Patent ID: 7040042

Claim:
An alpine ski boot comprising: a. a rigid sole having a top, a bottom, a toe end, and a heel end wherein the sole further comprises: i. an integral fore section at the toe end of the top of the sole, with the fore section and the toe end of the sole defining a toe interface area for attachment to the toe portion of a safety-release type ski binding that is mounted on an alpine ski, and ii. an integral aft section at the heel end of the top of the sole, with the aft section and the heel end of the sole defining heel interface area for attachment to the heel portion of the safety-release type ski binding that is mounted on the alpine ski; b. a heel integral with or fixedly attached to the heel end of the bottom of the sole; c. a shell-less upper portion for containing a foot that is comprised of flexible materials, and that is partially reinforced by a plastic support piece that surrounds, on three sides, the lower heel region, excluding the anklebone areas, the support piece having a pivot point on each of two sides at opposite locations below the anklebone areas, said upper portion being fixedly attached to the top of the sole; d. closure means to secure the ski boot to the foot; and e. a plastic cuff pivotally attached to the said support piece at the pivot points, wherein the cuff surrounds the upper portion of the ski boot at a location above the anklebone region, said cuff having a vertical opening in the front portion of the cuff to allow the ski boot to be placed on a foot and a closure means to close the cuff around the lower leg.