Ed Scott, a talented engineer and keen skier from Sun Valley, Idaho started a revolution when he invented the first tapered aluminum ski pole. That was in 1958, but in 1971 he produced something even more iconic—the world’s lightest ski boot.

Scott boots had a hard outer shell and no inner boot. Fitting was accomplished with a collection of foam rubber pads strategically placed inside the shell. A good fit was good for a couple of hours until the padding compressed. More vexing was the frequent cracking and breaking at key points like the hinge rivet and occasionally the entire toe or sole would tear off.

If one ignored the problems of early plastics, Scotts skied very well and had unmatched snow feel. They came in a variety of colors and it was trendy for a while to switch components with friends to produce personal combos such as green lowers with yellow uppers and mismatched pairs.