The issue of injuries was brought up at a meeting in November of 2003 which invited several American and Canadian boot makers to the table for solutions. The USFSA and US Olympic Committee are concerned about the increase in injuries to young skaters and challenged the industry to come up with a safer, better functioning design. A few older boot makers were of the opinion that their boots were fine and didn't need any improvements! If you look at most boot designs, the technology hasn't changed much since early days. Skaters are expected to do more at a younger age so something has to compensate for the added pounding their legs and joints take.
Very few were up to the challenge. Graf was at that time ahead of the curve having already created their F-4000. Breaking ground, they are to my knowledge is the first and only hinged freestyle boot on the market. In 2003 Reidell also released the HLS 1500 which has deep flex notches which improve the boot's fit and forward boot flex. These two companies are definitely on track. Klingbeil makes more of a heavier boot but wearers have told me lately their replacement Klingbeils have been lighter and even more comfortable than before. I will be testing the lighter Klingbeils as soon as my pair is ready. My daughter wears and loves her Klingbeils as does Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes and now Timothy Goebel who went through 13 pairs of boots last season, 5 of which were SP Teri according to Erin, a spokesperson for the company.
