Editing History of skiing (section)

=== Bindings ===
{{Main article|Ski binding#History}}
[[File:Old ski binding.jpg|thumb|Old ski binding]]
In the early days of skiing the binding was also similar to those of a contemporary snowshoe, generally consisting of a leather strap fastened over the toe of the boot. In the 1800s, skiing evolved into a sport and the toe strap was replaced by a metal clip under the toe. This provided a much greater grip on the boot, allowing the ski to be pushed sideways. The heel strap also changed over time; in order to allow a greater range of motion, a spring was added to allow the strap to lengthen when the boot was rotated up off the ski.

This buckled strap was later replaced by a metal cable.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lert |first1=Wolfgang |title=A Binding Revolution |journal=Skiing Heritage Journal |date=March 2002 |page=26}}</ref> The cable binding remained in use, and even increased in popularity, throughout this period as cross-country skiing developed into a major sport of its own. Change eventually came through the evolution of the [[Rottefella]] binding, first introduced in 1927. The original Rottefella eliminated the heel strap, which held the boot forward in the binding, by drilling small holes in the sole of the boot which fit into pins in the toe piece. This was standardized as the 3-pin system, which was widespread by the 1970s.<ref name=rot>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottefella.no/en/Our-history/ |title=About Us |website=Rottefella |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906104003/http://www.rottefella.no/en/Our-history/ |archive-date=2015-09-06}}</ref> It has now generally been replaced by the NNN system.

The introduction of [[ski lift]]s in 1908 led to the evolution of alpine skiing as a sport. In the past, skiers would have to ski or walk up the hills they intended to ski down. With the lift, the skiers could leave their skis on and would be skiing downhill all the time. The need to unclip the heel for cross-country use was eliminated, at least at resorts with lifts. As lifts became more common, especially with the introduction of the chairlift in 1936, the ski world split into cross-country and downhill, a split that remains to this day.

In 1937, [[Hjalmar Hvam]] broke his leg skiing, and while recuperating from surgery, invented the Saf-Ski toe binding.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Masia |first1=Seth |title=Release! History of Safety Bindings |url=https://skiinghistory.org/history/release-history-safety-bindings |website=International Skiing History Association |access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref>