Ads from the Past: Hanson

HOTWAXED

Running in the October 1971 issue of SKI Magazine, this was the first ad for the new Hanson boot, built in Boulder, Colorado. Designed by Chris Hanson (see page 29), the line debuted with two models: the Prima, shown here, and the International, boasting a higher spoiler and flex adjusters in front. Accompanying the ad was a list of about 80 Hanson dealers across the United States, each store equipped with a bright-orange wax-injecting machine, shaped like a flying saucer. Chris and Denny Hanson settled on wax because back in 1967 they’d licensed the alternative material, thixotropic “flow,” to arch-rival Lange. The rear-entry concept proved wildly popular, and 10 years later constituted about 80 percent of worldwide ski boot sales.