For recreational skiers, setting bindings a little lower can help avoid knee injuries, according to Maury Hull, a biomechanical engineer at the University of California, Davis. Hull has studied leg injuries related to skiing and snowboarding for over 20 years. With orthopedic surgeon Steve Howell of Sacramento's Methodist Hospital, he directs the UC Davis "knee lab" investigating injuries in skiers and boarders. Rigid plastic ski boots mean fewer ankle injuries but more knee injuries, Hull said. Injuries generally happen because the ski acts as a lever that can put considerable force on the nearest available joint -- the knee.

One aspect of Hull's work has been to develop ski bindings that are better at sensing the forces on the ski and that release under the right conditions. Published release adjustment standards (DIN settings) are too conservative for most skiers, Hull said. He recommends that skiers treat the standards as an upper limit and set their bindings a few points below, then adjust upwards as required. In contrast, competitive skiers will keep their bindings as tight as possible to avoid losing a ski. Common sense and a knowledge of how injuries occur are also important for safety, Hull said. For example, many skiing injuries occur when someone tries to recover and ski out of a fall.