Marker has been a manufacturer of alpine ski bindings since 1952. Founded in Germany by Hannes Marker, the company is known for pioneering releasable binding technology. Marker's first model, the Duplex was followed in 1953 by the Simplex toe binding which was a huge success in the 1950s. New models introduced in the 1980s were major competitors on the alpine racing circuit. Marker remained independent until the 1980s, since then the company ownership switched hands several times until becoming part of the K2 Sports group, which in turn was purchased by Jarden in 2007.