The very first downhill ski boots were developed in the beginning of the 20th century. These were made of thick, heavy leather and closely resembled mountaineering boots. This seems appropriate as early skiers were very similar to early mountaineers.

During the 1930s ski boots became more commonplace, yet they remained fairly awkward. The predominant boot style was short at the ankle and boxy at the toe. While the boot was comfortable, once again the short, relatively soft ankle piece provided little protection from ankle twists. The low ankle also hindered performance by causing the boot to warp when pressure was exerted against the sides.

As skiing became more aggressive in response to fixed heel bindings and better edge technology, soft leather boots literally buckled under the pressure. To remedy the problem, steel shanks were installed in the leather sole to counteract the buckling effect. In addition, boots were secured with six-foot long straps of leather called Longthongs. The primary purpose of the longthong was to provide added rigidity across the front of the boot while insuring that the skier remained connected to his skis. By 1938, ski boots had become stiffer but longthongs were still used to increase ankle support.

Following the success of laminated skis in the late 1930s, it became apparent that boot technology was in desperate need of advancement. Unfortunately, further developments were temporarily put on hold while manufacturers and skiers alike turned their attention to the war effort. Ironically, though World War II brought ski technology to a standstill, it also produced new resources that would forever change the nature of the sport.

After the war those men who survived returned home to exhibit the ski techniques they had learned while training. Many of these soldiers became ski instructors, teaching cutting-edge technique to thousands of beginning skiers. Others, inspired by the possibilities of the growing ski industry, became inventors, developers and entrepreneurs. In all, some 62 resorts were either founded by, directed by or had ski schools run by 10th Mountain Veterans; two thousand of them had gone into the ranks of ski instructors.

Along with new ideas and techniques, the 10th Mountain Division also brought an abundant surplus of state-of-the-art military ski equipment. The war had barely ended before ski newcomers, eager to try the sport that had previously been reserved for the rich, began snatching up the surplused two-dollar-a-pair ski boots and hitting the slopes in droves. Following a brief hibernation during the war years, skiing had returned with a bang.

Ski equipment, itself, changed very little in the years immediately following the war. Because of its high quality and abundance, Army surplus ski equipment more than adequately fulfilled the needs of ski enthusiasts. Living in the midst of the inventive post-war industrial era, however, it was only a matter of time before skiers began demanding something better.

The conversion from natural materials to synthetics in ski boot construction was a slow going process. Boot manufacturers, working with nothing but leather for decades, were hesitant to make any outrageous structural changes. As a result synthetics were first introduced as accessories for previously existing leather boot designs rather than replacement materials.

For example, in 1949 the Tyrol Company of Montreal, Canada introduced the Tenderfoot Anklet made entirely of porous rubber. This boot insert was designed to support the ankle while providing a more comfortable fit. In 1950, nylon was introduced in the form of boot laces. These laces were extremely durable and didn’t retain as much moisture as cotton. Unfortunately, lacing them up was still tedious and time consuming, especially if the boot had a laced inner lining.

In 1955, Henke, a Swiss boot manufacturer, attempted to solve this problem by introducing the Speed Fit, the world’s first buckle boot. Hailed as the most innovative invention of its day, the Speed Fit was designed with four metal hooks that closed easily and could be adjusted with just the right amount of tension to hold the skiers foot secure. Despite its obvious advantages, the boot proved to have one unfortunate flaw—in time the force exerted by the buckles tended to deform both the leather of the outer boot and the skiers foot inside!

In response to advances in ski equipment technology following World War II, leather boots became increasingly stiffer, yet they remained problematic. No matter how stiff or superior in design, leather boots still broke down and stretched out over time. Some leather ski boots could stretch as much as two sizes on a wet day. The strain on the ankles was unimaginable. In 1957, Robert Lange, a weak-ankled Harvard graduate who was personally familiar with the inefficiencies of the leather ski boot, would solve the problem once and for all.

In 1958, after months of experimentation, Lange patented his first boot made almost entirely of vacuum-molded ABS Royalite plastic. Yet, although the design itself was far superior and the boot consistently held its shape, it was so stiff that it took two men to lace it. To complicate things even more, ABS plastic proved to be too brittle. Of the 750 pairs of boots produced that first year, more than fifty percent cracked when exposed to prolonged cold.

The following year, Lange added a hinge to the boot for increased forward flex and switched to Adiprene polyester, a lighter more pliable plastic that was just as durable. In 1963, he added buckles similar to those used in the Henke Speed Fit. The result was a boot that could be closed with relative ease against a sturdy foundation of plastic engineered to resist deformation. This design was a success. Within ten years, millions of skiers would ski in Lange boots.

Later innovations included boots that featured taller ankles and exaggerated forward slants. This design forced the knees forward, lowered the hips and permitted more knee leverage to be transmitted to the skis.

By 1970 boot tops grew even taller to support the French "sitting back" technique which had gained immense popularity in America. (This trend would continue on into the eighties, when it was finally agreed upon that the high boot tops were the cause of most knee injuries.) By the end of the 1970s, boot technology had finally grown sophisticated enough to fully complement the new generation of fiberglass skis.

Having perfected the basic style of the ski boot, manufacturers began turning thier attention towards customizing technology. The late seventies and early eighties characterized a period of rampant experimentation in ski boot design. Some developments, like the rear-entry boot, were incredibly successful. Others, like the knee-high boot, failed miserably. While the new designs sported all kinds of fancy gadgets such as precision adjusting levers in the heel and toe, and built in heaters, they continued to follow the basic forward slant design perfected in the 1970s.

The inner boot is the lining underneath the shell. The lining is made of a pliable, cushioning material that provides insulation and added fit. This material can be a gel or synthetic that molds itself to the foot over extended use or it can be a material that, when heated, provides an instantaneous custom fit.

Some boots have additional features designed to aid adjustment. A cant adjuster allows the skier to change the stance of the boot by changing the angle of the cuff. A forward flex adjuster lets the skier vary the fore-aft stiffness of the boot depending upon ski conditions. To accommodate the new generation of supersidecut skis, experts recommend boots that have a relatively soft lateral flex.

There are three basic boot types: rear entry boots, overlap boots and mid-entry boots, also called central entry. Rear entry boots are the least expensive. They are taken on and off by unbuckling a flap at the back of the boot just above the heel. During the 1980s rear entry boots were extremely popular among recreational skiers because they were so easy to take on and off. However, despite their convenience, rear entry boots failed to perform to the higher standards of expert skiers and ski racers. Their popularity declined sharply during the 1990s.

After years of experimenting with different boot designs, the current consensus of the ski industry is that combining high-tech materials with a “time-tested multi-buckle design” creates the best-performing boot. Overlap boots provide a great range of both price and performance quality. This overlap design takes its name from the manner in which a wide side flap is pulled over and attached to the front of the boot. The top of the boot reaches way above the ankle and is closed with four buckles over a thick padded tongue. Of all the three prevailing boot styles, the overlap is considered the most versatile and the one that best performs.

Mid-entry boots, also referred to as central entry, were designed to combine the convenience of rear entry boots with the comfort and versatility of the overlap boot. Their primary feature is a wide-opening cuff that opens to the back and front. While they are efficient, well performing boots, they have not quite achieved the status of the overlap boot. Therefore, there are not as many mid-entry boots on the market.

The following are the boot manufacturers whose products currently dominate the ski boot market:

Alpina • Munari • Dachstein • Nordica • Dalbello • Raichle • Dolomite • Rossignol • Dynafit • Salomon • Koflach • Sanmarco • Lange • Technica • Lowa

More than fifty percent of these boots are manufactured in Montebelluna, Italy—a small town, not far from Venice.