History Cable binding

a typical late-model cable binding. boot inserted metal plate, , held down leather strap (missing). cable lifted on heel of boot, , pulled forward lever @ top of image. spring keeps constant tension boot moves , down through striding motion.

downhill skiing developed separate sport after introduction of ski lift. prior this, skiing involved mix of cross-country, downhill , uphill skiing. cross-country, efficient striding motion requires heel of boot lift ski, allowing leg lag behind body other ski moved forward. in late 1880s, number of bindings using leather strap on toe , second 1 pulling boot forward under toe strap common. these kept toe of boot on ski, while allowing heel rise distance.

fastening straps ski challenge, requiring slots cut ski. key advance introduced fritz r. huitfeldt, used metal plate screwed onto top of ski short vertical extensions had holes attach straps to. major advantage design vertical extensions held boot firmly centered on ski, whereas former all-strap systems had considerable flop. variations on design led shaping of metal plate progressively hold toe more firmly.

an evolution of huitfeldt designs replacement of heel strap metal cable , springs. invented in 1929 swiss ski racer guido reuge, patented him , marketed in 1932, spring-loaded cable binding named lord roberts of kandahar cup ski races. kandahar-style cable bindings universal 1960s.

the kandahar design offered 2 advantages on earlier designs. use of spring provide tension allowed fine control on mechanics, , smooth action did not increase tension @ end of stroke. allowed skier adjust tension moving spring or turning control knob, allowing different conditions , skiing style , stride. more important addition of 2 small hooks on either side of ski near heel. when skiing downhill, skier clip cable under hooks, locking down heel , providing greater control. ski turned rotating leg, forcing ski stem. when time climb hill, cable unhooked , returned being normal cross-country binding.

the introduction of dedicated ski lifts in 1908 led evolution of skiing sport. in past, skiers have ski or walk hills intended ski down. lift, skiers leave skis on, , skiing downhill time. need unclip heel cross-country use eliminated, @ least @ resorts lifts. cable binding became must-have. cable bindings universal late-1930s, , used famously 10th mountain division during world war ii.

for pure downhill skiing, kandahar problem. in particular, metal toe clip tightly clamped front of boot small sideways motions of tip of ski twist lower leg, , spiral fractures of calf common. death grip led nickname bear trap bindings , , estimated 1% of skiers suffered injury on given day.

during 1930s discovered improvement made removing toe strap typical kandahar binding. instead, metal cup bent inward wrap on top of boot, or @ least top of sole. although resulting clip less solid strap, in case of forward fall boot rotate , out of cup, releasing leg. although improvement, small one.

in post-war era, introduction of safety bindings replaced toe plate more complex auto-release systems, while retaining heel cable keep boot against toe binding. on time, heel cable replaced new clip-on binding designs, starting in late 1950s. late 1960s, bear-trap bindings had largely disappeared alpine skiing world.

although safety binding universally replaced bear trap in downhill skiing field, ability allow heel float or locked down made extremely appealing cross-country skiers. system, modified slightly, continues used day.