A tightening device is provided for footwear, in particular, for sports footwear of the kind comprising a substantially rigid outer element and a substantially flexible inner element. The tightening device comprises a strap element and the strap element is configured so thatwhen it is tensionedit is capable of applying pressure directly both onto the outer element and to the inner element, whereby the pressure is applied more efficiently and uniformly and the user's comfort is thus increased. In addition, the strap element has a substantially continuous surface, which increase the stability of the tightening device and eliminates the risk of an incorrect positioning also in the case of high stresses during sports practices.

An article of footwear with adjustable stiffness is provided. The article of footwear in the form of a snowboard boot is provided with adjustable tensioning systems that are disposed on either side of an inner liner of the snowboard boot. The adjustable tensioning system includes a comb body structure having flex portions made of a plurality of extending fingers with a flexibility that can be controlled by the adjustable tensioning system. Depending on the level of tension applied by the tensioning system, or lack thereof, a range of flex profiles having varying amounts of stiffness are available to the wearer to adjust the overall stiffness of the snowboard boot.

An apparatus for automatically adjusting tension on retention member to hold multiple objects together. Examples include using retention apparatus to obtain optimal fit and use of a human wearable item such as article of footwear. Sensors may be used to sense changes in movement of the article of footwear, of the person wearing it, or of a third object such as a vehicle carrying the person. A retention member may surround at least a portion of the objects, and an actuator may be included that automatically rotates a rotating member such as a gear or pulley that may be coupled to the retention member. The rotating member may be configured to automatically adjust tension on the retention member many times per second based on control signals from control logic responsive to the sensors.

An interchangeable boot attachment is provided. An interchangeable boot attachment comprising a buckle strap affixed to a baseplate around a heel of the baseplate and an insert. The baseplate having an insert channel along a bottom of the baseplate that tapers from an opening at the heel towards a toe end of the baseplate. The insert having a tapered projection that tapers in an identical formation to the insert channel and is coupled to the insert channel during assembly such that a dovetail joint is formed between the opening, the insert channel and the tapered projection. The opening providing access to the insert channel for the insert. The buckle rotated and snapped to apply tension along the strap to secure the insert. The buckle decoupled and released from the strap to remove the strap from the opening to allow for removing the insert.

A binding system for attaching a snowboard boot onto a snowboard, wherein the binding system has a first portion suitable for being attached or secured to a boot and a second portion suitable for being attached to a snowboard. The first portion has at least one pin. The second portion includes a base structure suitable for being attached to the snowboard and having at least one engagement seat, a spoiler pivoted to the base structure having at least one attachment seat suitable for engaging the at least one pin of the first portion, a lever pivoted to the spoiler suitable for locking or unlocking the spoiler, and a spring that pushes the lever toward the locking position.

A method for providing feedback to a skier, comprising: receiving, by a feedback computer, sensor data from a plurality of sensors associated with the skier, the sensor data representing a movement of the skier during a ski run; receiving, by the feedback computer, video data representing a video recording of the skier during the ski run; after the ski run, synchronizing, by the feedback computer, the sensor data and the video data; and simultaneously displaying, on a display screen in electrical communication with the feedback computer, the video recording and the sensor data.

An interchangeable boot attachment is provided. An interchangeable boot attachment comprising a buckle strap affixed to a baseplate around a heel of the baseplate and an insert. The baseplate having an insert channel along a bottom of the baseplate that tapers from an opening at the heel towards a toe end of the baseplate. The insert having a tapered projection that tapers in an identical formation to the insert channel and is coupled to the insert channel during assembly such that a dovetail joint is formed between the opening, the insert channel and the tapered projection. The opening providing access to the insert channel for the insert. The buckle rotated and snapped to apply tension along the strap to secure the insert. The buckle decoupled and released from the strap to remove the strap from the opening to allow for removing the insert.