Selectable boot articulation system

A ski boot system comprising:

• an upper shell configured to encase a portion of a user's lower leg;
• a lower shell configured to encase a user's foot, wherein the lower shell is moveably coupled with the upper shell;
• an articulation system coupled to the upper and lower shell including a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein the locked configuration restricts movement between the upper and lower shell in a plurality of orientations, and wherein the unlocked configuration enables articulation freedom between the upper and lower shell in at least two orientations corresponding to anatomical supination, pronation, dorsiflexion, and plantarflexion between the upper and lower shell, and wherein the articulation system is configured to enable a selective engagement of the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration directly by hand;
• wherein the articulation system includes an upper shell coupler and a lower shell coupler coupled to the upper and lower shell respectively, and wherein the locked configuration corresponds to an engagement between the upper shell coupler and the lower shell coupler, and wherein the unlocked configuration corresponds to a disengagement between the upper shell coupler and the lower shell coupler, and wherein the lower shell coupler is coupled within a recess of the lower shell to restrict freedom between the lower shell coupler and the lower shell to orientations corresponding to anatomical supination and pronation, and wherein the recess of the lower shell is a three dimensional recess including a coronally oriented curvature;
• and
• wherein the articulation system includes a selectable locking mechanism configured to selectably engage and release the coupling between the lower shell coupler and the upper shell coupler corresponding to the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration respectively, and wherein the selectable locking mechanism includes a retractable pin configured to selectably extend substantially orthogonal to the lower shell through a recess in the lower shell coupler, and wherein the retractable pin is moveable with a toggle switch such that a first position of the toggle switch corresponds to the pin being extended through the recess in the lower shell coupler and a second position of the toggle switch corresponds to the pin being retracted from the recess in the lower shell coupler.

A ski boot system comprising:

• an upper shell configured to encase a portion of a user's lower leg;
• a lower shell configured to encase a user's foot, wherein the lower shell is moveably coupled with the upper shell;
• an articulation system coupled to the upper and lower shell including a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein the locked configuration restricts movement between the upper and lower shell in a plurality of orientations, and wherein the unlocked configuration enables articulation freedom between the upper and lower shell in at least two orientations corresponding to anatomical supination, pronation, dorsiflexion, and plantarflexion between the upper and lower shell, and wherein the articulation system is configured to enable a selective engagement of the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration directly by hand;
• wherein the articulation system includes an upper shell coupler and a lower shell coupler coupled to the upper and lower shell respectively, and wherein the locked configuration corresponds to an engagement between the upper shell coupler and the lower shell coupler, and wherein the unlocked configuration corresponds to a disengagement between the upper shell coupler and the lower shell coupler, and wherein the upper shell coupler is coupled within a recess of the upper shell so as to substantially restrict freedom between the upper shell coupler and the upper shell to coronal rotation corresponding to anatomical supination and pronation;
• and
• wherein the articulation system includes a selectable locking mechanism configured to selectably engage and release the coupling between the lower shell coupler and the upper shell coupler corresponding to the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration respectively, and wherein the selectable locking mechanism includes a retractable pin configured to selectably extend substantially orthogonal to the lower shell through a recess in the lower shell coupler, and wherein the retractable pin is moveable with a toggle switch such that a first position of the toggle switch corresponds to the pin being extended through the recess in the lower shell coupler and a second position of the toggle switch corresponds to the pin being retracted from the recess in the lower shell coupler.