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This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and safety bodies publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified instructor, avalanche training or medical advice.
No release settings here
How release values are chosen is the subject of ISO 8061, and how a ski, binding and boot are assembled, adjusted and inspected is the subject of ISO 11088. This page names both and summarises neither. It contains no release-value chart, table or procedure, and nothing here says a binding is certified, safe or correctly set.
What "release" means in the rule books
FIS defines a release binding as one that frees the boot when the loads in racing reach pre-set values (Specifications for Alpine Competition Equipment, Edition 2026/2027, 3.1.4.1), and the same document sets no release values. FIS's snowboard, freestyle, freeski and ski cross specifications for 2026/27 describe safety bindings as strain limiters that let go once a load limit is exceeded (B.3.1). The ski jumping rules (FIS cross-country, ski jumping and Nordic combined specifications 2026/27, C.2.1) use the same strain-limiter description for jumping bindings.
Alpine and touring binding standards
The editions below come from ISO catalogue entries seen in search results; the iso.org pages could not be opened, so the scope lines are unconfirmed and the titles and years are the more reliable part.
| Standard | Current edition (as listed) | What it covers | Earlier editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9462, alpine ski-bindings | 2023, edition 5 (January 2023) | Main characteristics of alpine bindings for children, juniors and adults, with test methods A and B as examples | 2014 (withdrawn 26 January 2023), 2006, 1993 ("Safety requirements and test methods") |
| ISO 9465, lateral release under impact loading | 2012, edition 2; listed as reviewed and confirmed in 2022 (unconfirmed) | A test method for adult type A bindings under ISO 9462 | 1991 |
| ISO 13992, alpine touring ski-bindings | 2014, edition 3; listed as reviewed and confirmed in 2026 (unconfirmed) | Touring bindings for children, juniors and adults | 2006, 1997, and a 2004 amendment |
| ISO 9838, test soles | 2023 | The test soles used for tests under ISO 9462, ISO 9465 and ISO 13992, including a touring form T sole | 2019, 2015 |
| ISO 8364, binding mounting area | 2017, edition 5; last confirmed in 2023 | The mounting area, free space, bindings and retention devices | |
| ISO 8061, selection of release torque values | 2019 | Named only | 2015, 2004, 1991, 1984 |
| ISO 11088, ski/binding/boot system assembly, adjustment and inspection | 2023 | Named only | 1993, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2018 |
| ISO 13993, rental-shop sampling and inspection of ski-binding-boot systems | At draft international standard stage (ISO/DIS 13993) when searched (unconfirmed) | Named only |
The boot standards that bindings are built to fit (ISO 5355, ISO 9523 and ISO 23223) are on boots and sole norms.
Snowboard binding standards
- ISO 14573:2002, "Snowboard strap bindings for soft boots: Requirements and test methods". Its current status was not confirmed.
- ISO 14790:2005, "Snowboard plate-bindings: Requirements and test methods", with a 2007 corrigendum, for plate bindings without a release mechanism, last confirmed in 2020. The 1997 edition was titled "Snowboard plate-bindings without a release mechanism: Safety requirements and test methods".
- ISO 10958-1:1998 and ISO 10958-2:2015 cover the board's binding mounting area, without and with inserts: see snowboards.
So the two snowboard binding types these standards name are strap bindings for soft boots and plate bindings, used with hard boots, without a release mechanism. The research could not read a source on other types, such as step-in systems, so they are not described.
Binding rules by discipline
| Discipline | Body and document | Binding rule |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine | FIS alpine specifications 2026/27, 3.1.2.6 and 3.1.5.1 | Mounting must observe ISO 8364; skis without a ski brake are prohibited in competition and official training (citing ICR 222.1); mounting must not compromise the release function |
| Freestyle, freeski, ski cross | FIS snowboard, freestyle, freeski and ski cross specifications 2026/27, B.2.3.4, B.3.1 and B.3.3 | Mounting must meet ISO 8364; every competitor must use a recognised release ("DIN") binding system and devices that prevent runaway skis; no skis without ski stoppers in competition or official training |
| Snowboard | Same document, C.2 to C.2.2 | Bindings fixed diagonally to the board's long axis, boots not overlapping; in snowboard cross no plate connecting both bindings; leashes optional unless the organiser or ski area requires them |
| Cross-country | FIS cross-country, ski jumping and Nordic combined specifications 2026/27, B.3 | As commercially available, no limits on material or make beyond the general restrictions |
| Ski jumping | Same document, C.2.1 to C.2.3.3 (read from a marked-up copy: needs confirming against a clean copy) | A front unit, wedge and rear unit, mounted flat and not beyond the ski edge, with at most 57 percent of the ski length in front, measured from tip to boot toe; wedge 20 mm maximum; a safety strap between boot and binding or ski unless the binding has a locker system |
| Ski mountaineering | ISMF Rules and Guidelines 2025-26, 31.1 (ISMF, not FIS) | The heel frees for climbing and locks for descents; complete lateral and forward release; ski brakes compulsory, and athletes without them cannot race; front and rear parts from different makers may not be mixed; cross-country bindings forbidden |
When a binding is recalled
Regulators have recalled touring and snowboard bindings, and search listings show alpine binding recalls that the research could not confirm. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's touring-binding recall of 9 November 2023, for example, sent owners to an authorised dealer for a free inspection and toe replacement rather than self-repair. The recalls the research found are on recalls. The history of the release binding is on safety history.
Sources
- ISO 9462:2023, Alpine ski-bindings: requirements and test methods (catalogue entry)
- ISO 9462:2014 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 9462:2006 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 9462:1993 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 9465:2012, Alpine ski-bindings: lateral release under impact loading (catalogue entry)
- ISO 9465:1991 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 13992:2014, Alpine touring ski-bindings: requirements and test methods (catalogue entry)
- ISO 13992:2006 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 13992:1997 (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- ISO 9838:2023, Alpine and touring ski-bindings: test soles (catalogue entry)
- ISO 9838:2019 (catalogue entry, replaced)
- ISO 9838:2015 (catalogue entry, replaced)
- ISO 8364:2017, Alpine skis and bindings: binding mounting area (catalogue entry)
- ISO 8061:2019, Alpine ski-bindings: selection of release torque values (catalogue entry; named only)
- ISO 8061:2015 (catalogue entry)
- ISO 8061:1991 (catalogue entry)
- ISO 11088:2023, Alpine ski/binding/boot system: assembly, adjustment and inspection (catalogue entry; named only)
- ISO 11088:2018 (catalogue entry)
- ISO 11088:1993 (catalogue entry)
- ISO/DIS 13993, rental-shop sampling and inspection of alpine ski-binding-boot systems (catalogue entry)
- ISO 10958-1:1998, snowboard binding mounting area without inserts (catalogue entry)
- ISO 10958-2:2015, snowboard binding mounting area with non-removable inserts and screws (catalogue entry)
- ISO 14573:2002, Snowboard strap bindings for soft boots (catalogue entry)
- ISO 14790:2005, Snowboard plate-bindings (catalogue entry)
- ISO 14790:2005 corrigendum (catalogue entry)
- ISO 14790:1997, Snowboard plate-bindings without a release mechanism (catalogue entry, withdrawn)
- FIS, Specifications for Alpine Competition Equipment, Edition 2026/2027 (July 2026)
- FIS, Specifications for Competition Equipment: Snowboard, Freestyle, Freeski and Ski Cross, Edition 2026/2027 (June 2026)
- FIS, Specifications for Competition Equipment: Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Edition 2026/2027 (marked-up copy)
- International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), Rules and Guidelines 2025-26, in force 30 October 2025 (copy hosted by the Deutscher Alpenverein)
- US CPSC, Amer Sports Winter and Outdoor recalls ski touring bindings (recall 24-021, 9 November 2023)