Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback

I recently read an article in the September 2008 issue of Transworld Snowboarding about the inventor of the support bindings found on snowboards today. His name is Jeff Grell and he lives in Aspen, Colorado. Back in 1983 he was one of the first snowboarders around that started to look for ways to build better support for your ankles while riding a snowboard in backcountry of the Aspen Highlands. At the time, snowboards basically just had a baseplate that you would bind your Sorels boots to with straps. At first snowboarders would use the liners from their ski boots and stuff them into their Sorels for better highback support. Jeff was the first one to design a prototype highback binding that actually fit onto the back of your boots with straps, like a cuff. When you leaned back, the original "Hi-Bak" supported your boots, your board and your edges, making it a lot easier to traverse the mountain on your snowboard. He Later collaborated with a friend and they came up with a better model for a convertible highback which was attached to the baseplate, forming one unit or support binding for snowboards. Unfortunately, Jeff Grell didn't get rich off of his invention (nor did he become famous) because he didn't have the money to patent his idea or mass produce it. As soon as the large skiing companies, like Burton, caught on to his invention they started making the new bindings and sales took off like crazy. Even though Jeff finally got a patent on his highback binding in 1998, he says he's not interested in getting a lawyer or suing the snowboard industry for money. He says he has a lot more fun just being a snowboarder and being known by his friends in Aspen as the inventor of the original highback binding for snowboards. I enjoyed this article and really like the attitude that Jeff Grell has towards snowboarding and inventing.

Sherowski, Jennifer. "Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback." Transworld Snowboarding. Volume 22, September 2008: 74-75.