Boot Sliders: A Shoehorn for Ski Boots
Do you have difficulty getting into your ski boots? Not anymore! Seniorsskiing.com wants to introduce you to Boot Sliders. After much research and product development this ski boot shoehorn delivers on its claim to make getting into your boots easy. Here’s their story as told by the owner, David Sears.
I started thinking about this in early 2021 at Okemo Mountain on my first ski outing since COVID. I have high arches and boots have always been a bit of an effort to get into. With COVID restrictions I had to put on my boots leaning on a car in a rainy and icy parking lot – it was a real struggle and I honestly wasn’t sure I’d be able to get them on. I did get them on and the day turned out to be quite nice and a welcome break from COVID, but I started thinking seriously about shoehorns for ski boots since I didn’t want to go through that experience again.
I was working full-time as a lab administrator at MIT but started researching what was available already. What I found was OK but seemed to ignore the source of my difficulty: the friction along to bottom of the boot where the ball of my foot pressed against the insole. It seemed to me that as I was trying to get my heel to move down into the boot, I was just putting more pressure on the ball of my foot, increasing the friction and resistance there.
I started experimenting with different materials with the goal of finding something flexible and slippery that could go under the foot to test my hypothesis that relieving that sticking point would help me to get into my ski boots. I settled pretty quickly on PTFE, a really slippery plastic, and created prototypes of varying thickness, shape, and length.
Easing my way into semi-retirement in 2024 gave me more time to devote to this, and I worked with various vendors and partners on design, materials, and more testing to come up with final specs and design to move forward with production for the 2024-2025 season.
While this didn’t allow time for marketing, we did get set up for sales with Amazon and on our own site and put a couple of videos up on YouTube. Somehow people started finding us, and then there was a good bit of word of mouth and we had a good year.
Our first bit of customer feedback made me feel our testing had paid off: “Just tried you boot slider. Amazing. I’ve been skiing for 55 years. Where have these been? Great idea and product.” (All of this was in the subject of the email. My adult children tell me this is typical of both me and my target market’s age group.)
Our goal has been to develop a product to make getting into ski boots a bit easier so people can start their ski days raring to go instead of needing a break and judging by reviews and messages we’ve received from users; we’re meeting that goal. Check out our website – Click Here
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This seems like an excellent idea and long overdue. But I switched to three piece boots (Dalbello Cabrio LV 130) last year, and all I have to do to put them on easily is pull the separate tongue all the way forward out of the way. However, with my previous two-piece overlap boots, these would have been a godsend!
Folks in our 55+ ski club discovered that boots went on easily of the foot was first put in a light weight, the kind you put produce in at the grocery store, plastic bag.
Problem is that your foot is now wrapped in plastic, so can’t “breathe”, perspiration stays in making your feet wet so they get very cold. I wouldn’t do it.
Nice solution for getting boot on. How about de-booting at the end of the ski day when the thermoplastic is really stiff. Really difficult and downright painful especially for those of us with arthritis, joint replacement or fusion of the MTP joint(s). Need something like a stiffer PTFE that can slide in the cuff behind the heel and another that slides in the front between the cuff/clog and instep of the foot to facilitate sliding the stiff foot around the clog/cuff junction and out of the boot?
For my 130 flex narrow fitting ski boots I use the Patriot Footbeds boot opening tool the Shuvvie. It opens up the inner shell for easier access and exit. In a stiff boot it makes the difference between ‘will I ever get these things on or off’, to ‘this is manageable’, or even better when properly dialled in.
I bought the boot slider and am almost embarrassed by how much I love this thing! I’m often booting up in the parking lot, with cold boots, and I can’t tell you the difference that this little beauty makes. I love it!
Funny story, the other day I actually forgot to take it out. I skied half the day with it in. When I stopped at Alf’s (mid-mountain at Alta) and pulled my boot off, it came tumbling out. Ten minutes later, I used it again to slide back in. I hope you sell a million of these. I’ve already sold one for you!