Rosemount's design was easily distinguished by its use of the uncommon "side-entry" method for putting the boot on, which was rare at the time and is no longer used.

Bass Sports was in turn purchased by Raichle in 1972, who ended production of the Rosemount boot in favor of their own designs the next year.

The introduction of ski lifts, especially after World War II, led to the specialization of downhill as a separate sport, and new equipment evolved to meet this market.

The style of skiing allowed by the new bindings demanded new boots that were much stiffer as well, and a number of designs that were boiled in oil or soaked in glue became common in the 1950s.

[1] The comfortable period was quite short, as the breaking-in (or down) process would continue until it became too soft to offer good control.

The leather was far from ideal in other ways as well; it would soak up water or snow and then freeze, making them very difficult to get on or off while also offering little warmth.

[1] A number of experiments with composite designs were carried out by a variety of inventors through the 1950s, but all faced what appeared to be a catch-22; a boot stiff enough side-to-side to offer good edge control was too stiff front-to-back to allow the natural flexing motion of the leg that occurs during turns or on bumps.

[1] Frank Werner, president of Rosemount Engineering, had taken up skiing in the late 1950s when downhill was first becoming a major sport.

He took it upon himself to develop a new boot that offered the perfect mix of sideways rigidity and forward flex, handing these twin demands to his engineering staff.

This was a concern, as a fibreglass cuff that fit the lower leg tightly enough for control would not allow the larger sections of the foot and heel to pass through it when putting it on.

Rosemount's solution was to build the boot in two halves, one covering the majority of the foot and leg, and a smaller section that hinged along the footbed, rotating out to the side.

[1] Forward flex was controlled by three neoprene bands connected to the cuff through a strap running up the back of the boot.

For comfort and fit, the boot was customized by inserting a series of small leather pads in a variety of sizes.

[2] However, even the small amount of flexing that did occur in the shell allowed the joint along the side of the foot to open slightly.

During turns, snow could be jammed up against the joint and would melt inside the boot; wet feet were a common problem.

Now run by his son, Robert "Bunny" Bass, an avid skier and one of the founders of the Sugarloaf ski resort in Maine.

One solution to this problem was to use small metal fittings screwed into the boot, to provide a known and unchanging mounting point for the bindings.

The hard sole of the boot served as the plate, with small metal clips moulded into the toe and heel flanges to provide an attachment point for their bindings.

The attachment points were customized for their own SE-1 toe and SE-2 heel, but their position left the flanges free to be used with any conventional binding of the era, even cables.

[13] In 1972 Raichle set up its own North American distribution company, Raichle-Molitor USA, under the leadership of Heinz Herzog.