Snow Crunch met up with the founder of First Degree Boots and Icelantic Skis to talk about their new boot lineup for the 2013-2014 season.
Ben Anderson here, founder of First Degree Boots, excited to show you what we have planned for the 2013-14 season. First of all, as you can see we have completely rebranded this project. We wanted to really give it a platform to grow on it’s own, so there are similarities with the One Degree, and it’s just a complimentary brand choice to Icelantic.
This first year we have three different models. We have the ST1, the STF, and the ST2. The ST1 and ST2 are our premium models. They are based off of a traditional Reichley mold, three piece shell, we are the only skin on the market with a three piece shell that has full walk mode. It also gives you the option to lock it in at five different forward lean positions, depending on the type of skier you are or the snow conditions you’re in.
One thing that’s really cool about this boot as well is the liner we put in it. We have a three layer liner that has zero packout. We’ve tested it over and over, and after some of the samples that had over two million vertical feet on them, they were still specing out exactly the same as a brand new liner. It’s an amazing foam and an amazing liner, and it’s ready to ski right out of the box.
Some of the new changes that we’ve added to the boot this year are: We’ve added Vibram soles on the ST1 and ST2; We’re adding screw rivets on all of the buckles so it’s easy to adjust if you need to punch anything out or replace any buckles; We’ve redesigned the buckles to give it a more modern look; We’ve rebranded with the new one degree and different features.
The main difference between the ST1 and ST2 is the flex. The ST1 is a 110 flex, and the ST2 is a 130 flex. The current season, the only difference in flex is the tongue, but for next year we have completely redone all the plastics, so each shell is a different plastic to really increase that flex and really differentiate them more.
New for this year we are offering more of a freestyle version, the STF. What we’ve done is eliminated a buckle and added a burly 2.5mm booster strap. It does not have the Vibram, so it’s just a traditional sole, and instead of a three layer liner we integrated a two layer comfort liner with a furry finish.
Overall we’re really excited to launch this project, we are giving it legs to run on it’s own, and we can’t wait to see the potential.