APEX Ski Boot System: Rethinking Ski Boot Design
History Suggests That Designing A New Boot Is A Multi-Million Dollar Gamble.
Just the molds for a plastic shell boot cost a million dollars, and that doesn’t include engineering costs and other expenses. Then there is the need to make it profitable when annual manufacturing runs are in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands or millions.
APEX Ski Boot combines a removable Open Chassis with a walkable boot.
These and other factors make starting with a clean sheet a risky proposition unless the new boot idea doesn’t require huge investment in molds and boot making equipment. When Apex began designing its new boot, it had two goals: 1) optimize the boot for the modern shaped ski; 2) minimize the investment needed to bring the boot to market.
According to Roger Neiley, Co-Founder and VP of Product for Apex, the company created a chassis optimized for lateral stiffness. When buckled, it provides enough forward resistance (stiffness) to help control the tips of the ski. Laterally (edge to edge), the material is much stiffer than conventional boots.
Apex’s second innovation is a separate inner ‘walking boot’ designed to fit snugly into the chassis. The advantage is that the wearer can unbuckle the walking boot from the chassis while it is still in the binding. The bottom of the walking boot has a Vibram sole that allows sure-footed walking. As a senior skier, think about how much easier it will be to walk up and down the stairs to the restroom that is inevitably on a different floor!
From a manufacturing standpoint, Apex has three advantages. First, it can easily upgrade or redesign the walking boot. Second, the chassis can be modified separately from the walking boot. Third, only one element (a structural ‘bridge’) has to be molded in each size.
Net net, the chassis and the walking boot are two different designs that become integrated when the boot is in the chassis and the buckles tightened.
I haven’t skied the Apex boot, but from reading reviews, those who like the premium priced boot, like it a lot. If you want to know more about the Apex Ski Boot, visit the company website – www.apexskiboots.com. You’ll find that the boot is widely available at ski shops around the country.
APEX SKI BOOT SYSTEM DEMO CENTERS
Better yet, if you’re near one of the company’s fourteen demo centers stop in and tell them you’re a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber. They’ll waive the $25 per day demo fee. For a list of demo centers, click on this link https://www.apexskiboots.com/where-to-try-buy/demo-centers.
