In the high-tech, fast-paced world of winter sports gear development for world class athletes, one design – the 3-Piece ski boot – has remained a constant on the world ski competition circuit with few changes since Bill Johnson won downhill gold on the boots in 1984. This season 35 skiers from the Canadian, Australian, Swiss, U.S., and Chinese teams chose Full Tilt Ski Boots’ 3-Piece design to carry them through aerial and mogul competitions during the 2010 season.
The boots, initially developed in the early 1980s, revolutionized ski boot design with a unique flexible, corrugated tongue that was originally designed for NASA space suits. The technology – similar to flexible drinking straws – gives skiers more natural forward flex while maintaining lateral stability and power in a noticeably lighter weight design.
The original design was licensed to Raichle boots which folded in the late ’80s. Full Tilt, a K2 Sports subsidiary, bought the molds for the boots in 2003 and soon after brought them back to market due to popular demand by pro and recreational skiers who for years were forced to purchase used replacement parts at garage sales and on Ebay. Full Tilt improved the design further by utilizing state of the art custom heat moldable Intuition® liners that actually mold to your foot shape for one-of-a-kind comfort, warmth and even lighter weight.
“In 2002 just two weeks after qualifying for freestyle aerials, I broke both of my feet landing a jump,” said Emily Cook, 2010 US National Team member. “After three full years of physical therapy, I competed in Torino, but was still having so much pain everyday. This summer after switching to Full Tilt, my feet have been virtually pain free which allowed me to take so many more training jumps! I love how light my boots are; they make flipping and twisting so much easier. I can’t wait to use them in Vancouver.”
“It’s rare for a product to exist that works equally well for the best athletes in the world as it does for the person skiing only a few times a year,” said Jason Levinthal, Full Tilt brand director. “The comfort, flexibility and lightweight design improve the entire skiing experience for any ability level.”
Full Tilt Boots are available for the current ski season in men’s, women’s and kid’s-specific designs at specialty ski retailers throughout the world.
2010 CANADIAN SKI ATHLETES USING FULL TILT BOOTS
Jackie Brown
Kristi Richards
Jennifer Heil
Deidra Dionne
Veronika Bauer
Amber Peterson
Phillipe Marquis
Steve Omischl
Ryan Blais
