If you don’t know much about Full Tilt or why their boots look different from most, check out Skiing Business’ interview with Brand Manager Jason Levinthal below.

Interview by Ryan Dionne

If you don’t know the story of Full Tilt and want to get a better grasp of why our boots look different from the rest, check out Skiing Business’ interview with Brand Manager Jason Levinthal.

What are now known as Full Tilt boots, started as Raichle boots in the late 70s, and have changed design, name and ownership a number of times until K2 bought the molds in 2004.

Now, led by brand manager Jason Levinthal (founder of Line Skis), Full Tilt resurrected the original Raichle design and is making a comeback.

Skiing Business caught up with Levinthal to find out more about the three-piece boot design and how the brand is reinventing itself.

You guys have had quite the history. How are you staying relevant nowadays?

What we?re doing to stay relevant is aesthetics and small improvements where we can without sacrificing performance or the original design. We?ve added fabric cable covers to keep the cables organized and add a super cool look. We have themed boots and are really getting away from the boring style most people associate with boots.

Jason Levinthal, Full Tilt brand manager

There seems to have been a Full Tilt resurgence lately. What do you chalk that up to?

The key to this whole ?bringing it back? thing is the cult following. People generally hate their ski boots, and the Full Tilt design is tried and true. We have people who have skied this design for more than 20 years – including Seth Morrison – and hoarded parts to keep theirs operational while the boots weren?t in production. People are realizing they don?t need a race boot. Instead, they need one that?s comfortable and looks as good as it functions.

As you mentioned, die-hard Full Tilt users hoarded parts and cannibalized boots to keep theirs in working order. How much of that played into you guys selling parts online?

We definitely saw an opportunity there. It?s not like we?re going to make a ton of money doing that, but we?re fulfilling the need. Skiers can now buy parts from us instead of looking on eBay and at ski swaps.

For the rest of the interview click HERE.