Whenever HAIX embarks on a new shoe project, the company’s development and designer team sets about conducting all the relevant practical checks. This involves examining the basics, holding a workshop under real-life conditions and working on the ground with professionals operating within the environment for which the shoe or boot has been conceived. “Our aim at HAIX is to come up with successful products which meet professional requirements at a high level,” states Thomas Singer, Head of Development. “To this end, we seek to gain a precise idea of what an item of footwear ultimately needs to be capable of.”

Of course, shoe and boot developers also prefer sunshine. But requirements profiles for the development of new functional footwear need to be drawn up in real-life conditions. This is a prerequisite if stringent quality aims are to be met.

The workshop gets off to a wet start

The best way of putting a “made in Europe” tree-climbing boot to the test is therefore to choose a day when it is tipping it down with rain.

The kind of persistent drizzle which is falling is typical of the Bavarian countryside. We are at the site of a former mill on a Wednesday in November. The dampness clings like a heavy and gray felt coat. Only the trout jumping in a pool are unaffected. The solid wooden steps are slippery. The bark of a mighty alder tree on the bank of the steam is dank. The rope hanging down ready for the climbing exercise is reminiscent of a cold and wet hemp noose.

Questions for the specialist

The first part of the training centers on the different tasks of tree maintenance and tree felling. The participants in the workshop climb trees for a living, and the developers and designers have plenty of questions for them. What do you need from a boot when you are climbing up a tree? How much flexibility must it have? What is important in terms of its construction? What do you attach particular significance to? Are there any elements which could potentially be integrated into such a specialist boot?

Timo Hildinger, a professional tree surgeon who is heading up the workshop, gives a precise explanation of the aspects which are important to him and his team. “These sorts of impressions and experiences are enormously valuable to us when we are developing a new product, such as this professional boot for tree surgeons and others who use rope techniques,” Thomas Singer adds. Of course, both Singer himself and other members of the HAIX development team are aware of how a chainsaw is used. They know of the importance of cut protection and of the customary comfort HAIX products are able to offer. Nevertheless, a boot modeler with proper experience of tree-climbing with the assistance of ropes is likely to be difficult to find. Although attaching a foot ascender is not complex, “a certain basic know-how” is necessary. And it rapidly becomes apparent that particular requirements are associated with the boot.

Cut protection vs. Climbing professional

The only stipulation which the Employers’ Liability Insurance Association makes for this activity is a general proviso regarding “cut protection”. There are, however, different gradations of cut protection. These are calculated on the basis of the speed of the chainsaw which a certified boot is able to stop if an emergency occurs. Cut protection extends across classes I to IV. The relevant speeds to which these categories apply are 20, 24, 28 and 32 m/s respectively. However, as our tree surgeon points out: “No one will go up a tree whilst wearing a boot which is cut protection class 3 or higher.” He immediately expands upon the logic behind this. “The more cut protection a boot has, the heavier it will be. That stands to reason.” If there is one thing that is important for tree-climbing professionals, “then it is lightness.”

Today, this becomes an irrevocable part of the developers’ requirements specifications. The workshop continues in the same vein throughout the rain-swept day. Tree climbing, tree felling and back again. Problems are addressed by the side of the tree. Possible solutions are discussed in the seminar room to finish with. The importance of signal colors, the reinforcement of vulnerable points, opportunities for innovation and simple matters such as the tread of the sole are all debated.

Learning what matters

By the end of the day, everyone has learned a lot from one another. The tree climbers have communicated vital issues to the footwear developers. The boot developers have made it clear to the tree professionals why some things are easier to achieve and why other aspects are complex to implement. And everyone’s own feet are telling them the significance of a high quality, watertight and breathable membrane, especially on a November Wednesday.