CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Images of Lindsey Vonn down in the snow, screaming in pain and then being transported from the race by helicopter after her collapse at the Olympics were a stark reminder of the dangers of the descent.
Likewise: her skis didn’t come off.
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Vonn’s boots remained locked into her skis even after her fall at the Cortina Games in Milan, looking awkwardly in different directions as she skidded to a stop in obvious agony.
It’s impossible to know whether Vonn would have suffered a less serious injury — her complex tibia fracture already required multiple surgeries — if her skis had been released. But the devastating injury brought into focus the importance of bindings, which hold boots to skis and remain one of the oldest technologies in the sport.
Officials told The Associated Press that a binding system designed to automatically release skis when a rider like Vonn loses control is still in the design phase after years of stalled talks.
“Unfortunately, sometimes it takes terrible accidents to shed even more light on what can be done,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of the US Ski and Snowboard Association. “It’s an area where we can’t be competitive; we all have to be in it together with our counterparts in different countries and with the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation).”
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Bindings haven’t changed significantly in their basic design for half a century: Once a skier steps toe-first and then locks down with the heel, pressure must be applied for the system to release the boots. Less skilled skiers have bindings that release more easily to avoid leg injuries; the higher the skill level and the more serious the skiing, the lower the bindings to keep elite racing on skis.
Few were surprised that Vonn’s skis didn’t come loose. The question is whether they should have.
‘Smarter’ binding could ensure ‘an athlete’s skis will come off’
A so-called “smart binding” system based on an algorithm and designed to automatically release when a skier loses control “would certainly have helped” prevent Vonn from breaking her leg, said Peter Gerdol, FIS director of women’s racing at the Olympics and World Cup circuit.
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“That’s exactly what the system will be designed for,” Gerdol told the AP. “His skis would have slipped for sure…I’ve seen many other cases where the bindings don’t open and lead to knee problems, especially when the ski still attached acts as a lever, either on the net or snow or a gate or any other obstacle. The leg gets stuck and the knee gives out.”
Nine days before her Olympic crash, Vonn tore her ACL in her left knee in a crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. He reached the safety nets with his skis still attached.
A smart binding system could borrow technology from the safety airbag system that became mandatory for skiers this season in speed trials.
“It will still take time to develop, but the idea is that the tethering will be triggered by the same algorithm that causes the airbag to inflate,” Gerdol said. “The heel piece would slide back and the athlete’s skis would come off.”
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The rotation measurement algorithm and body position must be adapted
Dainese and sister company D-Air Lab spent years developing an algorithm for airbags to inflate under skiers’ racing suits after creating a similar system for motorcycle racing.
In coordination with FIS, Dainese shares the airbag algorithm with top suppliers such as Look, Tyrolia, Salomon, Atomic and Marker to adapt the formula to release the skis.
Release of skis is potentially more dangerous than inflating an airbag. Elite skiers are sometimes capable of spectacular recoveries after going airborne and can also often use their skis to brake before hitting the safety fences.
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“It’s a very complicated project,” said Marco Pastore, a Dainese circuit representative for the airbag system. “If you release a binding, you have to be absolutely sure that you do it at the right time. For the airbag you can look at the rotations and the position of the whole body. But with the bindings you have to examine how the legs are moving, what the trajectory of the skis is – plus a number of other variables.”
Finances are an issue for complicated safety projects
While FIS wants to coordinate the project, issues remain over who will pay for it.
“These projects are very expensive and, to be honest, Dainese hasn’t made a big deal” of airbags, Pastore said. “Right now, it’s costing us money. Everyone wants these great things, but at the end of the day someone has to pay for them.”
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Sasha Rearick, the head coach of the U.S. men’s ski team from 2008-2018, remembers mandatory discussions when he was in charge of the World Cup coaches’ task force nearly a decade ago.
“The problem is that Dainese is putting up the money and all the investment,” Rearick said. “So if they share it with the mandatory companies, the mandatory companies now have to invest a lot and it probably costs (a lot).”
Markus Waldner, director of racing for the men’s World Cup and Olympics, said earlier this season that the FIS is “working with bio-mechanists and manufacturers to refine footwear and binding standards to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic edge catches at high speed.”
However, Gerdol suggested the project could be two to six years from implementation.
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Will ski racers use the technology?
To prevent the skis from coming off, the ski technicians lift the competitors’ bindings so that they are practically locked.
Leo Mussi, the ski technician for American downhillers Bryce Bennett and Sam Morse, said he sets his competitors’ bindings to up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of pressure – more than double what even a store-bought binding is capable of.
Austrian driver Marco Schwarz suffered a serious knee injury in a December 2023 crash during the Bormio descent. His skis did not release when he slid into the safety net.
“It’s hard to say,” he said of whether skis coming off would have saved him from injury, and he’s not sure it would change things.
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“The best way is to keep it simple,” Schwarz said. “I don’t want to push too much into more technology.”
Nina O’Brien, an American who had to endure four surgeries after suffering a gruesome compound fracture at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, said she did not blame any equipment problems for her accident and credited her technician.
“No matter if I wore the skis that morning, clicked and had a coffee,” O’Brien said, “when I come back, they’re checking them to make sure they’re perfect.”
Safety progress in ski racing has been slow
The airbag system was tested for the first time on the World Cup circuit back in 2013 and only this season became mandatory for downhill and super-G speed events. Meanwhile, some skiers said the bags hindered their aerodynamics, were uncomfortable to wear or could even cause injuries.
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Safety issues became a more pressing issue recently when Italian skier Matteo Franzoso died in a pre-season training accident in Chile.
“Unfortunately, it always takes something serious for people to say, ‘No. Now we have to do something,'” Pastore said.
This is also the first season where cut-resistant underwear is required for all World Cup and Olympic events.
There is plenty of room for improvement in safety. While the smart binding system is being developed, Rearick – now the director of Apex 2100, an international ski academy in Tignes, France – suggested looking at racing suits.
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“Make a suit of material for everybody that’s a little warmer, that’s a little slower, that’s cut-resistant,” Rearick said. “This will make the sport much safer for everyone.”
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Graham reported from Bormio.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics