Ski boots are tough to deal with. Even if you go to a proper boot fitter and spend a good chunk of money, the base boots available at your local shop may still not fit or feel great. That’s where certain modifications can come in. There’s the common changes, like custom footbeds, and there’s the less common changes, like Booster Straps.
To be clear, Booster Straps aren’t really uncommon. In fact, a lot of ski racers and professional skiers use these. But, with your regular weekend skier, it doesn’t seem like these are super well known. But what do they do? On the most basic level, they’re a replacement for your ski boots’ power strap, or the velcro strap that goes across the top of your boot, but that’s not really an answer.
On a more complicated level, Booster Straps are elastic power straps that create a rigid feel in a skiers lateral mode and a more elastic feel in a skiers forward pressure mode. Born in 1999, the straps focus on keeping boots tight while creating a much better pressure response from the skis to the skier. They allow you to tighten the strap down much tighter than a regular power strap, lock your feet into your boots, and prevent the dreadful shin bang that loves to damage a great day on the mountain.
Now for the even more important question: are they worth it? In short, I would say so! They aren’t incredibly cheap, starting at $47 for the intermediate product, but if shin bang and control is an issue for you on the slopes, these are almost definitely the easiest and cheapest option for you to try out. Stomp It Tutorials, one of my personal favorite YouTubers in the ski world, recommends these as one of the best cheap ski upgrades, too, and I definitely trust his opinion.
If your ski boots fit great, you aren’t experiencing any shin bang, and you feel like you have plenty of control, you can probably save your money and don’t need to rush to upgrade. But, if any of those problems apply to you or you’re just looking to spend a little cash to increase your performance, give them a shot! You can get your own pair of Booster Straps here, and learn about installing the products on your own boots here.
Check out this video of founder Ray Fougere explaining how and why he came up with the product. If it doesn’t convince you to buy the Booster Straps, it will at least convince you that he’s a pretty cool dude!
Image Credit: Booster Strap via Facebook
