The season of the dreaded pop is upon us. As slopes open and skiers begin chipping away at the summer’s rust, knee doctors across the hemisphere are prepping for the season with real estate brochures and new BMWs. Luckily the knee lovers at Vermont’s KneeBinding are here to starve the orthopedists who dance to the soundtrack of 70,000 snapping ACLs every ski season.
Traditional ski bindings release two ways: sideways from the toe and forward from the heel. Skiers can rotate boots on their heels out of a binding but cannot release their heels by pivoting on the toe.
KneeBinding’s collection of four bindings (MSRP $399 to $459) adds a third dimension to the release spectrum, allowing a skier’s boot heel to release sideways before ligaments start popping. The company’s PureLateral technology is a fundamental shift in binding design, which hasn’t changed much in the last few decades.
KneeBindings are showing up at more and more ski shops — more than 200 across North America — and initial reticence concerning pre-releasing seems to be fading with endorsements from Powder and Ski magazines.
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Denver Post staff and wires
