The strap worn by Bode Miller is now used by a great many athletes of all skill levels ... for instant ski response. Many will have noticed the strap appearing out of the suit of many athletes, including Bode Miller. The article in question is Booster, an essential accessory for optimising ski boot performance. When used correctly, it guarantees maximum ski boot performance and therefore extraordinary ski control, improving comfort and completely eliminating the empty space between the boot tongue and shin, thus serving a shock-absorber function and aiding the prevention of shin bang and other boot maladies. The Booster Strap is made of high strenght elastomeric webbing with an anti-slip micro-adjustable cam buckle. The elastomer allows flexibility, vibration and shock damping. The cam buckle assures a better fit and more comfort. The Booster Strap elastically fastens together the leg and the ski boot and provides direct ski control so the skis will start turning sooner and and will end the turn faster. The graded elasticity of the product allows skiers to choose the reaction speeds that best suit their technical and physical characteristics and skiing ability.

The Models: Booster Kid 2 short elastic bands. Ideal for Kids; Booster Soft 2 elastic bands. Ideal for good skiers and for light/not aggressive racer; Booster Medium 3 elastic bands. Ideal for very good skiers and racers; Booster World Cup 3 reinforced elastic bands. Engineered to fit the needs of the World Cup skier.

The Booster Strap’s Choice:

The choice between the different models of The Booster Strap has to be done considering the following parameters:

1. Weight/Height
   The Booster Medium or World Cup fits Heavy/Tall athletes, Booster Soft fits Light/Short athletes
2. Aggressiveness
   Medium or World Cup fits an aggressive skier, Booster Soft fits a quiet skier
3. Disciplines
   For Tech events it is suggested to ski with Medium or World Cup, for Speed events with the Soft model
4. Stiffness of Boot’s plastics
   Stiff Boot → Booster Medium or World Cup, Soft → Booster Soft
5. Stiffness of the Ski
   Stiff Ski → Booster Medium or World Cup, Soft Ski → Booster Soft

It should be also considered that it is better to begin with a softer model rather thana stiff one. A softer model has a slower elastic response but makes much easier to feel the advantages of using The Booster Strap. Beginning with a too stiff model may not lead the skier to feel the difference.

In addition it has to be considered that there is an overlap between the models and their elastic properties. As an exemple, the properties of an high tensioned Medium model can be equal to those of a low tensioned World Cup model.

Athlete’s Opinions: ...I've never had a good testing session where The Booster Strap was compared to the regular velcro power strap. When I first tried The Booster Strap, I felt it was such a drastic improvement that I didn't even bother with test runs. I just switched then and there... (James Cochran, US Ski Team)