Abstract
Ski boots, which are the interface between a skier and a ski, are important for making progress in ski turn technique. Especially in alpine ski races, suitability of design of the boots for racers becomes more important for achieving accurate and quick lean of the leg in ski turns. This study aimed at building a new design concept of a ski boot that can improve the results of Japanese alpine ski races. In this paper, a new design of an upper shell of a ski boot that was adjusted to the features of the frame of Japanese alpine ski racers was analytically and experimentally examined. As a result, it was demonstrated that the front and rear parts of the upper shell of a ski boot should be separately adjusted to the length of the shank of each player for well-balanced quick lean of the leg in the ski turn. Finally, the effect of the new design of the upper shell was verified in laboratory experiments on leaning balance and field tests for RSV by a Japanese female ski racer of the first rank.
