The first generally available plastic boots were introduced in 1965. There was the Lange boot, a familiar name today, but there was also a less familiar name: Rosemount!
The Rosemount company located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was (and is) a high tech company that in the 50’s and 60’s specialized in making sensors for supersonic jet aircraft and missiles. The company’s President in that era was Frank Werner who like many of us got hooked on skiing. He was an inventor and recognized an opportunity for technology to produce a better ski boot. Since the company was looking to diversify into more consumer-oriented products, Werner somehow was able to convince them to make a plastic ski boot.
- Rosemount Boots
The Rosemount was not like any other ski boot and it did not look like any other ski boot. It incorporated some ideas that were ahead of their time: easy side entry, built-in cant adjustments, and flex adjustments. Granted that last one literally involved elastic bands – there were different sets of elastic bands for soft, medium, or stiff forward flex.
However the way you had to fit the boot to your foot perhaps wasn’t ahead of its time. There were pockets inside the boot where you could place pillows filled with a secret flow material. Once you got the pillows right, the fit was good, but getting them right was a trial-and-error process. Oh, and rumor has it that you didn’t get enough of the pillows with the boot to guarantee a fit. So the company sold a not-cheap fitting kit that included more pillows.
- Rosemount Pockets and Pillows
The Rosemount was not like any other ski boot and it did not look like any other ski boot. It incorporated some ideas that were ahead of their time: easy side entry, built-in cant adjustments, and flex adjustments. Granted that last one literally involved elastic bands – there were different sets of elastic bands for soft, medium, or stiff forward flex.
However the way you had to fit the boot to your foot perhaps wasn’t ahead of its time. There were pockets inside the boot where you could place pillows filled with a secret flow material. Once you got the pillows right, the fit was good, but getting them right was a trial-and-error process. Oh, and rumor has it that you didn’t get enough of the pillows with the boot to guarantee a fit. So the company sold a not-cheap fitting kit that included more pillows.
Rosemount owners tended to have a love/hate relationship with their boots. Benny Wax of Inner Bootworks remembers sitting beside a trail at Hunter Mountain with his Rosemount boots off and his sock-covered feet stuck in the snow because they hurt so much! But he actually liked the boot once he got the fit correct.
From a business perspective there was another problem with the Rosemount: the cost of making a pair of boots was twice the selling price! This led to Rosemount selling its ski boot division to G. H. Bass in 1968. The boot name stayed Rosemount, but was no longer part of the Rosemount Company. Bass continued the line until about 1973.
- Rosemount Ski Boot at Inner Bootworks, Stowe, VT
You can see examples of Rosemount boots at the Vermont Ski Museum or at Inner Bootworks where Benny Wax has a pair on display (no, they aren’t the same pair he almost abandoned at Hunter Mountain).
October 8, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I have a pair of boots identical to the ones in the picture above that says “Rosemount ski boot at Inner Bootworks, Stowe, VT”. I sell on ebay & was wanting to list them but don’t know much about them, any information about them & there value would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely Toni Cook
435-724-2472
February 25, 2013 at 1:18 am
Hi Toni,
I’m also a Toni:} Did you ever sell your Rosemount boots? Thanks!
Toni
December 22, 2013 at 8:03 pm
I have a pair id like to sell. what are they worth?
December 22, 2013 at 8:04 pm
I still have pillows and all the red stuff you shoot inside
February 7, 2019 at 7:07 pm
Do you still have pair?
April 3, 2019 at 3:04 am
Do you still have these?
February 26, 2012 at 3:39 pm
The worst purchase I ever made in my more than 40 years of alpine skiing – Rosemont boots. They were incredibly difficult to fit right. They were always ice cold inside. They were very heavy and bulky. They leaked especially on very cold days when the door seal and aluminum did not seal well. They were hell to walk in. They totally isolated you from the feel of the ski and snow. Limited binding selections due to the rear shape and small “heel.”
Other than those problems, they were world class. The salesman who sold me on them was probably the greatest of all time. I gave them to my older brother before the end of the season.
January 24, 2013 at 5:44 pm
I have 2 pairs of Rosemount boots. I bought the first ones (black) in 1968 from Emilio’s Ski Shop in Forest Hills, NY. They were fitted using the “pillows” mentioned above, but I was unaware of any limitation to the number of “pillows”, as the fitting was done in the shop. The process took a couple of hours, but resulted in the most comfortable boots I’ve EVER had. I skied in them for two or three days each week throughout the season (in downstate NY) as a ski patroller.
The second pair I bought for my (then-)wife in about 1970. They were red and blue, as in the picture above. They were fitted by injecting (supposedly) the same conformable material that was in my “pillows”. IIRC, the fit was not quite as perfect as with the pillows, but took significantly less time.
February 28, 2013 at 12:44 am
Dr. Werner now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He is a resident at the assisted living community I am the chef of. An avid skier myself I have enjoyed many great conversations with Frank and his inventions. He loves to talk about skiing and I love hearing about the birth of the sport in America. He was on the forefront of advancing technology for today’s equipment.
I have also had the honor of getting to know Mel Dalebout the inventor of Dale Boots. These two gentlemen are amazing figures in the world of ski history. Regardless of how there boots actually felt on your feet (I’ve had many modern boots that are terrible) guys like this paved the way for what we know today!
April 7, 2013 at 5:46 pm
I purchased my 1st pair of Rosemount Boots about 1969, these were the black ones, then when the “Jet Sticks” and “Cheetahs” came out I bought the Red and Blue ones with the adjustable forward lean. With the Cheetahs to spread out the load on the back of your leg the combination allowed for some very fast skiing without to much pain. The “Summit at Snoqualmie” in Washington State had their 75th Anniversary this year and if you go to their website under 75th Anniversary and then Photo Booth, there is a photo of myself wearing the blue and red Rosemounts, the Cheetahs, and carrying a pair of the yellow Stein Eriksen L-21’s, all equipment I used back in the day.
February 24, 2014 at 1:36 am
I too had a pair of these Rosemount red and blue beauties in the 70s. And yes the Jet Stix were exactly what was needed to make the boots perform as well as any boots I’ve had since. Back in the day we were able to crush mobile runs get huge air and perform fantastic tricks on these babies. I still say their equipment is as good as the performance of any boots I’ve had since.
February 7, 2017 at 5:17 am
I had a pair of the red and blue Rosemounts as a pre-teen. My Dad, Edward Pauls was one of the engineers that developed the boot and binding. He followed them to Bass Shoe (Bass Sports) and when they dropped the line Dad bought the remaining boxes of bindings. He went on to design the Burt bindings for Tool Products then did the Flip Ski for the handicapped and the Nordic Track ski exerciser at his own company.
I only skied the boots for two years as they were only made to size 12. I used the bindings until the mid 80s as they were very safe. I even had a pair on a Mono-ski.
February 7, 2019 at 7:31 pm
Glenn,
I have pair of the fastbacks, and lost one buckle. By any chance do you have an extra buckles? And if so, are you willing to part with one?
Thanks,
Dan
ph 978-540-1746
March 13, 2018 at 12:35 pm
I just used my Rosemount boots, like the red and blue ones shown above this past Sunday (March 11, 2018)………love those boots, but lost one of the buckles, so now need to find a replacement. Good luck with that I suppose!!! A tribute to John Bintz in Michigan who has since passed away, but sold me those boots back in the 60s. Retro skiing for sure.
April 23, 2018 at 3:15 am
Hi, I just saw you were interested in Rosemount USA boots for parts? I do have a pair if you are still interested. Send me your email and I will send you pictures of the boots. Thank you, Tom Davis
June 30, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Hi, I also have a pair of the Rosemount boots in the red and blue. I was told when I bought the boots, they were called (Fastback Reds). I bought my ski equipment, including the boots, Kneissel slalom racer skis, red ski pants and jacket and red white and blue hat and hot finger gloves. This was in 1969. I was 16 years old with long blonde hair to my shoulders and was told I was quite the looker back then. (LOL) I skied my last about 10 years back in 2008 and the look on the younger kids faces when I opened my Rosemount boots to put them on was priceless. I for one, must have been blessed because my boots fit perfectly and were the warmest and most comfortable boot I have ever skied in. I live in Billings, MT and my home mountain is Red Lodge Ski Resort. I am looking for a good home for my boots, so if anyone is interested for any reason, give me a call. (406-850-9443)
February 1, 2019 at 4:46 pm
Thomas/Jerry: Nothing like checking back on my email almost a year later, but when I wrote the email above about the buckle for my Rosemounts, it was the end of the season for me and I did not check back; however I am still interested if one of you read this. Please call me at: 989-879-2492…..or email.
Thanks
Chuck
February 7, 2019 at 7:03 pm
Thomas/Jerry/Chuck,
I’m in same situation as Chuck, lost a buckle to my red and blue boots, so am interested in that part. Chuck, if a set of boots is available for parts, am willing to split price in exchange for one boot for parts…
Meanwhile plan to take photos of buckle, along with dimensions, material, thread specs to metal fabrication shops to get estimate on making functional equivalent.
December 13, 2019 at 10:59 am
I have a pair that I my parents bought me in 1972. They are red white and blue with stars on them. I used them for years with my heart comp 200 skis and look bindings. Best boots and time of my life. I was bad ass