Patent ID: 7992326

Claim:
A sports shoe comprising: (a) a shoe upper comprising a bottom face; (b) an inner member selected from the group consisting of an inner shoe and an internal lining, said inner member being at least partially accommodated in the shoe upper to embed a user's foot comfortably; (c) a sole system disposed on said bottom face, said sole system comprising front and rear sole platforms, oppositely-lying first and second end portions, a middle portion between the first and second end portions, and first and second coupling mechanisms disposed respectively in said first and second end portions on said front and rear sole platforms for connection to front and rear coupling elements of a ski binding, the front and rear sole platforms extending from said bottom face; and (d) an adjusting mechanism for varying stiffness of the sole system, said adjusting mechanism comprising at least one tension element having oppositely-lying first and second tension element end portions and a middle tension element portion between the first and second tension element end portions, said first and second tension element end portions being connected respectively to the front sole platform and the rear sole platform, said middle tension element portion extending freely between the front sole platform and the rear sole platform, said at least one tension element remaining essentially dimensionally stable when forces act on the at least one tension element and being mounted so as to be relatively displaceable for applying adjustable positioning forces relative to at least one of said front sole platform and said rear sole platform in a longitudinal direction; wherein an individually variable tensioning force is exercisable by the at least one tension element between the front sole platform and the rear sole platform, the tensing force being adjustable to counteract a load-induced tendency of a distance between the front sole platform and the rear sole platform to become longer or to induce a tendential, vertical lifting of the middle portion of the sole system; and wherein the middle portion of the sole system extends in an arching arrangement between the front sole platform and the rear sole platform.