Rubber is organic. It gives unlimited tactile feedback to all parts of your foot. And it has smooth predictable and progressively increasing rate of stiffness in 360 degrees of motion from center. The Animal Boot is constructed with 100% Natural Thick Rubber. Its Rubber Toe, Heel and Overlay provide the stiffness skiers need in a slalom boot with the comfort and reliability they desire. The Animal front boot was designed with a THICK rubber overlay for increased front boot control. Additionally, the Shaped Orthotic Footbed has contoured arch support to your foots natural arches for comfort and to enhance your natural motion. The Animal's rebuildable design allows you to replace component parts for a long-lasting boot to get you through many epic seasons of intense use. Additionally, we've added a layer of PVC around the fingerholes for less tear-outs when putting on your Animal boot!