Ski bindings are the link between the boot and the ski and are essential for the transmission of power from the skier to the ski. They provide support and stability and, in precarious situations, they release the ski from the boot. Nevertheless, numerous accidents with serious knee injuries, especially cruciate ligament tears, occur on the slopes every year. These account for a third of all skiing injuries. The Austrian world market leader Tyrolia is addressing precisely this problem and has developed an innovative binding for the 2022/23 winter season that can significantly reduce or mitigate serious knee injuries.
‘As a ski racer, and now as a ski expert, I can't afford to suffer a cruciate ligament injury. To avoid going through the long and arduous recovery process again, I use the safest equipment around and ski with PROTECTOR.’ – Didier Cuche, ski expert and former professional ski racer
What is the secret behind the new PROTECTOR binding?
Knee injuries and, in particular, cruciate ligament tears usually result from backward twisting falls. These falls are especially favoured by the carving technique. Tyrolia's PROTECTOR binding is the first effective countermeasure for this problem: it reduces cruciate ligament tears by means of a full heel release (FHE), a combination of horizontal and vertical release of the heel unit at the right time. How does that work in practice during a fall?
PROTECTOR compensates for minor, short-term forces acting on the binding by moving the heel of the binding horizontally by up to 7 mm on both sides: if the load on the ski becomes too great, the heel moves by 7 mm, the sole holder pivots by 30° and releases the boot. PROTECTOR thus reduces the additional force on the knee that occurs with conventional bindings. Tests and research results (University Hospital Innsbruck) confirm that serious knee and ligament injuries are reduced by more than 50%.
Robert Stanzl, Director Marketing & Sales at Tyrolia
‘Never before has there been so much scientific research, medical and sports science support for a long-term development project. The PROTECTOR is the safest binding we have ever built at Tyrolia!"
‘As a passionate freestyle skier and photographer, I love being in the mountains and enjoying the perfect powder days, but freeriding requires a great deal of experience and the best and safest equipment, which is why I wear PROTECTOR.’ – Luca Tribondeau, freestyle skier
Performance meets control
Slightly easier to handle than a high-performance race ski, the e-Magnum offers top-notch performance and easy handling for the ultimate day of skiing. The ski is particularly smooth-running thanks to EMC technology, which reduces vibrations and increases stability. An optimal balance of super-light materials such as graphene and a classic sandwich construction also makes the ski easier to control. No matter how long you are on the slopes, the e-Magnum is a ski you can trust in any situation.
Expert test and interview with Hans Grugger
Former ÖSV ski racer Hans Grugger is still known to many for his terrible crash in 2011 during downhill training on the Streif in Kitzbühel. This crash also marked the end of his career. Before that, Grugger repeatedly fought his way back into professional skiing after a total of four cruciate ligament tears. He is therefore familiar with the subject of safety and knee injuries. He tested the new PROTECTOR binding from Tyrolia himself and gives us his assessment of it.
I've been using the PROTECTOR binding since mid-January 2022. I had a good feeling about it from the start and have only been using it since then.
I see parallels to the introduction of the carving ski, which made skiing more attractive again. Unfortunately, however, carving skis are also responsible for more injuries, as we know today. The studies show that the PROTECTOR binding can significantly reduce knee injuries when skiing. So I think that this innovation can certainly be called a game changer.
No, that's exactly what makes it so ingenious! For me as a former skier, there is no noticeable difference except when stepping into the binding. I have already had a few knee injuries. Since I have been skiing with the PROTECTOR binding, I dare to accelerate more, because I simply feel safer.
No, I only know that the development took more than 15 years because new problems kept cropping up in the technical implementation that seemed impossible to solve with the technology available at the time. Tyrolia has invested an enormous amount in this project.
Absolutely! I expect that the first tests by professional athletes will be carried out soon. It will certainly be difficult at the beginning because professional athletes, due to their physical condition and training, endure different forces than amateur skiers. But it would be a great thing if, in the future, serious injuries could be prevented in professional sports as well.
UVP: € 949,99 inkl. RC4-Z12-GW-Bindung
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