GEAR The Next Big Thing in Might be Dahu hits a home run You r with an old idea. by TOM WINTER

hen it comes to skiing, the grim reality is Primaloft insulation for added warmth, the most important part of your and a patented sole design that locks the W equipment – your boots – is often the inner into place in the shell.” most problematic and painful. Sure, there are the Though an avid skier, Gundlach spent lucky few who haven’t had to spend time and money more than 22 years at Burton where he was on custom insoles, liners and other technical fixes. involved with creating some of the brand’s There are even those who found satisfaction in walk top-performing boots. It’s this models for getting to après or rear entry models that unique experience of working on are easy to get in and out of. But for the majority of snowboard boots, but also riding two us, getting boots that fit and perform well can be planks, which allowed him to work more challenging than trying to straight-line with his Swiss colleagues at Dahu Jackson Hole’s Corbet’s Couloir. to create something special. Enter Dahu, a Swiss brand that’s distributed According to throughout North America by a crew based in the Gundlach, the new Vail, Colorado area led by Clark Gundlach. The Ecorce 1 that will brand’s latest model – the Ecorce 1, which retails for debut this $899 – features a sleek and stylish exoskeleton winter in coupled with an inner boot that’s fully removable North and does dual duty as stand-alone . It’s an innovative approach that combines performance and comfort like no other, and one that has the potential to revolutionize boot design. Forget everything you know up til now about the “frame” concept, where a comfortable inner boot is wrapped in a plastic exoskeleton to provide the support and stiffness needed to perform on snow while also allowing for a DIN-standard interface with all Alpine ski bindings. The Ecorce 1 bears no resemblance to the industry’s previous offerings – from the 1988 “Moon Boot” inspired Nava brand, which was widely panned by reviewers, to more recent iterations such as Envy (a snowboard binding with DIN toes and heels that allows you to wear boots in Alpine bindings) and Apex (a more traditional “frame” boot offering). “The Dahu Swiss ski boots are much evolved since their original design and launch in Europe,” says Gundlach. “A Cambium liner boot combines the best Italian leather for comfort and support, 46

Winter-Book-Final-4.indd 46 9/17/19 3:49 PM GEAR

previous page Aspen Ski Pro Joanie Valentine in Portillo, Chile, left to right 1. Extractable inner boot from the outer shell. 2. Courtney Reardon 68th American Woman to Summit Mount Everest buckling up.

America has a completely re-engineered shell featuring high- performance composites, aircraft-grade aluminum in the Power I was hard-pressed to find Beam, and a new buckle system. “The unique Corsair entry system opens wide for a smooth fault with Dahu’s approach. entry for the foot, and locks in place to provide the Cambium inner Is this the boot of the future? boot its on-mountain performance,” says Gundlach. “The Cambium inner boot itself can be worn outside of the shell too, Only time will tell. thus providing the skier a comfortable walking alternative.” The Ecorce 1 is available in five flex characteristics – three for men and two for women – which Gundlach says delivers a level of plastic shell for an easy walk to après ski down Bridge Street in the performance, convenience, and comfort not found in any inner boots. other design. While there are some features I’d like to see – there’s no tech Of course, you’d expect Gundlach to be bullish on these boots, toe for bindings – I was hard-pressed to find fault with as they’re his baby. But a test day out on the immaculately groomed Dahu’s approach. Is this the boot of the future? Only time will tell. slopes of Vail proves that the Dahu crew are onto something But, Gundlach says “all of Dahu’s 2020 models have been snapped special. I cranked down the three-buckle system and had no up by high-end retailers across North America and the company issues, throwing down high-speed GS turns on the corduroy off of expects to sell out of product for the year.” In other words, while Northstar in a pair of the 120 flexers (also available in a 100 and 135 you can expect to see these boots on the hill and on feet next year, flex for men, and a 90 and 110 flex for women). Shin-bang in the you’ll have to move quickly if you want a pair. bumps on Highline was non-existent and – perhaps best of all – at the end of my session, my feet felt great. The highlight? Being able to rip high-speed GS turns down Vail’s frontside after an aggressive day on the mountain and at the bottom, removing the

48

Winter-Book-Final-4.indd 48 9/17/19 3:49 PM