Skip to main content

If Iron Man Designed a Ski Boot, It Would Be the Dahu Écorce

Dahu

Imagine if Tony Stark designed an alpine ski boot. That’s Dahu’s Écorce, a completely Iron Man-worthy design that might be the biggest ski boot innovation in the past 50 years.

Dahu is calling it a new “species” and we aren’t arguing. This boot allows the wearer to easily slip out of the structured alpine boot skeleton and walk around in the comfortable and stylish liner.

Related Videos

Made in Switzerland, Dahu is the only alpine ski boot to be produced from this notoriously powder-rich country. The brand is headed by snowsports industry veteran Clark Gundlach, a former executive of Quicksilver and Burton who worked beside Jake Burton in the ’80s to essentially create the sport of snowboarding (no big deal).

“After thousands of days on the mountain, I know what an uncomfortable [ski] boot feels like,” says Gundlach. “They hurt and it takes a lot of time and effort with a boot fitter to make a ski boot comfortable. We strive to eliminate the need for custom fitting by making a performance-oriented ski boot that’s supremely comfortable right out of the box.”

So, how is Écorce special?

It’s all in the hinge. The standout feature of Écorce is the front and back hinge structure that opens completely, allowing the wearer to easily slip the lining boot in and out. This means no more awkward walk from the slopes to your après ski plans.

The outer plastic shell is made of a Grilamid polyamide composite that provides great flexibility at all temperatures while remaining stable. This shell is jotted with strategic cutouts that eliminate pressure on the foot without sacrificing rigidity. Aircraft-grade aluminum power beams support what Dahu calls “an idea stance and power transfer.”

Anatomically contoured for men and women, there are five total Écorce shell design variations with varying flex and degrees of forward (three for men, two for women). “The shell design is different, of course, and totally unique, with the added beauty of the inner boot,” adds Antoine Massy, senior research and development and production manager at Dahu.

The inner boot, dubbed the Cambium, fits within the Écorce shell and is designed to act as a stand-alone piece. Made of Italian-leather, the Cambium is warm, waterproof, and feels like you’re wearing a reinforced Ugg. Unlike most liner boots, this one has a lugged rubber sole so you can actually walk in the snow and  Primaloft insulation to keep your dogs toasty.

At Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2019, Dahu dropped a hint that they will eventually make interchangeable boot styles that you can fit into any of the bindings, blending style with function and making your winter footwear alpine-ready 24/7.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen true innovation in the ski boot business,” says Gundlach, who also enlisted former renowned Burton designer Maurizio Molin to beef up the Écorce, which has been in development for over five years. “It’s an innovation that the industry deserves. I’m excited about that. A pain-free ski experience will bring joy to every vertical foot of your day,” Gundlach adds.

The Écorce will be available for the winter 2019-2020 season.

Editors' Recommendations

Yes, there are real rules for skiing and snowboarding, and here they are
Prevent accidents and ski more with these safe skiing rules
Skiing Snowboarding Lake Louise Ski Resort Canada

It's generally acknowledged that skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous sports. Heck, any sport where you hurtle down the mountain propelled by gravity will have the potential for injury; that's why we always recommend wearing a helmet. We're not trying to put you off on your ski holiday here, but it's always good to be aware of the potential risk of the sport.

Crashes are an unavoidable reality of learning the sport, and even experienced skiers and snowboarders will fall over as they push their abilities on new slopes. What is avoidable, though, is crashing into other hill users or having them crash into you. The worst accidents I've seen on the slopes have been caused by someone riding completely out of control — usually because they've put themselves on a higher level of ski run than they were ready for. To try to keep everyone safe on the mountain, the FIS - Fédération Internationale de Ski — has put together a set of skiing instructions that every mountain user should follow.

Read more
This is why snowboard boots have forward lean
Is it comfort, riding experience, or just habit that snowboard boots lean forward?
couple on snowboards

Every item in your snowboarding gear arsenal has a purpose. But more than that, every item has nuances, its style that suits it to a particular type of riding. While snowboard boots are notoriously more comfortable than ski boots, they're more than just a way of keeping your feet warm while you ride. Snowboard boots are your link between your body, board, and bindings.

Unless you're riding in an old, blown-out pair of snowboard boots, there's a good chance that yours have at least a little forward lean. Even the softest, most aprés party-ready pair of boots has a forward lean to them, and when you try on a new pair of boots, you can almost feel as though you're going to topple forwards. But why do snowboard boots have forward lean, and what effect does it have on you?

Read more
Up your ski game with these lesser known ski resorts in North America
Undiscovered ski towns: Avoid lift queues and busy groomers and discover a whole new ski area
Alyeska Resort

I remember when I took up snowboarding in a hectic French Alpine resort. Everywhere I turned, there were lines of skiers coming down the mountain, and if you stopped for a break — I was a beginner, cut me some slack — you had to merge into traffic like you were entering a busy highway. What's more, once I started cruising runs, I realized I was spending more time standing in lift lines than I was riding. Then I moved to Canada. On the suggestion of a friend, I shirked the better-known resorts and headed to a small town with a small mountain, which boasted a ridiculous amount of skiable acres per person. I no longer had to wait for lifts, I could ride fresh powder all day, and ski accidents were few and far between.

Sure, if you love a big aprés ski scene or long for the buzz of a busy holiday destination, there might be a benefit to going to a better-known or all-inclusive ski resort. But if your idea of the perfect ski holiday is a quieter destination with great snow, shorter lift queues, and good vibes, then check out one of our lesser-known ski resorts.

Read more