Cable bindings, also known as Kandahar bindings or bear-trap bindings, are a type of ski bindings widely used through the middle of the 20th century. It was invented and brand-named after the Kandahar Ski Club in 1929 by ski racer and engineer Guido Reuge.[1] They were replaced in alpine skiing by heel-and-toe "safety bindings" in the mid-1960s.
The cable binding attaches firmly at the toe only, normally in a trapezoidal metal cup roughly the same as the toe of a boot. A strap is fastened over the toe to stop it from rising out of the cup vertically.[2] Another cable holds the boot forward into the cup, and under the toe strap. If the heel is lifted, causing the boot to rotate in the toe clip, a spring keeps tension on the cable to keep the boot pressed forward.
The Kandahar version added two small metal clips on either side of the boot, normally near the arch or heel. For cross-country skiing the cable was left on top of the clips, allowing the heel to move vertically. For downhill runs, the cable was moved under the clips, forcing the heel down onto the ski. This provided greatly improved control, allowing the skier to torque the skis for turns.
Clipping-in also presents a serious danger, locking the ski to the leg during falls. It was estimated that 10% of all skiers using these bindings were injured during any given season.[3] It was this injury rate that led to the nickname "bear trap", for the way the leg was trapped in the jaws of the binding.[4][5]