Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake review: specs, sizing and what it costs you
The Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake sits in the under-$250 budget tier. Published specifications: DIN range 3 to 12, Sole GripWalk and alpine, Brake 100 mm. Best for: Most skiers mounting an all-mountain ski between 80 and 100 mm at the waist.
The Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake is a binding in the under-$250 budget tier, and this page is the short version of everything published about it: the manufacturer's own specifications, who it suits, what it gives up against the alternatives, and where it sits on the shelf it competes on. We have not skied this item and we do not pretend to have. Everything below is researched from published specifications, published certification standards and verified owner reviews.
A 3 to 12 range covers essentially every recreational adult, and GripWalk compatibility matters more than it sounds: most current boots ship with rockered GripWalk soles and an older alpine-only binding will not accept them.
An alpine binding is a certified release device, tested to ISO 9462 and set on a calibrated jig by a technician. The release value is never something you dial yourself, and the brake width has to sit within about 15 mm of the ski waist or it either drags or catches.
Published specifications
These are the manufacturer's figures, not measurements we took. Specifications change between model years and between sizes, and a listing tied to one size is exactly that, so confirm the numbers on the retailer page for the size you are actually buying before you commit.
| Category | Alpine bindings |
|---|---|
| Brand | Atomic |
| Budget | Under $250 |
| Tier | Beginner |
| DIN range | 3 to 12 |
| Sole | GripWalk and alpine |
| Brake | 100 mm |
| Used for | Resort and lift-served skiing |
Who it suits
Most skiers mounting an all-mountain ski between 80 and 100 mm at the waist.
What it costs you
Not a touring binding, and not certified for one. It does not walk.
That trade is worth stating plainly because it is the thing a product page will never tell you. Nothing in snow sports is free: every gram removed from a ski comes out of its damping, every degree of cuff rotation added to a boot comes out of its downhill stiffness, and every dollar saved on a shell comes out of either the fabric or the features. The question is never whether an item has a weakness, it is whether that particular weakness lands on the days you actually ski.
Where it sits on the shelf
It is the least expensive binding on this shelf, which makes it the entry point rather than the compromise.
Compared with the rest of the shelf
| Alpine bindings | Tier | Budget | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake (this page) Value | Beginner | Under $250 | BC category Amazon |
| Marker Griffon 13 ID Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake The default upgrade | Intermediate | Under $250 | BC category Amazon |
| Tyrolia Attack 14 GripWalk Bindings, 110 mm brake Wider brake | Intermediate | Under $500 | BC category Amazon |
| Atomic Strive 14 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake Higher retention | Expert | Under $250 | BC category Amazon |
Prices are what the retailer listed when this page was last checked and change constantly. We earn commissions from Backcountry and from qualifying Amazon purchases, and every outbound link in this table is one or the other. A button reading "BC category" opens a Backcountry search for that category rather than that exact model, so it finds comparable gear alongside it.
How to shop this category
An alpine binding is a certified release device before it is anything else. It is tested against ISO 9462, it holds your boot until a defined torque is exceeded in a twist or a forward fall, and then it lets go. Everything else about it, the weight, the brand, the colour, matters far less than whether it is the right release range for you and whether a certified technician has mounted and tested it.
The DIN range printed on a binding is the span of release values it can be set to, and it is not a quality rating. What matters is that your certified value sits comfortably inside that range rather than at either end, because a spring near the limit of its travel is less consistent. A recreational adult usually lands somewhere between 5 and 10, so a 3 to 11 binding covers almost everybody and a 6 to 14 model is only correct for a heavy or aggressive skier.
Brake width is the other number and it is a fit question, not a preference. The brake should sit within about 15 mm of the ski waist: too narrow and it will not clear the ski, too wide and it catches on everything. Sole compatibility is the third: GripWalk, alpine ISO 5355 and WTR soles are not universally interchangeable, and a binding must be certified for the sole type on your boot. Confirm all three against your actual ski and your actual boot before buying.
What the DIN range on a binding actually means
The range printed on a binding is the span of release values it can be set to, and it is not a quality rating. What matters is that your certified value sits comfortably inside the range rather than at either end, because a spring near the limit of its travel is less consistent. Brake width is the other number: it should sit within about 15 mm of the ski waist, since a narrow brake drags in the snow and a wide one catches on everything. And the release value itself is set and tested by a certified technician on a calibrated jig, never adjusted at home.
The three mistakes this category produces
Buying a high-DIN binding because the number sounds better
A release value near the bottom of a binding spring range is less consistent than the same value in the middle of a lower-range binding. Buy the range your certified value sits inside comfortably.
Adjusting the release value at home
This is the one genuinely dangerous thing on the page. The setting is determined from six inputs together and then verified on a calibrated jig, because the number in the indicator window and the torque the binding actually releases at drift apart as it ages.
Ignoring boot sole standard
A GripWalk sole in a binding not certified for it changes the release behaviour. Check the sole standard stamped on the boot against the binding specification, and let the shop confirm it.
Looking after it
Back the release value off to its lowest setting for summer storage so the springs are not held compressed for months, and have the shop set it again in the autumn. Have the binding release-tested on a jig at the start of every season and after any change of boot. Keep the toe and heel free of packed ice, and never lubricate the release mechanism with anything the manufacturer has not specified.
None of that is glamorous and all of it is cheaper than replacing the item. The pattern across every category on this site is the same: snow sports equipment is destroyed by water, heat and neglect far more often than by use, and the difference between gear that lasts three seasons and gear that lasts ten is almost entirely what happens to it in the twenty minutes after you get home.
What to read next
If you are still deciding between models, the full alpine bindings roundup ranks the shelf by tier with the same published specifications used here. If you have not settled on the rest of the kit yet, the buy-once resort setup budgets a complete setup line by line with a running total, which is a more useful way to spend a budget than optimising one item.
For sizing, the calculators cover ski length, snowboard size, mondopoint boot sizing, skin width and the skier code your shop uses to set a binding. The reference charts hold the same numbers in printable table form, and the comparisons work through the decisions where two reasonable options genuinely pull in different directions.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake best for?
Most skiers mounting an all-mountain ski between 80 and 100 mm at the waist.
What are the drawbacks of the Atomic Strive 12 GW Ski Bindings, 100 mm brake?
Not a touring binding, and not certified for one. It does not walk.
What DIN setting should I use?
This site deliberately does not print one, and no site should. A release value is determined under ISO 11088 from height, weight, age, boot sole length, skier type and the binding model together, then verified on a calibrated release jig by a technician who signs for it. What you can work out in advance is your skier code, which is the row the shop chart is indexed by, and our DIN skier code reference does that so you walk in prepared.
What does the DIN range on a binding mean?
It is the span of release values the binding can be set to, not a rating of how good it is. Your certified value should sit comfortably inside the range rather than at either end, because a spring near the limit of its travel is less consistent.
How do I choose brake width?
Match it to the ski waist within about 15 mm. A brake narrower than the ski will not deploy properly, and one much wider catches on snow and on the other ski. Brakes can often be swapped by a shop if you change skis.
Can I mount bindings myself?
No, and it is not a cost saving worth making. Mounting requires the correct jig or paper template, the right drill bit depth for the ski construction, the right glue in the holes, and a release test afterwards. A bad mount can pull out under load, and a self-mounted binding voids most ski warranties.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, published certification standards and verified owner reviews across retailers. We do not test equipment in person, and every figure quoted here is the manufacturer's published number unless we say otherwise. This is researched buying guidance and not professional instruction: binding release values are set by a certified technician on a calibrated jig, and avalanche terrain requires formal training and a current regional forecast that no article can replace.
