A big thanks to Ortovox for making these post happen. Check out Ortovox's mountainwear for your next backcountry adventure.
Winter’s are grey and the landscape dreary, but the industrial areas of northern Italy still have spirit and a craft business history reaching back to the 14th century. The food is pretty good too. I covered my Montebelluna and Asolo boot manufacturing tourism in a few WildSnow posts last winter, but I never got around to giving you the goods from the famous Museo Dello Scarpone (Museum of the Boot). So here goes the story in pictures.
First production Tecnica Moon Boot, 1970. Got a pair? Approved by Michael Jackson. Click image to enlarge.
Walking over to the museum from Salewa/Dynafit was easy, good signs led the way.
But first, lunch. Federico took me to a pizza joint. Scrumptious. I asked Fede if pizza was invented in Italy or the United States. That got a frown.
Boots used on first ascent of K2 in 1954, by summit team Achille Campagnoni and Lino Lacadelli. Click to enlarge.
Can you ID any buckles? That's a wad of PU plastic in the back. When they fire up the injection molders, they have to run plastic test until it reaches the correct temperature and consistency to begin the molding process. When you visit the factories they have big bins of this stuff sitting around, ostensibly for recycling.
Apparently it used to be a tradition for Montebelluna boot craftsman to build gigantic yet authentic boot models to display at Winter Olympics. The museum has a few. Have your feet ever looked this big?
Nordica Air ski boot had a hand operated pump that tightened fit by filling an air bladder. Circa 1983. Seems kinda finicky to me, and was probably cold as the dickens, especially when you pumped them up on sub-zero days. Click to enlarge.
Nordica Air with the patent filing papers.
Garmont Gara, 1977. This was my go-to boot during my brief career as a bump skier in Crested Butte. The steel bands worked well to prevent lower shell deformation, but the forward flex was a bit soft for those days. The same guy who designed these boots now is head of boot product development at Dynafit, a few blocks from here.
Lange is said to have made the first ski boot specific to women, introduced in 1970.
This prototype offering was not known for light weight or warmth, but worked well for jousting sessions at a nearby castle. Bertele, 1973.
The plastic boot making process developed here in the Montebelluna region involves creating resin and wood mosaic parts such as these which are then used to build the aluminum injection molds.
These speed holes double as the boot buckle micro length adjustment. Why didn't we think of that? Time for some mods? Circa 1960.
This one is fairly out there. What's fantastic about this museum is it makes you realize how much innovation and experimentation went into the ski boots we all use.
Vendramini backcountry skiing boot from 1968 had an interesting buckle configuration over a leather shell. Sadly, this was the only ski mountaineering boot I could find in the museum.
Climber in Munari boots, the sig translates to something like 'the flying Munari boots?'
Cobbler tools perhaps used for ski boots in ancient times.
After the museum, historical research continued by speaking with Dynafit boot products manager Federico over a fine Italian meal. My Montebelluna trip was sponsored by Dynafit and Scarpa. Thanks guys for the help and for all the fantastic backcountry skiing gear you produce!
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
14 comments
Thanks Lou. Helps one to appreciate what has gone into ski boots. Of course, we skiers can take some credit too…we were the test bunnies! Many of those “early” ski boots look more like medieval torture devices from today’s perspective. I wonder how our current designs will appear 60 or 70 years from now? Maybe Louie will get to make the comparison?
The signature in the Munari photo is more along the lines of, “Gold [referring to a medal or rating, perhaps] to the Munari boots with Vibram.”
I did some of my first shaky tele turns (on piste at that point) and years later experienced my first terrifying whumph nearby. The Dolomiti are special mountains.
Thanks Andy, I just did a hack translation using Google, I’ll bet the boots got some sort of design award, or perhaps the Vibram soles?
I skied in the Nordica Trident Air System boot back in the mid 80’s. It was not cold, and the air pump worked well, but like many rear entry boots, it had one little hinge point in the forward flex, and killed my shins. If you watch the opening scene of “Hotdog” the lead actor is wearing the same boots.
Lou, have you ever thought about a web display of historical AT / ski mountaineering boots to complement your binding museum? I’m curious about this and don’t know the history – when did plastic AT boots with vibram soles and walk modes appear? Long or shortly after plastic alpine boots? What kind of boots would have been used with some of the 70s/80s AT bindings in the museum, like a Ramer or Silvretta?
Ben, the boots are much harder to acquire, store, display. More, there are so so many more of them than there are bindings. I do have selected models in my collection and will probably acquire a few more if I see them, but I’ll leave the full collection up to someone else. Perhaps Andrew McLean would be interested, when he gets tired and needs a break (grin).
In retrospect, they should have a pair of Walter Bonatti’s boots in that K2 case . . .
What’s the meat on top of that pizza, Lou?
Indeed Greg, the controversial story of Bonatti on that first ascent of K2 is always good to know. Info: http://www.mydigitalfc.com/sporting-life/walter-bonatti-heights-infamy-back-468
Fede will have to name that meat, I forgot and can’t find my notes.
Lou
Lou, I hear you, I can barely find space to keep boots that I actually might use. But if you ever find the time to write a brief history of boots used for touring, illustrated or not, I for one would be interested in reading it. I’m sure there are people out there who would donate pictures for use with it.
Those Nordicas with the air system were called Tridents in USA. I remember them. The concept seemed really cool to me, as did most anything else alpine skiing related as that boot was popular when I started skiing circa 1983. Good stuff. Those Garas look somewhat familiar as well. I agree that it is somewhat a shame there aren’t more ski mountaineering boots in there.
To Ben’s comment, back in the mid 80s we were using rear entry Dachstein AT boots with Silverettas on Kastle or Hagan skis. But we always debated modifying a Scott boot for AT duty but never did it. Some of today’s rando racers remind me of what a Scott boot might look like if they were still around. Cool article!
Lou, you were a mogul guy for awhile eh? So was I in junior and senior high. Every now and again I’ll go and bust a good line at Copper just to see if my Dynafits (and knees) can keep pace. They still can.
I’m pretty much staying away from moguls these days, unless they’re on the exit trail for a peak!
The moon boot [sadly] isn’t even close to dead. Saw them all over Chamonix 2 years ago.
Comments are closed.