High performance plastic hits the slopes

A high performance ski boot is benefitting from a thermoplastic polyester alloy (TPC-ET) from Celanese to achieve an optimum balance between comfort and precision.

Heierling, the Swiss company that launched the first ski boot in 1885, uses Riteflex RKX-350 for its latest H1 model. Celanese says the material offers a combination of hard and soft segments, which provide the desirable properties of thermoset elastomers along with the processing ease of thermoplastics.

“Achieving top performance in downhill skiing means making the ultimate demands on you and on the material. This also applies to us as a partner of successful downhill racers,” said Hans-Martin Heierling, Owner and Director of Heierling.

“There was only one polymer in the running for the Heierling H1 because it exceeds the limit of performance of conventional materials. We found this high-performance polymer in Riteflex TPC-ET from Celanese because it does help in making the boot lighter and also provides a progressive-dynamic flex over all temperature ranges.”

Specifically, the material is said to offer high mechanical strength, good resilience, excellent surface gloss, excellent wear resistance as well as being easy and economical to process.

“The result is a boot that supports downhill skiers to the optimum, even in extreme situations. We are proud to present this unique boot made from highly innovative material,” said Heierling. “Riteflex is the material that allows us to make the boot of the future.”

The Heierling H1 is manufactured in association with Alpina Sports, where the shell and cuff are injection moulded. The boot represents a series of sports equipment based on the use of Riteflex TPC-ET, from running track surfaces through to pole-vaulting poles and snowboard bindings. Commenting, Tilo Vaahs, Celanese Global Marketing Manager - Consumer, said:  “Riteflex TPC-ET RKX-350 is a high-potential material for sport applications.”