20/21 Front 12 binding has the same stated 12 mm of elasticity as the R12). In short, this fore / aft movement of the heel piece is designed to offer more reliable retention / prevent pre-releases.
When a ski is significantly flexed, the horizontal distance between the heel and toe piece of a fixed binding with no fore / aft elastic travel would consequently be shortened. Since your boot isn’t getting any shorter in that scenario, that can lead to a pre-release due to the increased pressure your boot is putting on the rigid bindings (or a full-on binding explosion, the case of some older tech bindings).
This feature isn’t specific to the R12, and the R12 binding still requires a 4 mm gap between the heel piece and heel of the boot, but it’s a feature that plays a role in making bindings like the R12 more reliable during aggressive skiing, vs. ultralight bindings with rigid heels.
Like the Raider 2.0, the R12 does not use a U-spring for the heel piece, but instead uses two independent pins. You should listen to our conversation with G3 for more info on U-spring bindings, but there are two primary downsides to them. First, they don’t allow fine-tuning of the vertical release characteristics (you typically just get to pick from 1-3 springs that are stiffer / softer). Second, U-springs have also been shown to prematurely wear down the heel inserts on touring boots, since they require a lot of force to bend and get around the boot inserts when stepping into / releasing out of the binding.
Bindings like the R12 feature independent pins at the heel that (1) allow you to independently and precisely change both the lateral and vertical release values of the heel piece and (2) “roll” around the inserts on your boots when getting in / out of the binding to decrease wear on those inserts.
Another bonus of the non-U-spring design is that the R12 is very easy to step into. Every time I step into a U-spring binding I cringe a bit, due to how hard I have to stomp, but that’s not the case with the R12.
Finally, the R12 still features a generous (by this category’s standards) amount of adjustment for different boot sole lengths (“BSL”). The R12 offers a stated 25 mm of BSL adjustment, whereas the Raider 2.0 offered 30 mm, but this is still better than most of the truly ultralight bindings, many of which offer no BSL adjustment.
While the updates to the actual heel piece of the R12 are arguably minor, the big change is in its brake:
Design — Brake
The Raider 2.0 was unique in that it had its brake situated in front of the toe piece, whereas the vast majority of bindings use a brake in front of the binding’s heel piece. The R12 switches to a more traditional setup, but it’s still different vs. most brakes.
While the R12’s brake is situated in a more traditional spot (in front of the binding’s heel piece), the way it’s locked / released is different. To lock the R12’s brake, you push in a small button on the side of the brake and then press down the brake pad to lock it. To unlock the brake, you simply push that same button back in, and the brakes pop loose.
The R12’s brake arms are still very minimal compared to alpine bindings, and I wouldn’t expect them to stop a runaway ski on a steep, firm slope. We also ended up getting used to the Raider 2.0’s toe-mounted brakes, but I do think the R12’s heel-mounted brakes will be more intuitive for most people.
Apart from a potentially more intuitive interface, the main upside with the R12’s new brake design seems to be weight savings; while the toe piece of the R12 is a bit heavier than the Raider 2.0’s, the R12 is overall lighter by almost 25 g per binding. I also think I’m a tiny bit faster while transitioning with the R12 vs. the Raider 2.0, which I’d attribute to the brakes.
Weight
When looking at the whole AT binding market, the R12 is quite light. And especially if you’ve been checking out the very-downhill-oriented bindings like the CAST system, Marker Duke PT, and Salomon Shift, the difference is extreme.
As we just mentioned, the R12 is also a bit lighter than the Raider 2.0 (~23 g per binding for our pairs), though there are some slightly lighter options in roughly the same class, particularly if you want to go without brakes. In this review, when I mention “bindings in its class” while referring to the R12, I’m mostly referring to the Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Tour, Dynafit TLT Speed, Marker Alpinist, G3 ZED, and old ATK Raider 2.0.
For reference, here are our averaged measured weights (per binding) for a number of touring bindings we’ve tested, ranging from the R12’s lightweight category to the very downhill-oriented category.
298 g Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Tour (no brake, no leash)
306 g Dynafit TLT Speed (no brake, no leash)
320 g Fritschi Xenic 10 (no brake, no leash)
352 g Majesty R12 / ATK Raider 12 (97 mm brake)
376 g ATK Raider 2.0 12 (105 mm brake)
383 g Marker Alpinist (105 mm brake; long heel track)
463 g G3 ZED 12 (100 mm brake)
595 g Fritschi Vipec Evo 12 (110 mm brake)
626 g Dynafit ST Rotation 10 (105 mm brake)
638 g G3 ION 12 (105 mm brake)
682 g Fritschi Tecton 12 (120 mm brake)
775 g Marker Kingpin 13 (75-100 mm brake)
886 g Salomon S/Lab Shift MNC 13 (110 mm brake)
997 g CAST Freetour (weight on ski while touring; 110 mm brake)
1074 g Marker Duke PT 16 (uphill mode w/ alpine toe removed; 125 mm brake)
1383 g Marker Duke PT 16 (downhill mode; 125 mm brake)
1530 g CAST Freetour (all parts included; 110 mm brake)
And not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I think ATK warrants a shoutout for the consistency in the weights of their toe and heel pieces, which weighed exactly the same within the pair we have.
Uphill Performance
In short, the R12 has been fantastic on the uphill.
First, you have to step into it, and I’ve found that pretty easy. I think the G3 ZED is still the easiest binding in this class in terms of easy step-in, but it didn’t take many tours for me to consistently step into the R12 on the first or second try.
Then there are the R12’s awesome heel risers. While technically having 5 riser options is cool, I typically just flip the R12’s heel piece 180° while touring and use the two heel riser options and the flat mode (if you keep its pins facing forward to use the other two riser options, you don’t have a flat mode). But more importantly, I just like that (1) its risers are easy to use with a ski pole, (2) they offer a low and high setting that are very useful for the tours I do, and (3) there’s a flat setting.
From flat approaches to the steepest skin tracks I think I could physically skin up, the R12’s heel risers have worked just as well as I would like. Despite its highest riser being a bit lower than the Raider 2.0’s, I never found myself complaining that the R12’s highest riser wasn’t high enough, which is something I am pretty sensitive to (e.g., Marker Alpinist, Dynafit TLT Speed, Salomon Shift).
It’s light, its risers are super easy to use (even with just a ski pole), and it’s just a no-fuss binding — I like skinning in the R12.
Transitions
Again, things have been very straightforward. Transitions with the R12 have been very minimal in terms of drama, even when transitioning on icy, 49° couloirs (though I wouldn’t say that whole situation was “drama free” …).
At the heel, all you need to do is hit the brake button, flip the heel tower around, and step in (which, again, is quite easy). Like the Raider 2.0, the R12’s heel piece doesn’t turn as easily as, say, the G3 ZED, but as long as you don’t need to be able to turn your binding heel pieces with your ski poles (rather than your hands), this won’t be a significant problem.
At the toe, there’s no brake to mess with and, again, it’s pretty easy to step into. The R12’s toe lever was initially difficult to pull into the locked, uphill position, but after 1 or 2 days touring with it, that issue went away.
Downhill Performance
For me, this is the important part. And for me, the R12 has skied exceptionally well for how light it is.
The R12 feels very similar to the Raider 2.0 in terms of overall downhill performance. Both bindings offer excellent power transfer for this class, with very little of the “vague” feeling at the heel that’s a problem with many bindings with pin-style heels. With the R12, the boot / binding / ski interface feels quite solid (again, compared to similarly light bindings).
Like the Raider 2.0, the R12 isn’t best in class when it comes to how “harsh” or “jarring” it feels on rough, firm snow. Compared to the class-leading Marker Alpinist, the R12 does feel like it transmits more of the vibrations from the snow / ski to my boots / legs. This difference is quite subtle when comparing it to similarly light bindings, but if you compare the R12 (or any binding this light) to something like the Salomon Shift or even the Fritschi Tecton, this difference is much more noticeable.
With that said, I do think the R12 feels a bit less harsh than the Raider 2.0 and I didn’t find myself really cringing while skiing it on some fully refrozen, sandpaper-like “snow.” I figure this could be due to the supposed increase in heel elasticity, and / or the brake pad that now sits under the boot heel, which looks like it may touch / support the boot heel when the ski is flexed. At least with the Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 130 boots I’ve been using with the R12, the boot’s heel does appear to still sit slightly off the brake pad when the ski is not flexed.
We’re hoping to test the R12 with the Freeride Spacer to see if it could help it even further close the gap between it and 600+ g bindings. But even without that, the R12 quickly become one of my favorites in this weight class. For reference, I’ve been running both the lateral and vertical release values at 10 on the R12, same as the DIN settings I run on alpine bindings, and I have not had any pre-releases so far.
Who’s It For?
First, if you’re already interested in this lighter, roughly 280–350 g binding class, the R12 is a very appealing option. It’s competitive in terms of weight; offers independently adjustable and fine-tunable release at the heel; doesn’t use a U-spring; offers arguably the best heel risers in this class (and maybe the entire market?); is very burly; and it skis really well for how light it is.
The main downside I see with the R12 vs. the other bindings in its class is price — at $649, it’s more expensive than many of the alternatives, though that price does include a brake, which some other bindings don’t include (on the flip side, you also can’t purchase the R12 without a brake, as far as we know). Whether the R12 is worth it will come down to your priorities, but it definitely offers a lot to like.
Now, if you have not tried or really looked into this lightweight category of bindings, the R12 might still be a good option, but there are several important things to consider.
While I keep saying the R12 skis really well for its weight, that caveat of “for its weight” is important. If you want an AT binding that feels just like your alpine bindings, the R12 is not for you. (But fortunately, you have several good options that do live up to that requirement.) This difference in on-snow performance vs. alpine bindings mostly comes in the form of how jarring the R12 feels on firm snow; the fact that it’s not certified to the same alpine-binding release characteristics; and its poorer power transfer.
We went into more detail about this debate between the lighter and heavier binding categories in our AT Binding Deep Dive comparisons, but here’s the short story: heavier touring bindings with alpine-like heels (Marker Kingpin and Fritschi Tecton) offer significantly better power transfer and a less harsh feel. And then fully alpine-certified bindings like the CAST system, Marker Duke PT, and Salomon Shift offer an even smoother ride and arguably safer release characteristics, with overall downhill performance that’s basically identical to alpine bindings.
Of course, those bindings are all 300-1000+ grams heavier than the R12, and that heavier weight may be worth it for some people. But if you don’t ski super aggressively in the backcountry, you mostly ski soft snow (where the R12’s jarring feeling is a non-factor), or you don’t personally worry as much about needing alpine-certified release in the backcountry, the R12 would be a great way to save a significant amount of weight in your setup.
Pretty much all of the downsides of the R12 are not limited to it in particular — they’re just tradeoffs you make when going to a binding this light. And when compared to its apples-to-apples competition, the R12 is very impressive.
Bottom Line
Year after year, we’re seeing significant improvements in touring gear. The ATK Raider 2.0 12 was already a very impressive piece of equipment, but we think the new R12 / Raider 12 is even better.
The R12 skis really well for its weight, it’s super easy to use on the uphill, its nearly all-metal construction seems very burly and like it could last a long time, and it does all of this while being very competitive in terms of weight vs. other bindings in its class.
We’ll also be using the R12 more in the future, and will update this review if / when we notice anything new or are able to compare it to more bindings.
One thing that you didn’t point out specifically is the what other bindings are comparable in weight.
In the list of weights, all the lighter bindings are listed without brakes. The first bindings to include brakes are nearly double the weight!
Once you add brakes for an apples to apples comparison, most of the other ‘Lighter’ listed bindings end up heavier!
As far as price, again, we should Dinclude the brakes in the price.
They also offer cheaper models with a more basic set of risers, and non adjustable ‘uphill hardness’, but otherwise same features and weight.
In my opinion, all of the bindings from our “Lightweight Touring Binding Shootout” that I mentioned throughout the review are very comparable in terms of weight, which would include the Salomon MTN / Atomic Backland Tour, G3 ZED, Dynafit TLT Speed, ATK Raider 2.0, and Marker Alpinist (I’d also put the Fritschi Xenic in there, but I haven’t skied it).
We didn’t have brakes to measure for a few of them (Fritschi Xenic, Dynafit TLT Speed, & Salomon MTN), and I had thought we didn’t have measured brake weights for the others but it turns out we do for the Alpinist and ZED, so I just updated those weights for a more apples-to-apples comparison (apologies for the accidental exclusion on those).
But in my mind, all of those bindings are in the same class due to their similar feature sets and pretty similar weights, just like, for example, I’d put the G3 Ion, Dynafit Rotation 10, Fritschi Tecton, & Marker Kingpin in roughly “the same class” as each other, despite the fact that the weights of the bindings within each of those 2 classes vary by about 150 grams.
Personally, I don’t think I’d notice a 50-100 g binding difference very much at all on most days, but I definitely notice a 300+ g difference. That’s another way I tend to think about these “classes” but that does come down to personal preference; e.g., in the race category, you’ve got brands making multiple different bindings that only differ by a few grams. We actually wrote a brief intro on how we originally picked the “lightweight” touring bindings we reviewed, and that provides some background on how we tend to think about these (somewhat arbitrary) “classes:” https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/lightweight-touring-binding-shootout
Regarding price, that’s a fair point and I’ve updated it, though the R12 is still more expensive than most of the bindings we’ve been discussing, even when you add the price of their separate brakes. Personally, I’d probably pay the extra money for the R12 since I like it so much, but it’s still more expensive and everyone’s priorities are different, so it’s something we thought we should mention.
As usual I agree with you Luke. Although I’d put the Ion in the lightweight category, since it does not offer any additional features like elastic travel or an alpine heel.
German magazine Alpin tested a number of light touring bindings, and they weighted them with brakes (I suspect ~90mm):
Dynafit Superlight at 280g
Fritschi Xenic at 353g
Salomon Mtn(Backland) at 401g
They also noted they were unable to get proper release of the Mtn with brakes installed, when testing in a binding tester. No matter what adjustments they tried.
https://www.alpin.de/tests-produkte/38390/artikel_test__das_sind_die_besten_skitourenbindungen_2020.html
So these or the alpinist if you had to choose? :-)
Can the brakes be removed? Looks like it. Maybe they can release a block that fits in lieu of the brake assy?
Yep — I’m planning on doing that soon to get a weight of just the brakes themselves. And I’ll see if we can get an answer on the block to use without brakes — it seems like you could potentially use their freeride spacer without the brakes, but I’m not sure about that, so I’ll see if I can get some clarification.
Hi Luke,
I have the ATK FR14 which is the same as the R12 but with a stiffer spring.
I use the freeride spacer without brakes, additionally, the brakes take only about 5 minutes to remove and/or reinstall.
Oops, I didn’t mean to click submit:
The freeride spacer is actually installed *underneath* the heel piece, so you’re better off installing it at the same time you mount your bindings, unless you have inserts/quiver killers. It operates completely independently of the brakes, so it doesn’t matter if you remove the brakes. I’d be happy to send you a picture of the bindings with a freeride spacer and without the brakes. Also can provide photos of how to remove the brakes.
That would be awesome! really curious about brakeless setup. Do you feel that the freeride spacer is effective?
I don’t think I can upload images here, if Luke would like me to email them to him so he can post them then I’d be more than happy to do so.
As for whether or not the freeride spacer is effective in my eyes: Absolutely, 100%.
Here’s the thing with the freeride spacer. It’s basically a sliding AFD for your heel that provides a huge platform for your boot to interface with instead of only being suspended by the pins. I find it really surprising that no other tech-binding mfg has come up with one of these designs, especially considering how ubiquitous they are on the toe pieces for alpine bindings.
For ATK there are two designs:
1- the old design is an interface plate about the size of any other sliding AFD. It interfaces with most of your heel, depending on your boot choice. This is the current “universal freeride spacer” design.
2- the new design is an even larger horseshoe shape, and is a much wider platform that interfaces with the outside portion of your boot sole, and appears to be less dependent on your boots lug pattern than the previous design.
Both designs slide in a way that allows the heel piece to release horizontally (rotate) in a release scenario – just like an AFD.
I personally think the new-design freeride spacer (which are only compatible with the R12 and FR14) elevates this binding to a tier of its own in terms of downhill performance. I first decided to ride my FR14s inbounds to get a feel for them and by the end of the day I was riding them like my alpine bindings. I was shocked by the power transfer at the heel, it’s terrific. Obviously it doesn’t have the suspension of an alpine binding – and the freeride spacer might make the on-snow-feel a little bit harsher – but as long as you stay away from coral reef then it provides a surprisingly alpine-like feel. They are truly confidence inspiring for a pin setup, to the point where I forget I’m riding on pins. I’ve never ridden the Kingpin, but I’d wager the FR14 provides a similar downhill feel at a fraction of the weight and with far fewer reliability issues.
ATK still sells the universal spacer that can be used with just about any tech binding (my buddy uses it on his G3 Zeds) and I can’t think of a better way to spend $30 on a pin touring rig.
Truthfully, I implore Blister to review the freeride spacer – even if its an entirely separate review – because I think it’s something a lot of people have questions about and an in-depth review would go a long way.
I have the fr14 and run it w/out brakes but the gap where the break stomp pad used to be does accumulate a lot of snow and one side of the fr spacer actually came off and is missing. The freeraider 14 seemed much better for running g bracelets as u can have the stomp pad and it leaves no gap.
Where did you buy the FR14? From overseas?
Yes. Spyderjon on tgr runs the piste office in the UK
Luke – thanks for the comment on brake removal and blocks. For my spring and summer touring @Rainier, I exclusively use leaches.
@luke, sweet! This binding would be 1000% dialed if the brakes were optional.
They are indeed optional
And another great thing about these is that they are available in 3(overlapping) release value models, so (almost) everyone should be able to get one of these to work for them:
Raider 10: (RV 4-10)
Raider 12 (RV 5-12)
FreeRaider 14 (RV 8-14)
They also make the brakes and crampons in smaller size increments than most binding brands, so you can get a closer fit.
Luke, can you add the Fritschi Vipec to the list?
I know Blister hasn’t reviewed the newest version, but the weight and features haven’t really changed, just some small updates.
https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2016-2017-black-diamond-fritschi-diamir-vipec-12
Certainly for me, that was a binding I really considered, in the class of ‘less than Alpine binding features, more than minimalist featured’ bindings.
Definitely, just added. Cy actually did review the newer “Evo” version and he’s a big fan of that binding: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-fritschi-vipec-evo
I have been skiing ~20 days with the R12 with the freeride spacer mounted to a G3 Sendr 112 using Scarpa Maestrala Boots. I did clock 112 km/h per hour on a groomer during the last skiing day in Austria before the lockdown and was still feeling confident. So I would say the binding works well in all conditions and power transfer is on par with a Dynafit Beast Binding I‘m riding on my other skis.
However, there is some issue with the heel risers: there are quite narrow and sharp, so they cut into the rubber sole of the Scarpa Boots, especially the smaller of the two levers. While this will not destroy your boots, expect to be standing ~3mm lower after about 5 days of touring. Also, due to the narrow shape and the chunks taken out of the rubber sole, the back platform offered by the heel risers is a bit unstable in the lateral direction, which makes the steep icy traverses just a tiny bit more sketchy (and possibly increases load on the front pins, thus maybe wearing down the inserts a bit quicker, although I have not yet noticed any issues or increases front wear). Two friends are reporting the same issues with the rubber sole being eaten away. Each of us never had that issue with another binding.
In summary: while the R12 is definitely a dialed binding, the heel raiders are not as perfect as suggested if you got a rubber sole (like on most mountaineering ski boots). They should have sacrificed the 3-5 Gramms to make the levers broader and/designed the edges rounder. Although I would buy the binding again, at 600$ the (non-replaceable) boot rubber Should not suffer.
@Blister: If you want some pictures, let me know.
I had the same problem with the heel risers on the FR14 2.0 binding with the risers eating the rubber of two different boots. I have also a couple of friends with the same problem and several others report the same problem online (This is in Norway). It seems to me that this is a problem for “heavier” skiers. My girlfriend has the R12 2.0 binding and she does not have the same problem but you can see that the risers have made some small marks in her boots. I have reported this to ATK but they had never heard about this problem before and I got a long answer about their engineers and testperson etc. As long as it works for light weight Italian skiers they want do anything about it.
Are you walking on it in flat mode such that your boot is slapping down on and otherwise grinding against those riser?
Asking because in downhill mode the pins should constrain the heel enough to prevent the sort of movement that trashes boot lugs. I weigh 100 kg and haven’t managed to trash my Tecnica Tour Pros, but I also don’t use flat mode for exactly this reason. I took one look at those spacers and concluded that it would be a bad idea.
With that said I prefered the older “full-width” risers in the previous generation ATK bindings. Those toepiece brakes were a bit ideosyncratic, but the spacer was simpler, more robust, and more walk-mode-friendly
Yes, using the lowest riser in flat mode when the binding is in tour mode. I see your point in using the heel riser when the binding is downhill mode, but then you must turn the binding 180 degrees everytime you shift from flat to the lowest heelriser. A solution is to twist the binding or not use the heelriser.
I’ve been using the R12s on my Kingswood Unis with Tecnica Zero G Tour Pros for most of the NZ season. I’d certainly agree with most of this review, but have found a few issues.
1- When skinning across bulletproof snow (a NZ classic) the heel risers can sometimes flick themselves over, so you go from flat touring mode to a fairly high riser without warning. When the snow sucks that much, getting rammed into the high riser is icing on the cake.
2- If you leave the toe piece open (ready to step into) while you’re boot packing or overnight in a hut then they can ice up pretty badly, and you can’t get an ice axe or ski pole tip in to clear them out. This led to a situation where two of our party were left urinating on the bindings under an icefall to try and de-ice them. Good times all round when a serac fell onto where they had been about half an hour later. I’ve generally found this problem to be solved by leaving the toe pieces closed whenever they’re not in use.
Otherwise they’re a great binding, love the ease of stepping in compared to my other tech bindings.
Good to know re: leaving the toe piece open. I’ll be keeping an eye on that next season when icing will be more of a potential issue.
Re: skinning on bulletproof, have you tried pressing the risers into the pins when the heel piece is flipped 180°? I had the same problem and totally agree it’s super aggravating to have them flip forward when skinning on those awful conditions, but the risers have a little bump on them that lets you push them into the pins and that has kept the risers from accidentally flipping forward in my experience.
Ah yep, had a play with them and you’re dead right. Really nice attention to detail from ATK
What’s the difference in performance vs. A heavier binding like the g3 ion 12. Theres about a 200 gram weight difference, are the ions that much better on the downhill?
Nice review. Thanks, Luke. You have a very nice way of explaining features and functions simply and clearly.
We sell the Hagan Core 12 Pro in the U.S. and Canada without the brakes at a $50 and 43 gram savings: https://www.haganskimountaineering.com/products/core12pro
As opposed to the previous ATK Raider 12 2.0 and Hagan Core 12, which had narrower toe-mounting patterns than the ATK Raider 14 2.0, the toes on the R12 and Core 12 Pro are identical to the R14. So when adding the Core 12 Pro Freeride Spacer, it is identical to the R14 other than the release range.
The Core 12 Pro Freeride spacer does significantly improve power transmission: https://www.haganskimountaineering.com/products/core-12-pro-freeride-spacer. And yes, the Freeride Spacer can be used without the brakes.
One small quibble, Luke, I find the brakes very easy to remove. Takes less than a minute. Reinstalling them is slightly tricker, but also just takes a few minutes, at least with a bit of practice. The trick for both removal and reinstallation is using the locking lever to hold them in place.
If you want to remove the brakes, these safety leashes are available: https://www.haganskimountaineering.com/products/kevlar-ski-safety-leash
It looks like you are weighing them, and the comparison bindings, with screws included, which is totally fair. Most websites list binding weights without screws. So if comparing elsewhere, the Hagan Core 12 Pro weighs 333 grams without screws (289 without screws and brakes).
One unmentioned advantage of the rear brakes, and the unique locking mechanism which is independent of the heel tower (well, that’s another advantage, re: the Solomon MTN/Atomic Backland not releasing with brake installed) is that the brakes can be released prior to descending just by pressing the locking lever – allowing for transitioning to downhill without removing skis at all. A definite advantage in some snow/terrain conditions. Although it does definitely require a fair bit of flexibility to reach the lever.
If you don’t need the flat mode, there is no need to twist the heel piece at all. Just flip the risers. I almost never twist the heel tower – another advantage versus bindings that require twisting the heel to lock down the brakes.
Yes, the BD version is different. The toe is basically the old toe-brake version without the brakes and the improvements on the Core 12 Pro toe: wider mounting pattern, uphill retention adjustment, step in guide and snow/ice block system.
Personally, I’ve never seen heel insert wear from U-Springs. However, our Ultra World Cup bindings now include a Rolling In System of very finely machined rolling bushings on the end of the U-Springs. This isn’t to reduce heel insert wear, but greatly increases the durability of the U Springs and hugely eases step in. The steel rollers don’t wear like unprotected titanium does. I often step in just with body weight, not applying any extra downward force at all. https://www.haganskimountaineering.com/products/ultra-binding
I’m glad you learned the tip/trick of simply snapping the heel lifters into the pins to keep them from flipping wantonly. It’s slap your forehead simple and takes a half second, but is overlooked. I had to add a video to the product page showing it.
Michael Hagen
Hagan Ski USA
Thanks for the input Mike. So is the helio 350 the core 12 2.0 toe with the new core 12pro heel ?
Yes, best I can tell it is essentially the old toe with the brakes removed with the new heel.
Hey Michael
Thanks for the details. How do you transition without removing the skis if you do rotate the turret and use the flat mode? I like this and have been doing it with my g3 ions because I transition a lot faster and don’t have to step with my boots in deep snow and get ice and snow on my ski/walk mechanism. I find you have to do some athletic moves because you can’t rotate the turret with a pole and this takes away the speed benefit.
Writing this after my first day out on the bindings. Liking them a lot so far!
If you’re able to get them on your side of the pond, you should give a try also to the RT and the Crest series…
I have an RT on a Orb Freebird I use as my mountaineering-steep platform, and I’d love to know what you guys think of it
Hey guys, great review. Hard to come by any of these three bindings here in Canada. Wondering if you could compare the ATK/Majesty/Hagan R12 to the BD Helio 350. It sure looks and reads the same, is this the same binding? If not, what are the actual differences? Obviously, the Helio is accessible to us here in BC. Thanks so much!
We’re hoping to get on the Helio 350 this season, and will post about it if / when that happens. But based on the specs, it appears to have an identical heel to the Raider 12, but the toe on the Helio 350 seems to be the same as the Crest 10, rather than the toe of the Raider 12. I doubt think would translate to a massive difference in overall performance, with the most obvious difference being that you wouldn’t get the adjustable “uphill release” of the Raider 12’s toe, but that’s all I can say for sure, not having skied the Helio 350.
I would have tried the ATK, had I been able to easily find it in the US. But NO, and not in Ketchum, ID. That’s a big problem – if things go wrong, sending the binding back to Europe? Not for me. So I went with the Black Diamond Helio, now on two pair of skis – older BD Helio 105’s, and also on the Wildcat Tour 116. So far I haven’t had problems with the Helio 350. That said, I can’t say I love the button to lock the brake, but I guess anytime I do that, I’m putting skins ON, so the skis are already off my feet. Deploying the brake for downhill mode does only require a quick press of the button. I’ve skied these bindings on hard snow inbounds – like any tech binding, I feel they aren’t made for mach speed, but they’re plenty stable. For the BC, they’re super light, and have been quite reliable. Again, I would have purchased the ATK, but honestly couldn’t find them anywhere in the US, easily. Black Diamond will definitely, and easily, back up their stuff.
Just picked up a set of ATK Crest 10 bindings. I noticed the Crest 10 toepiece doesn’t have the “slots” in the pins, for removing ice, when you first step into the toe. Is this the same in all the ATK pin bindings?
Has anyone noticed more chance of pre-release with these toe pieces, without these slots? I plan to take my Orb Freebirds to France for some touring with this Crest 10 binding.
Just checked our pair of the Raider 12 and it does not have those grooves in the toe pins. I have not had any pre-releases with it, though I always give my boots a few good whacks with my poles before stepping into any pin binding.
Interestingly, we just got the Moment Voyager, which is essentially a rebranded ATK Freeraider 14, and that binding *does* have the toe-pin grooves, so I’m not sure if it’s something that’s consistent across all ATK bindings.
How does something like the ATK R12 ski compared to a dynafit rotation 12 in terms of downhill performance? I understand they’re in complete different weight classes but the technology seems to be similar when talking about releasing and elasticity. Would you be able charge and hit airs in East Coast conditions on these? Thanks!
Frankly, I think the R12 skis just as well, if not better than the Rotation 12. Jonathan and I both prefer the R12 since its power transfer through the heel feels a bit better / more precise, and we suspect that the R12 + ATK’s freeride spacer could make for a notably increase in overall downhill performance vs. something like the Rotation 12, so stay tuned for more on that (we’ll soon be skiing the ATK Freeraider 14 / Moment Voyager, which has the freeride spacer).
Just purchased ATK C Raider 12 108 with Freeride spacers to mount on Superguide Freetour. No rush as it’s midsummer here in NZ so have test mounted them on a piece of 4×2 to have a play. They look and feel sweet very straightforward, great details like the markings on the heelpiece to show the bsl setting.
What I want now is some guidance on setting the heelpiece release values. Luke I read above you are running them at 10, can I ask your weight? You wrote that is the same as you run your alpine bindings? I am guessing you are doing lots of crazy jumps and stuff to need this high a setting. If I am an 80 kg aggressive but aging skier doing some steep and gnarly terrain but over jumping, any thoughts on the settings needed? I run my alpine bindings on 7 but they have a lot of elasticity.
Thanks Clive
I think if you run your alpine bindings at 7, I’d stick with 7 for the C Raider. While the release values of tech / pin bindings don’t perfectly translate / equate to the DIN settings of alpine bindings, I find that I can run the same number value for both and be pretty happy. I’m around 70 kg but occasionally like to bend the front of my skis into butters and often land airs a bit off-balance, which are the main reasons why I run my DIN / release-value settings a bit higher than what’s typically recommended for someone my size. But in general, I keep the number the same between my alpine and pin bindings and typically that works well for me.
Hi
I have just bought the Freetour and am swithering between Kingpin M-Werks and C-raider. I have been skiing on Superguide 95’s for the last few years on Kingpins and have been very happy with this setup. I ski mainly in Chamonix for 3 to 4 months a year. Age 65 73 kg and an experienced skier. It would be interesting to hear how you get on with your setup.
I’ve been touring on the C-Raider 12 all winter long here in Europe, and at the moment we hare having a pretty epic year despite the lifts being closed. I have them mounted on an Armada Tracer 98. The C-Raider is not without its hickups however, and my biggest complaint is the brake icing up and and not being able to release properly into downhill mode without some considerable yanking on the stopper or trying to clear ice off the binding. It is not a make or break for me, but it is something to keep in mind. I also find that if I am not having a perfect uphill movement on tracked out snow, that is to say if I am on an uphill with steep angles or pow, the magneto risers sometime move around back to lower or higher positions. That being said, the ease at which you can quickly switch them with a ski pole basket has something to do with it. Again, this is not a make or break for me, and the more I tour on them, the more I have gotten used to it and it happens less and less… so maybe form is also improving, but 5 different touring positions in my opinion is not necessary and perhaps they could tweak the magneto riser somehow to better stay in place.
None of these little issues would change my mind to buy the C-Raider again however. Initially I was also worried that the carbon toe piece of the C-Raider as opposed to the all metal Raider 12 would add to a less smooth ride, but I am not experiencing this at all, at least not on the Tracer 98, and to me the downhill on the C-Raider is where it shines and I have had zero pre-release issues bouncing off moguls and jumping off little hits ( I am not using the freeride spacer but would like to eventually mess around with it), not too mention the lightness of my setup on the uphill.
Hey! Really nice and detailled review, one of the best I found.
I’m a 23 old Italian guys who has skied since the young age into the slopes in the Dolomites. I did at least 10-15 full days in piste every year -with a mid-high level – but I recently tried ski touring, and I love it.
I decided to buy a pair of free touring skis, a Camox freebird in particular. I’m going for it because I need a ski that ski well in every condition of snow.
I’m still looking for a ski boot but I think I could go for a tecnica zero g 130, because my main focus coming off the slopes would be the downhill performance.
I have to go now for the choice of the bindings, which is probably the most important part of a skialp set. I’m 183cm in 82+ kg, with an intermediate level of skiing but with not much experience offbounds. I think I’ll use the set for an 90% freetouring use (with an explorative attitude, so with limited speed uphills) and for a 10% inbound with friends. Do you think the R12 would be a great choice for me? or would you recommend me an hybrid binding like a Marker Kingpin?
Thanks in advance!
Two quick comments!
1) The Front 12 is not just a subtle redesign of the Raider 2.0 12. It’s radical. The front breaks essentially automatic.
2) Hagan Ski Mountaineering has superb customer service and knowledge, and can be counted on for the best information on all things ATK. HIghly recommended.
3) Next year, the R12 will go back to a narrower mounting pattern. I’m sure it doesn’t matter. (This will probably mean you can re-use holes that you may already have in your skis if upgrading from older Dynafit set-ups.)
Eric – do you know why they are going back to a narrower pattern for the R12? I see on their website they have the XR12 and the R12 binding patterns.
Hey Jacob, it’s apparently some patent issues, which seems quite silly. Evidently two of the holes will still be 40 mm, but the other two narrower.
As someone else said on another forum, I doubt ATK would go narrower it it actually mattered from an engineering or skiability standpoint.
Also, my R12 (from Hagan), DOES have the grooves in the toe pins
I have the Moment voyager version of this binding with the Freeride spacer. I believe it’s the same as the ATK FR14 but with a lower toe stack height. So far it is a great ski touring binding. Extremely light weight, easy to use and swap between touring and skiing is simple and quick. I find I only use two of the 4 riser positions. I mounted these to the Armada Tracer 98s and they are lighter than most other setups I’ve felt. I’m 5’7 140lbs and have the din set to 10, haven’t yet come out. I skied this binding a few days at the resort to get used to it and it charges with confidence on firm snow.
Only three negatives that I have found so far: The brake lock can be a little finicky when the binding is packed with snow, snow/ice can build up where your boot heel rests on the heel piece in touring mode, the edges on the toe piece lever are very sharp (going over the bars can leave some nice indentations in the toes of your boots.)
Otherwise no issues! The elastic heel apparently is more forgiving compared to the Salomon MTN which has no forward pressure. I have heard that Black Diamond will have the FR14 available next year as well.
I’m debating between the atk r 12 and the Salomon MTN. What I like about the MTN is that you only need to twist the heel piece 90 degress to get into flat mode. With the ATK do you have to turn it 180 to get into flat mode or 90 is enough? Is it easy to twist while you are on the ski? I’m just picturing a situation where I’m skinning up with pins facing forward and got tired of it and want to twist heel piece without getting of the ski.
Stay away from theese if you have wider skis and like to ski. Have them on my Black Crows Atris and I am very disappointed. Had two situations where I had some speed and lost one ski. The first time because I tried to slow down the speed when it became icy. The second time I was running a long turn on sastrugi/wind blown snow. They just fell off without much torsion on the foot. After the ski felt off the brakes are useless because they are too small.
Result; you have to walk down the mountain :(
I expect that ATK FR (FR= Free ride) with wide brakes will work on freeride skis but they don´t.
Will remove the bindings and put on my previous Frichi Tecton which is heavier but trusted.
Forgot to mention; I am 75 kg so not a heavy weighter :)
In what hardness do you have them set?
I have them at 9 DIN, that means about 90 kg. Anyhow that is the back /heel part but there is no adjustment in front. Only a spring adjustment for uphill use.
Did someone try the toe shim?
Hard to believe that 4mm make that much of a difference…
I have them with both the freeride spacer and toe shim. I am happy with them. Can even carve in the piste if conditions allow. Unfortunately I didn’t try them without the spacer / shim so cannot compare.
Hello, Blisters,
thanks for the review. I am just picking binding for my new skis and don’t know which to buy. I wanted ATK Raider 12 with the freeride spacer (558€) but it is more expensive than ATK Freeraider 14 (539€) which has the spacer in the box. But then I find a good deal on ATK Freerider 16 (449€). And here is my dilemma. On all of these bindings, you can set the “DIN-like” values only on the heelpiece. So I assume that the toepiece release value is set somewhere in the middle of the heelpiece range. Freeraider 14 has release values 8-14 and Freerider 16 has 9-16. I wanted to set the binding to 10 (like on my alpine setup). So is it better to buy Freeraider 14 to better match the toepiece and heelpiece values?
I have Black Crows Navis Freebird (186cm – 1775g) and Scarpa Maestrale RS (1500g). I am 189cm tall and I weigh 85 kg. I am riding hard but not planning to jump some big rocks.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Not a fan! You get what you pay for, good luck finding a shop to work on them , let alone put them on a pair of skis so plan on doing the ski mount your self. Your going to download a template from ATK, not hard but you must understand it is going to take some time. On a lighter ski look closely at the skis mounting plate. Rear of plate on like a Volkl will not accept a few models of ATK. Understanding how to mount a binding helps, they do have good instructions on there website. I have been a ski tech since 2008, work in a shop in the Rocky’s have worked with a few pair, used the templates. So Good Luck, And don’t get in a rush. You can do it.