How Ira Riklis got back into skiing:
The sons of Alden Hanson, the Dow Chemical scientist that invented the fan powered snow making machine and the “flow” material that would make ski boots SO much more comfortable, Chris and Denny Hanson, invented the rear entry boot.
This boot was much higher than ski boots had been until then. As I had written previously, ski equipment, boots included, had adapted from hiking and show shoeing equipment. Therefore, early ski boots were low, near the ankle, much like hiking boots. It has since been determined that bringing the boot higher up the calf creates a stronger connection between knee movement and ski movement. That meant that the break area was going to be completely surrounded and held tightly together.
But the rear entry element is what really did the trick. In a front entry boot, the sides are squeezed together and that put great pressure on my break area. In the rear entry boot, my break area rested uniformly against a thick “tongue” and distributed the stress throughout my leg. The material of the liner was very sticky and in order to get your foot into the boot you needed to spray on silicone.
But with my new bright red pair of Hanson Riva recreational rear entry ski boots, I was ready to take on skiing once again.