John N Doble, SLU grad 2010

I’m a proud dad.  My son John graduated from St. Lawrence University on Sunday with a B.S. in Mathematics and joins his sister Ellen (`07) as a SLU alum.  I am really impressed with St. Lawrence, not only with the school itself, but, perhaps more so, with its incredible alumni network.  As a UVM alum, I haven’t experienced the tremendous camaraderie I see with SLU grads.  John heads off this week to Charleston, SC to look for an entry-level sales position.  Anyone have any leads?  (I have to ask, right?)

At DODGE Ski Boots, we’ve been assembling summer test boots, making new molds and production fixtures and fine-tuning refinements for next season’s boots.  After a long wait for some pieces needed for our press, we finally have it and should be able to test our newest molds and make some 245 parts.  We’ll have the boots ready for June camps at Mt. Hood.

Speaking of Mt. Hood, Harald Harb and Jim Schaffner will be there with demo boots and will taking orders for boots to be shipped in September.  Contact us or them for more information and to arrange a time to try the boots.  If you’re going to the camps and want a test pair on a long-term basis, contact us about our summer lease program.

It’s looking like another fabulous day.  I’ll have to open the overhead door so we can get lots of fresh air and sunshine in the shop today.  It also makes the view of Mt. Mansfield that much more spectacular.  I’ll post a photo later.

Now it’s off to work.

Take care.

Bill

Good week at DODGE Ski Boots, with a nice ending at Moondawg’s Tavern. John’s graduating from SLU on Sunday. Nice! Will update later. Relax!

First off, Happy Mother’s Day to all the special ladies who have birthed, raised and put up with us. My mom died nearly 10 years ago, but there isn’t a day I don’t appreciate all she did for me.  Thank your mother today.

Next, it’s freaking snowing in Essex this morning!  Not sticking, but certainly the latest for snow flurries I can remember.  It puts a damper on cutting the grass today.  Shucks, guess I’ll have to watch the Spanish Formula One race.

Now down to business.

Dave & I had a really busy week in the DODGE carbon fiber Ski Boot business.  This week was all about assembling the new “W” flex boots.  What’s a “W” flex?  Glad you asked.  You see, when one of our racers asked for a stiffer boot to provide a more predictable flex, we built him one.  It worked really well, so when it came time to find just the right flex, we used his boots as our guide.  It’s too unwieldy to call it the “Warner Nickerson flex” so I just shorten it to “W”. (Have a great time on the boat in Bora Bora Warner!)

We also have spent time finishing up new tooling for a smaller size, making some fixtures for boot assembly and a little re-arranging of the shop to make the work flow better.

Got our new liner sample in this week and it looks great.  The basic style and construction is similar to popular lace-up race liners, but ours is made to optimize the performance of the DODGE Ski Boot.  Most evident is a stretch panel on the back of the boot to allow your heel to move back into the heel canal on the DODGE shell, making it easy to put the boot on.  We’ve also made a reinforced cuff on the liner and the tongue to provide even pressure distribution.  While we made accommodations for lacing, with lace loops, the liner works best if left in the boot, so we’re not going to include laces.  The fastening system on the tongue makes it easy to add a foam pad on top of the toe area for those who insist on clamping down on their toes. And, keeping with the DODGE style, it’s in basic black and silver. It’ll be nice to put it in my boots for summer tests.

We did some boots for  a high level racer this week whose feet require some really drastic boot mods.  A lot of people ask about punching carbon fiber boots.  It’s not easy.  Unlike a rubber plug boot that has so much elasticity it can be stretched to New York and back, carbon fiber is not stretchy.  Without the proper tools and training, it’s way too easy to destroy a boot in a few seconds.  But, we have found a tool and developed techniques allowing for really deep punches to satisfy all but the funkiest of feet.  The boots we did this week needed adjustment in the navicular, styloid process, the heel, the ankle and little toe.  I was able to get punches in done in all those areas.  But, because it is so tricky, it’s one reason our boots aren’t available everywhere.

I’ll try to update sooner.  Next weekend is John’s graduation from St. Lawrence University.  Congrats to him, also to cousin Stevie’s daughter Jessica who’s graduating from Belmont College next week.

Stay warm.

Bill

4 days ago I was looking at 10″ of snow. Today I was cutting 5″ of grass! And it was heavy grass, too.

The hot weather so early makes me feel lethargic rather than energetic but I know I’ll get used to it. At least until we fire up the press to make more Dodge Ski Boots. Then it’ll get hot in the shop.

We’re making the new, stiffer boots for WC racers this week along with the first 245 size boots. Looking forward to getting these to the racers who’ve found the 255s a little too big.

Stay cool.

Bill