Why are ski boots so expensive?

Ski swaps. That is all.

the R&D that goes into a ski boot is insane. if you think the boot is expensive.. just wait till you get it in the hands of a boot fitter...

for me, ski boots are the most important piece of equipment. If your feet hurt and are uncomfortable, it doesnt matter what ski you have, you will not have a good day. Spend the money and get boots that fit. Then spend the money to get them fitted, whether it be a custom footbed or a full blown custom fit from a boot fitter.

there's a "how it's made" on the construction of them and I can see it. They use a lot of different materials and some pretty expensive machines along with hand-sewing parts of the insole

It's good that you're questioning

I would imagine just to injection mold a tongue the mold would be more than $100k

..

If you think about it there not tht expensive really. Look at a pair of nike trainers. You could easily pay 150 for them. The prices required to make them is very minimal compared to a boot. Look at a goretex jacket. It could easily be 600. A ski boot needs expensive molds to create the shell. The buckles are metal so not easy to make. The liners are the equivalent of a skate shoe in them selves. So I you think about what goes into them tht 400-600 really is not that bad. You happily pay 500 for a piece of wood you slide on but a boot which transfers all your power to that ski and still has to be some what comfortable is expensive?

if its so easy and cheap, why hasnt even one homegrown company touched it besides, Icelantic and that stormtrooper boot is a shell from a carve board boot/ bucket of garbage.

People will buy them

Because you will pay the money for them.

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cuz you need fuckin ski boots to ski shitstain

Like others have said, the cost of injection moulding is insane. After you watch the video on how boots are made, watch how injection moulds are made, then you'll understand.

wow, just wrong.

the design of ski boots has remained relitevely the same for a long long long time... i mean unless it's a touring boot you're not getting much difference between your shoe today as one 20 years ago... yeah liners are better etc etc.. but the r&d doesn't translate in to any real significant developement in the final product. but it's skiing, so it's gonna cost you a shit load

Threads, I want to watch those vids

Where is onenerdykid when you need him?

you're partially right... yes the design of ski boots has remained relatively the same. you have a lower shell and and upper cuff and if you're dealing with a three piece boot you have a removeable tongue...

here's the bitch of it:

- boot moulds themselves are not cheap. a full size run of moulds are going to cost anywhere from 500,000 to 1,000,000 euros depending on the boot. this is even before the company starts buying materials.

- coming up with new materials that won't be affected by temperature variances isn't cheap either. then you need to figure out how to bond them together (ie bi-injection shells) so they don't split open when you land flat from 20 ft in the air.

- when creating a new concept/idea, you are paying engineers to try and create the lightest yet strongest product available. this costs money.

- you're dealing with things that need to be anatomically correct. this means you need podiatrists on staff that know exactly what will be going on with the consumer's foot when locked inside of a hard plastic shell.

it's not as simple as saying "lets take this boot and do ________ to it to make it better". there are a ton of things that need to be addressed when making changes. not every company simply comes up with a cool marketing campaign for a 20 year old design that attracts the fanboys like insects to a light bulb.

if it's as easy as you think it is, why haven't there been any new successful brands in the last 10 years...fyi Full Tilt should not be considered new.

That whole Lange video I was waiting for them to be like "And here is where we make sure they'll leak immediately so the user needs duct tape to keep their feet dry" haha

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If its not broken, don't fix it.