8 years after Burton Snowboards first debuted their Step On Binding technology, they have entered a partnership with another snowboard industry leader to release Step On Binding under another brand.
Union Bindings will begin selling limited number of Union Atlas Step On® Bindings in January 2025. This is the first step in Burton’s plan to establish a standard mechanical entry system for the wider snowboard binding ecosystem.
Burton and Union have been working behind the scenes since they signed a prototyping agreement in 2021. In June 2023 Union visited Burton’s HQ in Burlington, Vermont and then Burton visited Union’s HQ in Delebio, Italy in August 2023 to seal the partnership deal.
The new Union Atlas Step On® Bindings will be available at select retailers in the new year and they plan a followup drop in the fall of 2025 with new colors. An additional Union Step On® model is in development for 2026 that will include all men’s and women’s sizes. Read the full press release from Union below.
Available January 2025: Limited Union Atlas Step On® Binding Release
Union Binding Company and Burton Snowboards are excited to announce the release of Union Atlas Step On® Binding. Available in a limited release of men’s small, medium, large and extra-large sizes in January 2025, the latest Step On® partnership is the result of Union and Burton’s shared commitment to establishing an industry-standard mechanical entry system for the wider binding ecosystem.
First unveiled to the snowboard world in late 2016, Burton Step On® is a boot-to-binding connection system that Burton founder Jake Burton Carpenter personally challenged the company to research and develop. Since then, Burton’s Step On® system has been widely adopted by snowboarders who want a clean and simple boot-to-binding interface that offers unprecedented convenience and performance.
Widely regarded as a leader in the binding category, Union recognized that Burton’s Step On® technology was the only mechanical entry system that would meet their high standards of performance, durability, comfort, and function. The two companies first reached a prototyping agreement in 2021 when Union agreed to explore utilizing Burton’s Step On® technology for a new line of Union bindings. Union visited Burton’s Burlington headquarters in June 2023, and Burton visited Union’s headquarters in August 2023 to finalize the partnership.
“The Burton Step On® system is proven. It is the time and age to give something back, and this is a good way to collaborate on a project that can evolve the sport and industry. This partnership will continue beyond this one product— we want to evolve the system at all levels. Now that we’re in, we are all in.” -Martino Fumagalli, Union Binding Co. CEO & GM
From the start, both companies understood that a true partnership would revolve around making sure both brands could maintain their own functionality and features with the Step On® connection point being the only similarity. This approach let Union design the Union Atlas Step On® Binding exactly to their highest specifications.
“I could not be more thrilled to see this partnership come to fruition and happily welcome the Union team into the Step On® family. What makes this partnership incredibly unique to me goes beyond our two brands and comes from a shared, deeply rooted history in snowboard binding development and passion for evolving the sport of snowboarding.” -Chris Cunningham, Burton Chief Product Officer
Empowering partners to develop their own products around the Step On® binding standard will support and strengthen snowboarding for everyone, improving each point of contact from dealers to retailers to on-snow performance and function for riders.
“We’re making the binding connection point the shared technology ingredient. Collaborating instead of competing gives us the freedom to shift our
focus to further innovation, which is going to help us welcome more people into snowboarding.” -Chris Cunningham, Burton Chief Product Officer
Step On® is an industry-changing technology, lowering barriers to snowboarding with a faster entry and streamlined experience from the lift to heading down the mountain. The system has been designed for the most demanding conditions, including the performance required from professional riders like Union’s Gigi Rüf, who tested the Union Atlas Step On® binding this fall.
“The aluminum heelcup and the unique, sleek highback design caught my eye right away. The setup quickly felt familiar as I focused on carving to really test the response and pressure on the equipment. I told my son about my excitement, and now he wants a pair too!” –Gigi Rüf
A second release of Union Atlas Step On® Bindings will drop in fall 2025 and feature new colors. For 2026, an additional Union Step On® model is in development that will cover all men’s and women’s sizes. All Step On® system bindings are compatible with all existing Step On® system boots from Burton, Nitro & DC.
