HY 13 Free | 2027

ATK builds bindings the way a watchmaker builds timepieces. Every one of the 22 structural parts in the Hy 13 Free is CNC-machined from solid 7075 aluminum. Weighing in at just 675 g per binding, this makes for a lightweight, rock-solid hybrid rig with a DIN range of 6-13.

In ski mode, your boot sits flat on the ski, eliminating the front-to-rear pin height differential that gives some tech bindings their forward-leaning feel. Combine that with an alpine-inspired heel clamp, an adjustable AFD and 7 mm of elastic travel in the heel, and you get a binding that holds its shape through chop and hard landings, instead of chattering out of them.

Going uphill, the standout feature is the negative walk mode. The heel actually drops 18 mm below the toe, which shortens your stride and saves your ankles on flat approaches. This matters most in stiff freeride boots that don't enable much cuff travel. Two riser positions at plus 10 and plus 34 handle the steep stuff and both are easy to adjust with a pole.