Binding Model: K2 Lien AT
Binding Size: Medium
Stance and Angles: 21 wide, Goofy, 21/+3, 18/0, 15/-3, 12/-6
Board Used: K2 Overboard, Rome Ravine, Rome Agent Alek, Niche Aether, and a bunch of other test boards in for review.
Boot Used: DC Tucknee, DC Lynx
Boot Size: 8
Rider Weight: 155lbs
Location: Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Copper, Beaver Creek
Conditions: Everything Colorado has to offer. Pow, slush, hard groomers, early season nonsense, trees, frigidness, hoodie weather…
Binding Adjustability: The straps are on flip cams, pop, adjust, and lock back down. The toe strap has independent top and bottom strands to dial in the fit over your toe. The forward lean is down with the same bolt as the highback rotation. Loosen them up and slide it back so it engages the heelcup sooner for more forward lean. It’s affected by the rotation so it can I did have to play with it some to get the forward lean and rotation that I was after. The final piece of adjustment is under the frame. The AT comes stock with the heel block in place of the heel pod for the tripod frame. It offers a little stiffer ride laterally, but you do get all the pods in 3 different durometers to remove the block and run all pods. I ended up keeping the blocks in and running the softer yellow pods under the toes. It’s just what felt good to me.
Straps: Nothing but plastic. Which is good. I have a full season of use in to these and they do not show it. The toe straps are simple but adjustable and will match up to any boot shape I’ve used. The ankle straps don’t have much of any give forward but they are relatively skinny and never caused me any unwanted pressure point or pinching. They lock down really well and since there is no foam or fabric to stretch you don’t have to go searching for that last extra click to get a really tight fit.
Ratchets: The new design has been great. They moved the climb lever onto a sort of pivot arm for the ankle ratchet that limits the climbing teeth from twisting off the ladder. It does a better job of keeping positive engagement on the ladder and should help minimize people stripping ladders. They release really smooth too.
Highbacks: Simple and effective no frills nylon highback. It is stiff and supportive enough to offer power when you need it but just enough lateral give not to get in the way of the way the tripod frame is designed to flex and move.
Binding Flex: The response and flex act differently than your average binding because of the tripod frame. Laterally you have more movement with the bushings but the frame remains a little stiffer. It’s around a middle of the road stiffness with a little extra movement thrown in under foot.
Ride: The tripod tech and mini disc are really the defining characteristics of the ride feel. They offer a more fluid feel and also do a pretty good job of smoothing out the ride. There is also 3 degrees of canting if you ride a wider stance. If you don’t the nature of the tripod frame and the softer EVA means that the canting doesn’t feel too intrusive.
Rider in Mind: All mountain ride everywhere that wants a little bit of extra movement on top of the board without losing much toe to heel drive.
Personal Thoughts: The Lien isn’t the only binding out there to offer more movement on the board with under base tech, and it also wasn’t the first. I do think it is the best. It offers all the lateral play that I like for moving my weight around, but I don’t feel like I lose much of any power driving the board between edges. The heel block is a welcome addition instead of the foam pads as they do a better job of stiffening up the binding than the old foam gaskets.
29 Comments
Any recommendation regarding whether M or L bindings would be best for size 8.5 boots? Could go either way according to the chart.
You definitely want the Medium.
Thanks, and thanks all the reviews…very helpful.
Are these more responsive than the formulas? If you had these and the formulas which would you put on the more hard charging board?
Formula is going to be more hard charging due to having a bigger frame on the base.
12 size boot (on some boots 12.5) , L/XL?
Definitely.
How does this compare to the Rome vice or Targa and maybe union Atlas? I am deciding which one would work best with my ravine (thanks for your recommendation).
Tested it out with the cartel, I like the responsiveness but wanting something more damp without sacrificing much of the responsive. Mainly 80% all MTN/pow and 20% park.
Or Rome dod
If you want more damp I’d nix the Vice and Atlas, Targa will have it but might be too stiff so a Katana would be a better match up. Otherwise the Lien AT will have the most dampening and more uniform play in it.
Thanks for your recommendation.
I am constantly switching between my Assassin and Ravine. Out of Katana, Lien AT and Cypress (~70 cheaper than the other two), which binding would work best?
BTW, which binding do you run on your Ravine?
Run The Rome BlackLabel, but out of your choices I’d go Katana or Lien AT, comes down to if you want to be forced to have 3 degrees of canting on the the Lien but have a bit more adjustability with feel, or if you go with the Katana you can dial in the fit to the boot more.
Cheers mate, pulled the trigger on Katana
K2 Lien or Rome Katana on a Party Platter?
Lien
Thanks, I don’t know if the medium or large would fit best, I have a size 9 boot.
I can pickup a 2020 Lien for a super good price, but they only have a large left so hoping that will fit better than the medium would?
You need a medium unless you have some crazy bulky boot.
Hey man, to much tech nowdays it gets confusing. Can you please explain how a 3 degree canting can increase control and reduce fatigue? That’s what K2 are saying…
The only way it increases control is if you have a giant ass stance and it’s putting your legs back into a more neutral alignment. The same can be said about reducing fatigue as its taking the pressure off the outside of the knee. But as people are now coming to their senses and going back to a more normal stance width its really not doing fuck all and is overkill. Trust me been arguing with them for a couple years now on why they need to go back to a 0 or at max a 1.5 degree cant.
word!
While you are at it please ask them to reduce the minimum stance width by about an inch on directional boards. Certainly won’t need the canting then.
Why don’t you ask them.
I have. They don’t listen to me, but maybe wll listen to you … maybe.
You buy things they listen to you.
K2 Lien or bent metal transfers for all mountain and park riding?
On a k2 bottle rocket
Dealers choice.
I got a new in box set for a good deal, I think they’re 2018. Full K2- Party Platter 147, Maysis boots size 9, Lien AT size medium. I thought I’d be okay with the medium, thinking it’s an advantage to have the smallest binding you can get away with, but I think I need the large. The toe strap does not fit well and the lower hinge part doesn’t hug the front of the toe. After charging a run with lots of twisting the toe strap will slide on top of the boot. I might try riding with the strap over the top of the boot but seems like more pressure points and less locked in.
Besides that I love the feel of these. I rode the PP for a few days on Salomon Holograms but the Liens drive the board into carves with the precision I was looking for. Haven’t played with the pucks yet, currently has the blue ones in there. Do the pucks make a difference if I ride with the foam gasket? It seems like the gasket eliminates the tri pod feature.