Abstract:
A short ski comprises a base  10  having a pair of side walls  16  on which a pair of arms  11,  which hold an ankle belt  12,  and a foot belt  13  are mounted. Means are provided for adjusting and fixing the belts  12, 13  so as to accommodate shoes of most different types and sizes and avoid the need for special ski boots.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Downhill skis are regularly provided with ski-bindings for special ski boots. Ski boots are fixed to the skis at their front and rear ends and, due to their stiffness allow the skier to press on the side edges of the skis by weight transfer thereby controlling the ski.  
           [0002]    For snowboards, so-called soft bindings are known. These bindings hold the skier&#39;s foot and lower leg and hence can be used with snowboard boots made of a soft material and even allow comfortable walking. The kinematics of the snowboard require the boots to be positioned at an angle to the moving direction. Lateral guiding forces in the bending direction of the ankle are transferred to the snowboard via the heelback and the special structure of a snowboard binding. In use, the skier&#39;s calf and forefoot exert pressure on the front and rear edges of the snowboard. Therefore, the principle of a snowboard soft binding is inapplicable to a regular alpine ski.  
           [0003]    No presently known ski binding enables controlled downhill skiing with regular climbing boots or sport shoes. This is a particular drawback for mountaineers who have to carry a complete touring ski equipment uphill if they want to ski down, or use so-called “firn gliders” which provide no lateral fixation of the lower leg and therefore allow only little edging and lateral guiding.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a ski binding for a downhill ski, particularly a short ski, which can be used with shoes of virtually any type and size.  
           [0005]    This object is met by a ski having a base and a binding, wherein the binding comprises a support structure mounted on at least one side wall of the base and extending generally upward from the base, and an ankle belt mounted on the support structure for holding the lower leg. This structure permits lateral guiding forces to be transferred to the ski edges, and hence allows effective controlling and braking by transfer of the skier&#39;s weight.  
           [0006]    In a preferred embodiment, the base comprises a pair of side walls, and the support structure comprises a pair of arms mounted on the respective side walls for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis. The arms may be connected at the outer ends to form an integral support structure,  
           [0007]    It is preferred to dispose the arms in surface abutment with the side walls of the base in the region of their pivot connection. This prevents lateral movements of the ankle and enables an effective transfer of lateral forces from the shoe to the ski. The arms can pivot forward and backward and allow the ankle to bend.  
           [0008]    Alternatively, a stiff connection, which is necessary to avoid torsional movements, can be realised by a longer pivot axis.  
           [0009]    In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, each side wall has its outer side provided with a recess which is shaped so as to allow the arm to be folded down forward from an upright position but prevent any rearward rotation.  
           [0010]    The binding may further comprise a foot belt for holding the shoe down on the ski. The foot belt may be mounted on the side walls for vertical and horizontal adjustment, and adjustment means may be provided, preferably including a plurality of holes in at least one side wall for cooperation with a plurality of holes in the foot belt. At least one of the support structure, the ankle belt and the foot belt may be fixed by screw connections, and at least one of the ankle and foot belts may be adjustable in length by means of a buckle. Further, the ankle belt may be adjustably connected to the support structure. All these features increase the variability concerning size and shape of the shoe to be used with the ski of the present invention.  
           [0011]    The running behaviour of the ski may be improved by a profile provided in the upper surface of the base, metal edges formed at the lower side of the base along the longitudinal sides thereof, and guiding grooves formed in middle portion of the lower base surface.  
           [0012]    The base and support structure may be produced at low cost by injection moulding. Alternative production methods include blowing, lamination and extrusion. The ankle and foot belts are preferably made of foam rubber or other soft materials and have their fastening portions reinforced by hard plastics elements. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    A preferred embodiment will be explained below with reference to the drawing.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a complete short ski;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the ski of FIG. 1; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows the ski with its base  10  and binding in a side view. The main components of the binding include a support structure consisting of a pair of flat rigid arms  11 , an ankle belt  12  mounted on the arms  11 , and a foot belt  13 . The arms  11  and the foot belt  13  are pivotally mounted on side walls  16  of the base  10  by screw connections  14 ,  15 .  
         [0018]    The side walls  16  are reinforced in the region where the arms  11  are hinged to them and comprise recesses  17  on their outer sides which have a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the arms  11 .  
         [0019]    The recesses  17  are shaped so that the arms  11  provide limited freedom of the skier&#39;s lower leg to move forward and backward and can be folded down completely in the forward direction for transport. Folding backward, however, is prevented by the arms  11  abutting against the wider portion of the side walls  16 .  
         [0020]    The pivotal movement of the arms  11  can be attenuated by friction or by spring elements. Such attenuation may be specifically desirable to improve the behaviour of longer skis.  
         [0021]    As will be understood from FIG. 3, the arms  11  are in surface abutment with the side walls  16  in the region of the recesses  17 , and are thus supported by the side walls  16  so as to prevent torsional movements.  
         [0022]    The generally annular ankle belt  12  can be adjusted in length by means of a toothed belt or buckle  18  as it is common with snowboard bindings and ski boots. The ankle belt  12  is pivotally mounted on the arms  11  by means of screw connections  19  which can be released and displaced along slots  20  formed in the arms  11  in order to adjust the position of the belt  12  to the skier&#39;s lower leg.  
         [0023]    The foot belt  13  also comprises an adjustable buckle  21 . A plurality of holes  22  are provided on at least one end of the foot belt  13  to adjust the belt length. Excessive length of the belt can be folded back or cut off. The position of the foot belt  13  in the longitudinal direction of the base  10  can be varied by joining the belt  13  by means of a screw connection  15  to any one of a number of holes  23  formed in each side wall  16 .  
         [0024]    The various adjusting elements described above permit the ski binding to be adjusted to shoes of even very different types and sizes. In fact, the short ski of the present invention can be used with virtually all common types of shoes, particularly sport and climbing shoes ranging from size 24 to size 46 (corresponding to shoe lengths of some 16 to 31 cm).  
         [0025]    As can be seen in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the base  10  is formed with projections  24  to prevent the shoe from slipping on the base  10 . Particularly in the middle portion, where the shoe is to be fixed, these projections  24  comprise ribs and teeth facing in different directions.  
         [0026]    According to FIG. 1, the base  10  is smoothly bent upwards at its front and rear ends to compress the snow during skiing. The overall length of the ski in this embodiment is approximately 60 cm.  
         [0027]    As appears from the sectional view of FIG. 3, the side walls  16  are hollow. This structure is preferable for injection moulding production and provides advantages with respect to design and weight. Areas exposed to stress may be reinforced by inserts of metal or other material placed in the hollow portions  
         [0028]    Metal edges  25  are fixed, such as by rivets or screws or by integration during the injection process, along at least part of the lower flat length of the base  10  to hold the ski even on icy snow, to reduce wear of the running surface and to enable abrupt stops. The metal edges  25  seal the hollow portions of the base  10  at their bottoms thereof to form a closed sliding surface. Wear of the running surface is effectively reduced by arranging the metal edges  25  so that they form the lowermost part of the base, thereby restricting any contact of the ski with hard surfaces, e.g. when crossing asphalt or other high friction material, to the metal edges  25 .  
         [0029]    The lower surface of the base  10  in its middle portion is formed with grooves  26  to improve the guiding ability of the ski.  
         [0030]    The invention has been described with reference to a short ski, where forces arising in use are smaller and thus easier to control with a binding made entirely of plastics. The principle of the ski and binding according to the invention, however, is applicable also to normal length downhill skis, touring skis, trick skis, carving skis and mono skis.