A group of 147 injuried skiers seen in the emergency room of a midwestern hospital was studied. There were almost twice as many males as females, and lower-extremity injuries outnumbered upper-extremity injuries two to one. Leg injuries tended to occur in beginners whose bindings failed to release. Upper-extremity injuries were prevalent in better skiers whose bindings released properly. Frequent binding checks only slightly improved the likelihood of proper binding function.