Burt Retractable Bindings

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Burt bindings are plate-style alpine ski bindings invented in the 1970s by Burton A. Weinstein. Their unique feature was retractable cables that would pull the ski back onto the binding in the event of a fall. [1]

The binding consisted of a metal plate that was attached to the bottom of the ski boot using a metal wire that slipped over the toe flange, and metal fingers over the heel flange. The fingers were attached to a metal box that ran vertically above the plate and was connected to the plate by a hinge. In later versions, the plate could be removed by pushing the box down and rearward with a ski pole, rotating it rearward so the fingers slipped off the heel flange. It could be re-attached to the boot by stepping down on the plate, causing the box to rotate forward again. [2] [3] [4]

The interior of the box contained a spring-loaded steel cable, and the plate under the foot another. The rear cable connected to a small metal bracket that was screwed onto the top of the ski. Small plastic wheels on the bottom of the plate sat in indentations on the rear connector, allowing the boot to roll forward and release. Similar wheels at the toe were rotated to allow sideways motion. The toe cable attached to a similar connector at the front, which was designed to rotate to allow the boot to release. [4]

In the case of a binding release, the cable prevented the ski from running away down the hill, a task normally accomplished at that time with a separate strap tied around the skier's leg, and today with a ski brake. The spring would then automatically pull the ski back to the user and, if properly aligned, reconnect it. [2] [3] [5]

The system, like all plate bindings, had a number of disadvantages. For one, snow would stick to the metal parts, which made it difficult to re-attach the ski. The system also had the potential to snatch clothing and fingers as it re-connected. [1] It also had a reputation for easily breaking. [6]

The company was purchased by Garcia Corporation to fill out their skiing portfolio which included Lange boots and Dynamic skis. Garcia went bankrupt in 1978, and the various divisions were sold off. Rossignol took over Lange, but the Burt product disappeared during this period.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice skate</span> Boots with blades attached to the bottom for propelling the bearer across a sheet of ice

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inline skates</span> Boots with wheels arranged in a single line

Inline skates are boots with wheels arranged in a single line from front to back, allowing a skater to roll along on these wheels. Inline skates are technically a type of roller skate, but most people associate the term roller skates with quad skates, another type of roller skate with a two-by-two wheel arrangement similar to a car. Quad skates were popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inline skates became prominent in the late 1980s with the rise of Rollerblade, Inc., and peaked in the late 1990s. The registered trademark Rollerblade has since become a generic trademark due to its popularity. To this day, "rollerblades" continues to be used in everyday language to refer to inline skates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telemark skiing</span> Skiing technique

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ski binding</span> Device that connects a ski boot to the ski

A ski binding is a device that connects a ski boot to the ski. Before the 1933 invention of ski lifts, skiers went uphill and down and cross-country on the same gear. As ski lifts became more prevalent, skis—and their bindings—became increasingly specialized, differentiated between alpine (downhill) and Nordic styles of skiing. Until the point of divergence in the mid-20th century, bindings held the toe of a flexible, leather boot against the ski and allowed the heel to rise off the ski, typically with a form of strap or cable around the heel.

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The Nava System was a ski binding and custom ski boot offered for sale in the 1980s. The system used a combination of flexible sole plate to keep the boot centered, and a spring-loaded plastic arm on the rear binding that was used to transmit sideways motions of the leg to the ski. This eliminated the need for a hard shell on the boot; the Nava boot was soft and resembled a knee-high winter boot. In spite of numerous endorsements by racing stars, the system never caught on and sales ended by the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spademan binding</span>

Spademan was a type of ski binding, one of a number of "plate bindings" that were popular in alpine skiing during the 1970s. It used a bronze plate screwed into the bottom of the boot as its connection point, held to the ski by a clamp-like mechanism that grasped the side of the plate. Unlike conventional bindings, the Spademan could release in any direction, in response to any force or torque. It provided greatly improved protection compared to contemporary designs, which generally allowed release of the toe to the sides and heel directly forward, keeping the foot attached in any other fall direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Look Nevada</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Look Integral</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lange (ski boots)</span> Ski boot manufacturer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raichle Flexon</span>

The Flexon was a downhill ski boot introduced by Raichle in the winter of 1980/81. Based on designs by Sven Coomer, Al Gross and Erik Giese, the Flexon used a unique system to control forward flex in a predictable way, as well as making the boot more comfortable and easier to put on and remove. The basic layout was, and is, generally referred to as a "three-piece" design -- three-piece boots preceding the Flexon included the Henke Strato, Nordica Comp 3 and a dozen other designs from Italian bootmakers.

This glossary of skiing and snowboarding terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon used in skiing, snowboarding, and related winter sports.

References

  1. 1 2 Wright, Wesley Alan. "The University of Vermont: SKIVT-L: Ski Vermont Discussion List: Vermont Skiing Rules : Vermont Ski History Vault: Movie, Photos, Maps :". waw.w3.uvm.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  2. 1 2 "Burt Retractable". Skiing. December 1976.
  3. 1 2 Carr, Stanley (12 November 1972). "Ski Notes: Thinking the same at the Show". New York Times.
  4. 1 2 "BURTON WEINSTEIN - BINDING INVENTOR". Skiing History. 9 August 2013.
  5. Bryden, Allysun (1998). From Tip to Tail (PDF). Aspen Historical Society. pp. 35, 36.
  6. Needham, Richard (1987). Ski: Fifty Years in North America. Harry Abrams. p. 107.