Rosemount boots had a side door that opened like a fine automobile to make room for the foot.

They were made of plastic and looked liked the feet of a Clydesdale horse when closed. Small packets of plastic pellets molded to the foot for a perfect fit. Rosemount boots were invented by Dr. Frank Werner, holder of 77 patents, several on ski boots, but most relating to aircraft and aerospace instrumentation.

By the time the boot line was sold in 1969 it had racked up 2 million in losses. The company was once described as, “a small company with an impressive talent for making space-age sensing instruments and an absolute genius for diluting that effort with unrelated, unprofitable ventures.” The boot is named after Rosemount, Minnesota, the research base. Werner was proud to say that at least one of his inventions is still on the surface of the moon. At age 84 he submitted four more patent applications for golf club design.

Bonus Tidbit: William Morse Briggs, sometimes called the “Father of Extreme Skiing” accomplished his feats in Rosemount boots and Spademan bindings.