European products, notably the famous Salomon SX series, used Hanson's exit as a springboard to market domination during the second half of the 1980s.
Denny Hanson later introduced the "Apex" design, which combines features of alpine and snowboarding boots.
[1] Around the same time, Bob Lange started work on a new ski boot design using plastics in place of leather.
[2] Unlike later designs, the Hanson boot did not have a pivot point to allow forward flex of the leg.
Instead, the one-piece forward section ran from the toe to the mid-calf area as a continuous piece, and was designed to be flexible.
This was particularly attractive to companies that had not previously been involved in boots, as the traditional market for front-entry systems was fairly well established.
K2 introduced the "Three", which reversed the Hanson pattern by making the rear flap much larger and bucking on the front like a conventional front-entry design.
[1] None of these had a major impact on Hanson's sales, and in the period between 1978 and 1981, the company was shipping an average of 120,000 pairs of boots a year.
Hexcel produced a well-regarded product using a honeycomb material in place of wood or foam, but the company decided to focus on the aerospace market and was looking to sell their ski factory.
[2] They also arranged a deal with the Spyder ski wear brand, offering high-end racing boots under this marque.
[3] Hanson had decided from the start to try to keep steady employment through the year, instead of using temporary workers to fill the needs of the winter season rush.
[2] To add to their problems, the winter of 1982-83 was famed for a lack of snow, and the entire ski industry was hard hit.
The Apex consists of two entirely separate parts, a semi-stiff boot that uses the Boa Closure System instead of laces or buckles, and an outer carbon fibre shell that provides the needed lateral support and mounting points for conventional downhill ski bindings.