Press Release: Former Burton Exec Set to Shake Up the Alpine Ski Boot Business

[Lauren]

Interesting concept, and I'd be interested to hear actual reviews and thoughts from people who have been on snow with them. I try pretty hard to live by a "don't knock it till you try it" concept...who knows, maybe it DOES ski just as well as a normal boot, maybe it is easier to get on and off, maybe it is more comfortable than what is out there now, and maybe it will fit a much larger range of people's misshaped feet. Maybe they'll start making the inner boot somewhat stylish, and you can wear them for après, drive in them, and wear them as a normal winter boot. For people that ski 2-5 times a year, getting additional use out of an expensive ski boot could be a huge selling point.

That being said, I'll join the skeptics and say this probably won't take off as a replacement for modern ski boots. I'm skeptical that they'll offer the performance a high-end boot can offer. Maybe they'll be just as good as a regular ski boots for the average recreational skier, but until you see professional skiers (racer, freestylers, freeskier, etc) testing them, I don't see them going mainstream.

With that said, I'll agree with @RuleMiHa that maybe the place for these type of boots are the rental market...and I'm a lot less skeptical of them joining the ski industry in that way. Then who knows where they'll go from there...with a little extra dough from entering the rental market, manufacturers could put that into extra R&D, and they may just revolutionize ski boots in the long run.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

If you stuff in two pairs of saggy socks, the bottoms of your long johns and the gaiters from your pants the fit isn't going to be too great.

 

[Average Joe]

This product - or some derivative of it - will be a game changer in the coming years. Ski boot design has essentially been unchanged since the 70's, sure, some improvements to comfort, convenience, but how much? The demise of the rear entry has made it less enticing for beginners and casual recreational skiers to continue in the sport. Really, heating boots with hair dryers to get in and out? Buying heated bags? Installing aftermarket boot heaters and wearing heated socks?

The ski boot (and the industry) is in dire need of an upgrade, for the future of the sport.
Burton built their business by ignoring all the "conventional wisdom" - food for thought.

 

[Philpug]

Many rental customers cannot figure out how to buckle a traditional ski boot, do you think they will be able to figure these out . IMHO, if these do become a rental alternative , *instructors wlll need to be in them too...just to level the playing field.

*I also think intructors should also be teaching in the same ill fitting rental boots and poorly rental tuned skis that their students are trying to learn with...but that is another thread topic

 

[DanoT]

Yep, someday around 1983 ....

I am glad for you that Salomon revolutionized the ski boot design for you way back when. Me, I am still waiting for someone to reintroduce the Scott boot from the 1970s but this time with plastic that doesn't fracture, often casing boots to blow apart while skiing.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

*I also think intructors should also be teaching in the same ill fitting rental boots and poorly rental tuned skis that their students are trying to learn with...but that is another thread topic

You first!

 

[James]

Yep, someday around 1983 ....

It's time for you to move on and not go to those new 1980's boots in reserve in the closet!
Having said that I'm all for a new rear entry quality boot. I just saw a guy in Nordica N90 rear entries. He was a pretty good wedeler/tail pusher. Not sure that boot was good for much else.

Have they approached Bode yet? He seems to be shilling now for Full Tilt.

 

[newfydog]

It's been tried:

 

[Big J]

I am glad for you that Salomon revolutionized the ski boot design for you way back when. Me, I am still waiting for someone to reintroduce the Scott boot from the 1970s but this time with plastic that doesn't fracture, often casing boots to blow apart while skiing.

I had the Scott boot in the 70s and used it for ballet skiing. Had virtually zero support but was light.

 

[RuleMiHa]

It's been tried:

View attachment 61999

What was the boot upper made out of? Leather?

 

[newfydog]

Those red hot boots were some sort of rigid fiberglass, low cut with no flex, but floppy fitting. The upper had some sort of flexible cuff across the shin but sides and rear were rigid and the inside had a metal plate. Horrible things. My cousin skied his with a pair of jet stix crammed between the clam shell and the inner boot.

 

[Ron]

I have a different take on this, Whatever keeps people on the snow and (hopefully) smiling is good with me. If this boot helps, then how is that a bad thing? A boot like this doesn't have to work for the top 8% of the market, it just needs to work for 10%-15%. My fellow pugs, lets not forget that we, for the most part, are the upper 1-10% of the market.

 

[Big J]

Former Burton Exec Set to Shake Up the Alpine Ski Boot Business

Clark Gundlach is heading up the launch of the Dahu Swiss Ski Boot,
the most revolutionary alpine ski boot to hit the market in decades.​

Eagle, Colo., December 18, 2018 - Designed in Switzerland, the Dahu boot is a ground-breaking modular design that reimagines the ski boot. It consists of a Grilamid plastic shell featuring a series of strategic cutouts, a Corsair entry and a luxurious Italian-made inner lace-up Cambium boot liner that’s unlike any ski boot liner on the market.

Starting in the late ’80s, industry veteran Clark Gundlach was an integral part of the ultimate disruptive product in the snowsports industry: snowboarding. Working alongside Jake Burton, Gundlach helped to not only develop the pioneering brand into an industry juggernaut, but also to usher the sport of snowboarding from rebellious upstart to wildly popular global winter sport.

After 22 years breaking ground at Burton, Gundlach has found another disruptive product that he’s excited to get behind: The Dahu Swiss Ski Boot, a cutting-edge product that promises to revolutionize the industry.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen true innovation in the ski boot business,” says Gundlach, who, as Dahu USA’s president, is teaming up with like-minded industry veterans on the project—including Maurizio Molin, renowned designer who also worked for two decades at Burton.

Exacting Control Meets Uncompromising Comfort.

Designed in Switzerland, the Dahu boot has a pivotal hinge design that totally changes the alpine ski boot. The Grilamid shell features carefully engineered cutouts eliminating pressure points and the Italian-made inner Cambium boot liner is designed for performance, warmth and comfort. The Dahu boot introduces a precisely engineered Corsair entry system, with hinges at the front and back of the boot. The skier has two options, either step into the insulated Cambium liner, lace it up, and then simply step into the shell or leave the liner in the boot and step in, as a single unit, like a conventional Alpine setup.

Either way, Dahu boots are supremely easy to get in and out of. This innovative boot will also let skiers step out of the shell and walk around comfortably in the liner boot alone, a distinct advantage over alpine boots.

“After thousands of days on the mountain, I know what an uncomfortable boot feels like. This product has the potential to revolutionize the ski boot business,” says Gundlach. “It’s an innovation that the industry deserves. I’m excited about that. A pain-free ski experience will bring joy to every vertical foot of your day.”

Tapping an Irreverent History

Gundlach recalls how Burton and other snowboarding companies challenged the establishment at the industry’s annual snow trade show. During those early years, every season was an evolution in every product, from boots to boards to bindings. “Both the design teams and the riders were continually innovating,” says Gundlach.

With Dahu, Gundlach is bringing that same excitement to the ski side of the business. “It’s time to disrupt ski hardgoods,” he says.

Possibly the perfect solution—finally. Find out for yourself.

The Cambium Boot

The Écorce 01 Boot

About DAHU

2019 Dahu Swiss Boots lands in the US, with headquarter offices in Eagle, Colorado.
Designed in Switzerland, the DAHU Swiss boot is a ground-breaking modular design that reimagines the ski boot. To be sold in specialty ski and snow retail stores nationwide.

Dahu’s Swiss headquarters are nestled in the foothills above Lake Geneva, where they sit at the intersection of international culture and alpine geography. To reach the nearby ski resorts of Verbier, Chamonix, Saas Fe, and Crans-Montana, one first passes through the lakeside resort of Montreux, famous for its annual jazz festival. This interchange of music and culture, mountain and valley imbues the brand with a multi-dimensional appreciation for versatility.
Skidahu.com

I am so up for a new boot design with expert level performance. I have high arches and a wide 106mm last and ski a 130 flex boot. I am currently on the Atomic Live Fit 130 boots that say wide fit on them. I have to be a contortionist to get them on and off and actually split them both where they overlap. I purchased the Salomon X Pro 130 but have not skied them yet. I would love a high performance boot that fit me that is also easy to get in and out of. I would demo them in a heartbeat if I could. If they met my performance criteria and solved my comfort and entry/exit issues I would buy them immediately if I could get a decent (perhaps maybe even not decent) deal on them. It is sad to me that my existing wide fit boots that fit me well do not solve my on/off problems and get unavoidable boot damage.

 

[RuleMiHa]

Those red hot boots were some sort of rigid fiberglass, low cut with no flex, but floppy fitting. The upper had some sort of flexible cuff across the shin but sides and rear were rigid and the inside had a metal plate. Horrible things. My cousin skied his with a pair of jet stix crammed between the clam shell and the inner boot.

Given what I understand about how boots flex and how that does or does not help you control your skis, those things look like a nightmare. I always wonder in cases like that whether the "baby was thrown out with the bathwater". There is no way the design of that boot could ski well, yet the majority of the design problem seems separate from the middle split.

Interesting from a design perspective. Terrifying from a skier perspective.

 

[Ron]

if yo want easy on/off, you just need to buy a K2 Recon. Even at near zero temps, you can come in, sit down and slide them right off.

 

[RuleMiHa]

If you stuff in two pairs of saggy socks, the bottoms of your long johns and the gaiters from your pants the fit isn't going to be too great.

Kind of the point, the bar is already very, very low for the fit of rental boots.

 

[Swiss Toni]

The Dahu boot wasn’t designed in Switzerland. Nicolas Fey the CEO came up with the idea and did some preliminary sketches, but most of the design and engineering was carried out in Italy by Claudio Franco design&develop, a company that also does ski boot design work for Atomic, La Sportiva and Scott http://designdevelop.com/index.html

It is what we call a ‘tourist boot’, it’s aimed at people who take a winter holiday that includes some skiing and who value comfort and convenience above performance.


They have been on sale in Europe since 2013, to date they haven’t set the European boot market alight. They have now started direct sales, which is not usually a sign of success for a small company in the European outdoor equipment market, as once you do that retailers often refuse to stock your product https://www.dahusports.com/site/en/home/?v=1ee0bf89c5d1

The boot depicted above is presumably next years model, the current model has more cut outs in the shell (some people complained that their feet got cold) and the rivet on the inner boot, which used to engage with a notch in the cuff has been removed. The inner boot outer is currently made of microfiber rather than Cambium. Cambium is a rubberized cotton fabric.

I think they could sell better in the US than they do here, but they won’t “revolutionize the industry”.

 

[newfydog]

Interesting from a design perspective. Terrifying from a skier perspective.

Understand that they were competing with things like the Daleboot with a shell of solid magnesium.

https://www.pugski.com/threads/all-things-daleboot.1844/

 

[Big J]

if yo want easy on/off, you just need to buy a K2 Recon. Even at near zero temps, you can come in, sit down and slide them right off.

I looked but 100mm last does not work for me.

 

[Big J]

Interesting concept, and I'd be interested to hear actual reviews and thoughts from people who have been on snow with them. I try pretty hard to live by a "don't knock it till you try it" concept...who knows, maybe it DOES ski just as well as a normal boot, maybe it is easier to get on and off, maybe it is more comfortable than what is out there now, and maybe it will fit a much larger range of people's misshaped feet. Maybe they'll start making the inner boot somewhat stylish, and you can wear them for après, drive in them, and wear them as a normal winter boot. For people that ski 2-5 times a year, getting additional use out of an expensive ski boot could be a huge selling point.

That being said, I'll join the skeptics and say this probably won't take off as a replacement for modern ski boots. I'm skeptical that they'll offer the performance a high-end boot can offer. Maybe they'll be just as good as a regular ski boots for the average recreational skier, but until you see professional skiers (racer, freestylers, freeskier, etc) testing them, I don't see them going mainstream.

With that said, I'll agree with @RuleMiHa that maybe the place for these type of boots are the rental market...and I'm a lot less skeptical of them joining the ski industry in that way. Then who knows where they'll go from there...with a little extra dough from entering the rental market, manufacturers could put that into extra R&D, and they may just revolutionize ski boots in the long run.

I agree. Real reviews by people who have skied them are essential in making a buying decision. I do almost all of my buying based on reviews by people who ski at my level and give good explanations as to the items attributes.