Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic crash puts concerns about the design of ski bindings back in the spotlight

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Footage of Lindsey Vonn down in the snow, screaming in pain and then being airlifted out of the course. his crash at the Olympics it was a stark reminder of the dangers of going down.

Same goes for this: His skis didn’t come off.

Vonn’s boots remained locked to her skis even after her apron fall at the Milan Cortina Games, pointing awkwardly in different directions as she skidded to a stop in obvious pain.

It’s impossible to know if Vonn would have been seriously injured — a complex fracture to her tibia is already necessary many surgeries – if his skis were released. But the devastating injury highlighted the importance of bindings, which hold boots to skates and remain one of the sport’s oldest pieces of technology.

On the other hand, Vonn was focused on posting on social media after one of her surgeries, saying, “Riding was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I have no regrets and the love I have for skiing is always there. I’m still looking forward to the time when I can’t stand on top of a mountain again. And I will.”

Officials told the Associated Press that a binding system designed to automatically release the skis when a skier like Vonn loses control is still in the drafting stage after years of stalled discussions.

“Unfortunately, sometimes it takes horrific accidents to shine a light on what can be done,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the US Ski and Snowboard Association. “It’s a place we can’t compete in; we all have to be in it together with our international partners and the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation).”

Bindings haven’t changed much in their basic design for half a century: When a skier skis toe-first and closes with his heel, pressure needs to be applied for the system to release the boot. Less skilled skiers have bindings that release easily to avoid leg injuries; the higher the skill level and the more dangerous the skiing, the more the bindings are reduced to keep elite skiers on their skis.

Few were surprised that Vonn’s skis were not released. The question is whether it should be.

A safer system, like air bags for skiers, is wanted

A system called “smart binding” based on an algorithm and designed to automatically release itself when a skier loses control “really” could have helped prevent Vonn from breaking her leg, said Peter Gerdol, the FIS’ director of women’s racing at the Olympics and World Cup circuit.

“That’s exactly what the system will be designed to do,” Gerdol told the AP. “His skis would definitely come off. … We’ve seen a lot of other cases where the bindings don’t open and cause knee problems, especially when the skis still attached act as protection, whether it’s on a net or snow or a gate or any other obstacle. The leg gets stuck and the knee comes out.”

Nine days before her Olympic crash, Vonn tore the ACL in her left knee in a crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. He ended up in a safety net with his snow still attached.

The intelligent restraint system may borrow technology from the safety air bag system that has become mandatory for skiers this season in speed events.

“It will take time to develop but the idea is that the arrest will be initiated by the same algorithm that causes the air bag to fill,” said Gerdol. “The heel piece can slide backwards and cause the athlete’s skis to explode.”

Dainese and its sister company, D-Air Lab, have spent years developing an algorithm for air bags to inflate under sprinter racing suits after creating a similar system for motorcycle racing.

In collaboration with FIS, Dainese shares the air bag algorithm with top binding suppliers such as Look, Tyrolia, Salomon, Atomic and Marker to adapt the formula to release the skis.

Letting go of the skis is more dangerous than inflating the air bag. Elite skiers are sometimes able to recover amazingly after going airborne and can use their skis to brake before hitting the safety fences.

“It’s a very complex project,” said Marco Pastore, Dainese’s representative for the airbag system circuit. “When you release the binding, you have to be absolutely sure that you do it at the right time. With the airbag you can check the circulation and the position of the whole body. But with the bindings you have to check how the feet move, what the trajectory of the skis is – and a series of other variables.”

Cost is an issue

Although FIS wants to consolidate the project, issues remain about who will pay for it.

“These are very expensive projects and to be honest Dainese hasn’t done much” from airbags, said Pastor. “Right now it’s costing us money. Everyone wants these big things, but in the end someone has to pay for them.”

Sasha Rearick, coach of the US men’s national team from 2008-18, remembers some binding conversations when he was in charge of the World Cup coaching staff nearly a decade ago.

“The problem is that Dainese is the one who puts up the money and all the investments,” said Rearick. “So if they share it with the bonding companies, the bonding companies now need to invest heavily, and it probably costs (more).”

Markus Waldner, race director for the World Cup and the Olympics, said earlier this season that the FIS “is working with bio-mechanists and manufacturers to refine the boot quality and the binding to reduce the chances of a catastrophic catch at high speed.”

However, Gerdol suggested that the project could be two to six years away from being implemented.

Binding applications vary

To avoid skidding, professional skiers roll the skiers’ bindings to lock them in.

Leo Mussi, the skiing expert for American downhillers Bryce Bennett and Sam Morse, said he puts his runners’ bindings at 440 pounds of pressure — more than double what a shop’s compound can even handle.

Austrian runner Marco Schwarz suffered a serious knee injury in a December 2023 downhill accident on Mount Bormio. His skis were not released as he skied through the safety net.

“It’s hard to say,” he said about whether skating would have saved him from injury, and he’s not sure about changing things.

“The best way is to keep it simple,” says Schwarz. “I don’t want to push too much into more technology.”

Nina O’Brien, the American who had to endure four surgeries after suffering a serious fracture at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, said she was not at fault for any mechanical problems with her crash and thanked her specialist.

“Even if I’ve put on skis that morning, clicked and got coffee,” O’Brien said, “when I come in, he checks them to make sure they’re perfect.”

The airbag system was first tested on the World Cup circuit back in 2013 and only this season became mandatory in the downhill and super-G events. Meanwhile, some surfers said that the bags hindered their movement in the air, were uncomfortable to wear or could cause injuries.

Safety issues became a hot topic recently when Italian skier Matteo Franzoso died following an accident during pre-season training in Chile.

“Unfortunately, it always takes something serious to happen for people to say, ‘No. Now we need to do something,'” Pastor said.

This is also the first season where a non-cut undergarment is required for all World Cup and Olympic events.

There is a lot of room for improvement in security. When the smart-bindings system was being developed, Rearick – now the director of Apex 2100, an international ski school in Tignes, France – suggested talking about racing suits.

“Make a one-piece suit for everyone who warms up a little, moves a little, that’s not proof,” Rearick said. “That will make the game much safer for everyone.”