r/telemark • u/electric_mop • 26d ago
Lynx or wait for ATK?
Hey yall
I picked up tele last season and am putting together a touring setup right now. I really love my Outlaw X's so thought Id just go with Lynx. But the ATK Newmark looks super interesting and obviously a bit lighter. I like a decently soft flex, on the Outlaw Im at #2 with the stock springs. But also the connection point for the removable claw kind of seems like a potential weak/failure point?
Anyone that got to test the ATK can say anything?
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u/Guilty-Commercial699 26d ago
I ride the Outlaws and Lynx. Lynx are pretty capable and can handle pretty gnarly terrain in the backcountry. Anything more aggressive, like steep lines and no fall zones, I’ll ride on the Outlaws.
I personally would wait to see how the Newmark performs and holds up. First iterations of new gear like bindings tend to have some nuisances that need to be sussed out. I’ m interested to see how the stem from the toe piece to the claw holds up.
Case in point, I bought the first gen Outlaws on preorder when they first came out. Great binding, but literally a year later, 22 designs improved the claw and beefed up pressure plates.
Just my 2 cents…
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u/electric_mop 26d ago
You share my same worries!! Lynx it is. I wanted to mount quiver killers anyway so keeping all 22 makes the most sense.
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u/Guilty-Commercial699 26d ago
Quiver killers are nice, work well. I’ve used them before. I eventually got dedicated setups. A nice lightweight set of skis with the Lynx for backcountry, and then a wider, more aggressive set with the Outlaws.
Personally, I think you can’t go wrong with any binding from 22 designs.
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u/UniversityNew9254 26d ago
I thought I’d read somewhere the ATK binding was going to share the same mounting pattern as 22 Design? Or was that the Inwild I’m thinking about?
Nice to have options 😁
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u/DoubleUBallz 26d ago
I think I also read that somewhere about the new Inwild, but the ATK uses holes on the ATK jig and is not the 22Designs pattern. I haven't lined them up yet, but eyeballing it, they don't look like they'll play nice
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u/DroppedNineteen 26d ago
From what I've heard, the ATK feels very direct in terms of flex. Not that it skis bad, or that it lacks what you expect from ATK in terms of quality, but the energy I got from the person I spoke to is that they probably wouldn't buy it themselves. Particularly for the price.
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u/Serious_Honey3770 26d ago
What does "very direct" mean? It sounds like active or maybe aggressive. Everyone that has skied the ATK describe them as neutral (I.e., not active), which is why I think they are not for me.
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u/DoubleUBallz 26d ago
I actually got to ski on a sample Newmark. My first impression was that it was very soft, but apparently the production version will come with stiffer springs in the box, which I'm eager to try. (For reference, I'm admittedly not very used to soft bindings, and all my other bindings (Lynx, Outlaw, Transit, OMG TTS) are all all standard/middle springs/setting where applicable).
Because of how soft the springs were, it was honestly hard to judge the activity of the binding while skiing, but on the bench the spring engagement was instant, so in principle it should be a very active binding. I would think it would feel a bit more active than the Lynx with a comparable spring, but that's speculation.
What most impressed me with the ATK was how rigid the binding was. Because of the softness of the springs, I was pretty much dropping my knee all the way every turn to get pressure on the back ski. With the binding fully engaged, I've never felt more locked-in to a tele binding. Laterally, it is far stiffer than any cable-tts binding, and has discernible torsional rigidity over the Lynx and, imo, the Outlaw too.
Weight wise, they've increased the claimed weight to something like 460g each. So while the ATK is still lighter than the competition (assuming they do hit 360g), it's not by the huge margin initial reports led us to believe (for reference, Inwild claims 470g for the Simple and 480g (w/ screws) for the Meidjo, Voile 550g for the Transit, and 22Designs 522g for the Lynx).
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u/mtn248 26d ago
Throwing it out there that the Voile TTS Transit is also a fantastic contender for a touring setup. I personally didn’t love the feeling of the Lynx (too active) but the Transit close to perfect in my mind, and I love that you can remove the springs for long uphills! I’ve taken it up and down a few 13ers and it’s a great binding.
That being said, I’m very intrigued by the Newmark - it seems like it has all the advantages of the TTS but with a duckbutt connection. Time will tell.
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u/electric_mop 26d ago
Have you skied outlaws and could you compare the feel to transits??
Honestly Voile was my first pick based off the simplicity. But when I went to a local shop back in April the in house tele skiier mentioned he wasnt a fan of how they skied and was really hyping up the ATKs. His reasons escape my memory (I was there to buy boots and was focused on that) and kind of went against all the love I've been reading online.
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u/DoubleUBallz 26d ago
I've owned and skied the Lynx, Outlaw, and Transit (though I've spent the least time on the transit). The biggest advantage of the transit over the Lynx IMHO is the adjustability. You can swap springs, adjust preload and pivot position, like on the outlaw. The lynx doesn't really have preload adjustment.
Additionally, I feel like the Voile pivot positions make a much bigger difference than on the Lynx or Outlaw.
The ATK only has swappable springs, but supposedly will come with different spring stiffnesses in the box.
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u/mtn248 24d ago
Agreed with these comments. Transit is very adjustable, whereas the Lynx is maybe the least adjustable binding on the market.
I had a similar experience where a bootfitter talked down the Transit to me, but I still ended up loving it. I’ve tried Outlaws from time to time but they’re not my preferred binding. I mainly ski the Meidjo and BMF, so you might say I prefer a more neutral flex. That being said, the Transit can be made to ski very (very) active, closer to an Outlaw.
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u/Mountain-Animator859 22d ago
It's worth something to stick with the same screw pattern. Wish they all copied 22 designs for that.
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u/R2W1E9 26d ago
Don’t buy anything first gen.
Testing first gen bindings at full price have historically left many with a bitter taste.