Marker

Early models

Until the 1950s, the ski industry had used the cable binding, which looped around the entire boot to a lever at the front that provided tension, for all purposes. The "Kandahar" style binding added clips which held down the foot for downhill runs, then released for cross-country striding. Lacking a release system, these bindings could cause serious injuries during even the most minor falls. In the early 1960s, Dr. Richard Spademan had to deal with 150 fractures during a single three-day weekend at Squaw Valley Ski Resort.

During the early 1950s a number of skiers introduced systems to help release the foot in a fall. The most worrying injuries were spiral fractures caused when the ski was forced sideways and twisted the lower leg. In 1950 Look introduced the Look Nevada binding, which allowed the boot to release from the ski at the toe when it rotated to the sides. This was used with a conventional cable binding on the heel.

Hannes Marker introduced the "Duplex" toe in 1953. The Duplex used two small wedge-shaped metal clips that fit over a lug on the boot's toe, holding it down, with a spring keeping the boot centred. During a fall, the clips would be forced outward against their tension, releasing the toe. Like the Nevada, the Duplex used a cable binding for the heel.

In 1953, Marker introduced the "Simplex" system, which used a single metal piece that rotated to either side on a cam plate, allowing the boot to release directly to the side. This was paired with a new "LD" heel, which moved the cable binding lever to the cable itself.

Rotamat

In 1962, Look dramatically updated their line with the Nevada II toe and the Grand Prix heel binding. The Grand Prix was essentially a toe binding rotated on its side so it released upward instead of to the side, allowing release when the ski caught or was forced up toward the skier. This basic design has remained the basis for downhill ski bindings to this day.

Marker followed Look's lead in 1965, retaining their existing Simplex toe and adding the "Rotamat" heel. The Rotamat placed a release mechanism like the Grand Prix on short cables that ran to the boot's instep. This allowed the boot to release in twisting forward falls, a feature that Look would soon copy in their "turntable" mechanisms. The Rotamat's heel clip could not be easily re-set if it opened, earning it the nickname "explodamat". Several variations of the Rotamat followed, introducing plastic housings for lower weight and other changes to the design.

M series

In 1972, Marker replaced the Rotamat with its first step-in design, the M4 toe and M44 heel. The M4 re-introduced a two-finger design, allowing the fingers to rotate outward. The M44 heel was relatively conventional, allowing release only directly up. This was replaced in 1979 with the M4-15 Rotamat S heel, which was an improved version of the original Rotamat that was simpler to reset after release. Like the Look designs, it included a turntable under the instep that allowed the boot to rotate to the sides.

A major upgrade was released in 1981 as the M40 Racing series. This is perhaps one of their best known bindings as it was a regular feature on the racing circuit through the 1980s. This featured an updated version of the M4 toe and an entirely new heel piece with a push-button release. Another major update followed in 1985 in the M46. This introduced the Twin-Cam toe and a Salomon-like lever-release heel. This basic design has remained the pattern for Marker bindings to this day.