A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 1: Plastics

Ski boots are made of plastic, and different plastics feel and perform very differently from one another. So we get deep into the details with Atomic Ski Boots product manager, Matt Manser, to help you figure out which plastics are used in your ski boots, and the pros & cons & general performance characteristics of different plastics — which will help you understand why you might like or dislike your current boots, and what you ought to be looking for in your next pair.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What has been the focus of your recent work in ski boots? (2:10)
• The 3 main families of plastics: PP, PU, and PA (6:57)
• “PP” — Polypropylene (11:15)
• How recycled plastics are used in the production process (19:18)
• “PU” — Polyurethane (23:06)
• Low-grade PU: Recycled PU (26:53)
• Mid-grade PU: PU-Ester (27:53)
• High-grade PU: PU-Ether (31:33)
• Colors: how they affect plastics’ performance (33:44)
• What is Desmopan? (38:32)
• “True Flex” PU — Atomic’s proprietary PU (44:26)
• How to make a lightweight boot out of heavy materials (49:40)
• “PA” — Polyamide (53:58)
• How to verify which plastics your boot is made of (1:00:24)

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