Footwear and a method of manufacture of footwear are presented. The footwear has different insulation zones and each zone has a different level of insulation. For example, an article of footwear includes a first insulation zone, a second insulation zone, and a third insulation zone. The first, second, and third insulation zones each provide a different level of insulation for a specific part of a wearer's foot. The first insulation zone may be the heel region of the article of footwear, the second insulation zone may be the main part of the foot region of the article of footwear excluding both the heel region and a toe region of the article of footwear, and the third insulation zone may be the toe region of the article of footwear.

A process of producing a hollow item by injection-moulding thermoplastic material, which has a rigid external shell and at least one soft internal portion, which uses a mould comprising a matrix, a first semi-mould including a first cavity and a second semi-mould including a second cavity counter-shaped to the matrix to reproduce a respective semi-shell of said rigid external shell. The process includes the phases of positioning at least one insert made of a soft material, constituting the soft internal portion, on the matrix; covering the insert with a connecting layer; hermetically sealing the first and second semi-moulds onto the matrix along the edges of the cavities; injecting into the space between the cavities and the connecting layer a thermoplastic material that forms the rigid external shell to create a permanent connection of the soft insert to the shell. The connecting layer substantially retains the characteristics of the soft insert.

Ski boot comprising a rigid shell that is shaped so as to accommodate the foot of the user, and a rigid cuff that is shaped to as to surround the ankle of the user, and is pivotally jointed to the shell so as to be able to pivot about a rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the midplane of the boot; the shell comprising a substantially basin-shaped, rigid casing which is shaped so as to be able to accommodate therein the foot of the user, and a transversal stiffening insert which is embedded inside the bottom wall of the casing at the tarsophalangeal region of the sole of the foot, and is structured so as to emerge/surface on the outside of the rigid casing on opposite sides of the midplane of the boot, at the two lateral sides of the tip of the shell; the transversal stiffening insert being provided with two first conjugated coupling ends that surface on the outside of the rigid casing along the two lateral sides of the tip of the shell, on opposite sides of the midplane of the boot, and are structured so as to be engaged and clamped in an axially rotating manner about a transversal reference axis by the toe piece of the ski binding device, and of two second conjugated coupling ends that surface on the outside of the rigid casing along the two lateral sides of the tip of the shell, on opposite sides of the midplane of the boot, spaced beside said first conjugated coupling ends.

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.

Waterproof articles of footwear having an improved fit and waterproof stretchable liners are provided. The footwear and liners of the present technology may include various stretchable components configured to tightly secure and conform to a user's foot and adapted to provide a tighter and more versatile fit around the differently sized and shaped feet of various different users. In some aspects of the present technology, the waterproof liner may contain one or more stretchable panels and one or more non-stretchable or less stretchable panels. In other aspects, waterproof footwear may be provided with stretchable components such as straps or bands adapted to secure a user's foot.

A method of calibration of a system designed for analysis of ground reaction forces of a user's feet, wherein the system comprises a left and right footwear each with a plurality of force sensors. The method includes (a) obtaining respective data measurements from each force sensor over a time period while the user's feet are in the left and right footwear; (b) determining a respective statistic of the respective data measurements for each force sensor over the time period; and (c) storing the respective statistic as a respective calibration offset for a respective force sensor. The respective statistic may comprise a minimum, a maximum, an average, a median, a percentile, and/or a statistical model of the respective data measurements.