Ski and snowboard boots are essential if you want to go riding! They must be comfortable and give you optimal support for your foot and ankle. Your boots are also there to protect you from the cold, and in particular must be perfectly adapted to your riding style, your equipment, and your bindings!

Outer shell

This is the rigid part of the boot that surrounds the liner. Extremely stiff, it is made from plastic, encompasses the foot, and comes all the way up to the calf, although several previous versions of the ski boot have had different designs (stopping at the ankle or knee). The outer shell provides support for the foot and transmits movement. Nevertheless, it must allow flexing and must excellently convey support while on the skis. Ski boots can be provided with more or less rigid outer shells that the skier chooses according to skiing style and level. The flexibility parameter for the outer shell is often called the Flexindex, and it can range from around 20 or 30 to 130 or 150 (racing skiers).

Liner

A ski boot includes a liner, the internal, padded part enveloping the footthe comfortable part. It can be integrated or removable.

Buckles

These allow you to tighten the ski boot. Generally speaking, the more buckles, the tighter the boot is bound to the foot, and hence the more precise one's control over the ski. As a result, there may be between 1 (for the beginning skier) and 4 buckles (for the professional). However, a boot that is too tight can reduce feelings in the foot, and therefore harm fine motor skills.

Bi-injection

Process allowing one to manipulate the stiffness of the plastic at desired points. With this process, a hard plastic and another, much more flexible one, are injected at the same time into the mould, according to the stiffness desired for each zone. Your boot therefore becomes more comfortable at the points of contact, for example at the anklebones, but also easier to use in flexing, while retaining its lateral support properties. Results: a boot maximally adapted for comfort and performance.

Comfort

Comfort depends on the outer shell, which must be appropriate for the different contact points of your foot in the boot. These contact points are manipulated through bi-injection during the boot's design. The liner can be adapted to your foot through thermoforming, which lets you obtain maximal comfort.

Thermoforming

By heating the material of the liner, your foot leaves a definitive impression, both in the arch of the foot and in the anklebone area. A liner enveloping the foot as closely as possible guarantees warmth and precision, with uniform tightening that does not restrict blood flow. All the foot's supports are then fully transmitted to the ski.