Union Binding Company And Burton Announce Partnership To Expand Step On Into Industry Wide Standard

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 snowboard 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,” said Martino Fumagalli, Union Binding Co. CEO and General Manager. “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.” 

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,” said Chris Cunningham, Chief Product Officer at Burton. “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.” 

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,” said Cunningham. “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.”  

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,” says Gigi Rüf.  “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!”

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. 

Union Binding Company was founded on the idea of a simple, yet ambitious mission: to create the best-fitting, highest-performing, and most durable snowboard bindings the world has ever seen. Since its humble beginnings in 2004, Union has evolved into the global leader in snowboard bindings by relentlessly pushing the boundaries of innovation, performance, and design. Union believes that ideas, determination, and people are the core of who we are today and the driving force behind where we’re headed tomorrow. Union’s headquarters are in Delebio (SO), Italy. For more information on Union Binding Company, head to www.unionbindingcompany.com