Lindsey Vonn's skis didn't come off during Olympic crash and a different binding system isn't close

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — The images of Lindsey Vonn down on the snow, screaming in pain and then being airlifted off the course by helicopter after her crash at the Olympics were a stark reminder of the dangers of the downhill.

So is this: Her skis didn't come off.

Vonn's boots remained locked into her skis even after her pinwheeling fall at the Milan Cortina Games, pointing awkwardly in different directions as she slid to a stop in obvious agony.

It is impossible to know whether Vonn would have suffered a less serious injury — her complex tibia fracture has already required multiple surgeries — had her skis been released. But the devastating injury has put a spotlight on the importance of bindings, which hold boots to the skis and remain some of the oldest technology in the sport.

Officials told The Associated Press that a binding system designed to automatically release skis when a racer like Vonn loses control is still in the drawing-board phase after years of stalled discussions.

''Unfortunately, sometimes it does take horrific accidents to shine even more of a light on what can be done,'' said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. ''It's an area we can't be competitive in; we've all got to be in it together with our different country counterparts and FIS (the International Ski and Snowboard Federation)."

Bindings haven't significantly changed in their basic design for half a century: Once a skier steps in toe-first and then locks in by stepping down with their heel, pressure needs to be applied for the system to release the boot. 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 more the bindings are cranked down to keep elite racers on their skis.

A ‘smarter' binding could ensure an 'athlete's skis would pop off'

A so-called ''smart binding'' system based on an algorithm and designed to automatically release when a skier loses control ''would have surely'' helped prevent Vonn from breaking her leg, said Peter Gerdol, the FIS women's race director at the Olympics and on the World Cup circuit.

''That's exactly what the system will be designed to do,'' Gerdol told AP. ''Her skis would have definitely popped off. … We've seen a lot of other cases in which the bindings don't open and it results in knee issues, especially when the still-attached ski acts as a lever, either on the net or on the snow or on a gate or on any other obstacle. The leg becomes blocked and the knee gives out.''

Nine days before her Olympic crash, Vonn tore the ACL in her left knee in a crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. She ended up in the safety nets with her skis still attached.

A smart-binding system could borrow technology from the safety air bag system that became mandatory for skiers this season in the speed events.

Algorithm measuring rotations and body position needs to be adapted

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

In coordination with the FIS, Dainese is sharing the air bag algorithm with top binding suppliers such as Look, Tyrolia, Salomon, Atomic and Marker in order to adapt the formula to release skis.

Releasing skis is potentially more dangerous than inflating an air bag. Elite skiers are sometimes capable of spectacular recoveries after flying into the air and they also can often use their skis to brake before slamming into safety fences.

''It's a very complicated project,'' said Marco Pastore, a Dainese representative on the circuit for the air bag system. ''If you release a binding, you've got to be absolutely sure you do it at the right moment. For the air bag you can look at the rotations and the entire body position. But with the bindings you've got to examine how the feet move, what the trajectory of the skis is — plus a series of other variables."

While the FIS wants to coordinate the project, issues remain over who will pay for it.

''These are very costly projects and to be honest Dainese has not made much'' from the air bags, 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 it.''

Sasha Rearick, the head coach of the U.S. men's ski team from 2008-18, recalls binding discussions when he was in charge of the World Cup coaches' work group nearly a decade ago.

''The problem is that Dainese is the one who's putting the money and all the investments,'' Rearick said. ''So if they're sharing it with the binding companies, the binding companies now need to invest heavy, and it probably costs (a lot).''

Markus Waldner, the men's World Cup and Olympics race director, said earlier this season that FIS is ''working with bio-mechanists and manufacturers to refine boot and binding standards to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic edge catches at high speed.''

Will ski racers use the technology?

To avoid skis popping off, ski technicians crank up racers' bindings so they are virtually locked in.

Leo Mussi, the ski technician for American downhillers Bryce Bennett and Sam Morse, said he sets his racers' bindings at up 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of pressure — more than double what a store-bought binding is even capable of.

Austrian racer Marco Schwarz suffered a serious knee injury in a December 2023 crash during the Bormio downhill. His skis didn't release as he slid into the safety netting.

''It's tough to say,'' he said of whether the skis popping off would've saved him from injury, and he isn't sure about changing things.

Nina O'Brien, an American who had to endure four surgeries after a gruesome compound fracture at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, said she didn't fault any equipment issues for her crash and credited her technician.

''Regardless if I've worn the skis that morning, clicked out and gotten a coffee,'' O'Brien said, ''when I step back in, he checks them to make sure they're perfect.''

Advancements in ski racing safety have been slow

The air bag system was first tested on the World Cup circuit back in 2013 and only this season became mandatory for the speed events of downhill and super-G. In between, some skiers said the bags hindered their aerodynamics, were uncomfortable to wear or could actually cause injuries.

Safety issues became more of a pressing issue recently when Italian skier Matteo Franzoso died following a crash in preseason training in Chile.

This is also the first season in which a cut-resistant undergarment is required for all events on the World Cup and at the Olympics.

There is plenty of room for safety advancements. While the smart-bindings system is being developed, Rearick — now the director of Apex 2100, an international ski academy in Tignes, France — suggested addressing the racing suits.

''Make one suit of material for everybody that's a little bit warmer, that's a little bit slower, that's cut-proof,'' Rearick said. ''That will make the sport a lot safer for everybody.''

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Graham reported from Bormio.