![]() All you really see of the Flexon now are the current models from Full Tilt and K2, not the 30 year old originals, but I still have to pour one out for the design. Basically just two, the Salomon SX and Sven Comer’s three piece Flexon that still lives today. Think about what 30-35 year boots you see on the hill. More on this is discussed in the above video. The SX92 and its lower price point variations were the catapult into the stratosphere not only in consumer acceptance and perception, but behind the scenes in profitability, allowing them to afford to attack the ski market. Things really exploded for Salomon with the SX series when they introduced the SX92 in the later 1980s. Take that, you purists who say “Rear Entry is not for performance!" Both the SX90 and SX91 were the only rear entry boots to win both the World Cup and Pro Ski Tour. The Salomon SX90 evolved into the SX91 in the mid 1980’s which brought in a multitude of additional features such as flex adjustments, better plastics, and a sleeker design, making the boot not look like the box it came in. This is a sizing method that some of the most respected fitters of today, like my video guest, Jim Schaffner, use. While every other brand used just the length of the foot, Salomon invented the Heel Instep Parameter (HIP) sizing, in which the circumference of the ankle volume defined the boot size. Salomon really thumbed their French nose at the industry. This was the inherent simplicity of the line, the patented heel hold that many other companies tried to copy. In many ways, Salomon reinvented the ski boot market with the original SX90. Say what you want about the rest of the rear entry offerings that we saw through the years (I am sure we will get some comments of disdain that compares these to “short skis”) but hear me out.
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