Don’t you just love the fact that our bindings can release in crashes and falls? Sure, it can be a bit of a pain to search for your skis in the snow, especially if they’re white, and it’s never fun when your binding releases too early while cruising, but if I had to decide between those and a broken ankle or other major leg injury, I’m pretty darn certain I’d pick searching for the skis and pre-releases.
85 years ago, though, the self-release binding didn’t exist. Instead, skiers clipped into “bear traps” (you know those horrifying metal ones that kind of look like 75mm telemark bindings? You’ve probably seen them on the wall of your favorite après-ski bar). A fall in those could easily lead to a broken leg or another major injury, with your skis stuck to you the whole way down (unless you rip the binding out…). One man’s broken leg, in those exact bindings, is what lead to the creation of the self release in 1937.
According to KGW8, Hjalmar Hvam was a beast of a skier, winning race after race throughout the mountains of Oregon (mainly Mount Baker and Mount Bachelor). He won 12 consecutive races in one season, taking on cross-country skiing, slalom, and ski jumping. In 1937, Hvam broke his leg for the second time. While he was in the hospital, his idea for a self-releasing binding came forward, and a hospital-bed sketch led to the creation of the Saf-Ski binding.
The binding first became available to the public in 1940, sold mainly in small batches out of his Oregon ski shops. While his design was eventually replaced and overshadowed by others, Hvam was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Related: ‘Stop Use’ Recall Of Backcountry Ski Binding From Atomic, Salomon, Armada
Image Credit: KGW News via YouTube