The "Unguided Missile" Dedicated to Improving Ski Touring Gear

Barthel, a mechanical engineer and a teacher by trade, is the “spirit baron of Dynafit,” as Hoji calls him. While he is no longer employed by the company, he has contracts that keep him tied to the brand. His patents and prototypes span the ski industry and didn’t end with the development of the low-tech system, though that simplicity is something Hoji appreciates as he still mines for old parts of the now seemingly ancient binding.

The duo's first gift to the public was the Hoji Lock Mechanism that debuted on Dynafit’s alpine touring boots in 2018. This year’s Dynafit Ridge Pro boot refines that system and incorporates it with a floating tongue to accommodate various foot shapes while producing a boot that blurs the lines of uberlight (1250g) and freeride-capable performance.

“Fritz went so far above and beyond,” says Hoji, “He saw the potential, believed in me and has been fighting in my corner the whole way.” Barthel taught Hoji that the core of all new product development is identifying the problem. “He’s very meticulous when it comes to that, and it can be mind-numbing stuff,” explains Hoji, thinking back to when Barthel spent two days measuring every cuff ankle pivot on all the boots he could get his hand on in Montebelluna, Italy—then putting it all in a presentation.

Hoji, through mentorship with Barthel, will often chip away at problems, working on prototypes, and refining seemingly small things like buckle placements. Finding problems, addressing them, then sorting out issues with their solutions; it’s a constant circle of nitpicking. “Over the last few years, we’d work on something together and I would be the guy doing things in the shop all night long and leave it on the table in the morning,” says Hoji. “He would come and inspect it and say ‘I don’t like it.’ He would make me fight, prove, and explain why certain things should be the way I want them. I remember going out one night and thinking, I know why everyone does the simple easy thing in boot manufacturing. It's a nightmare to solve–But it’s fun and I love it.”

Hoji calls himself an unguided missile, as he’s still just a contractor and athlete for Dynafit. His focus remains on performance rather than which category line the product belongs in, and he wants the best possible thing that goes uphill and downhill. That underlying theme is still what drives both him and Barthel today as they continue to toil with boots and bindings— trying to make the sport that much more fun, enjoyable, and functional. “I don’t want to have a desk job,” he says. “But it would be nice to drive a team of people and have accountability instead of trying to convince people all the time that you’re right.”

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