In 1952, SATRA received a request from the British Expedition to design, build and test a high altitude boot for its planned assault of Mount Everest in Nepal the following year. SATRA provided four prototype pairs, which were tested in the French Alps.
Weighing just 1.9kg, they were far lighter than rival designs.Thirty-five pairs of the chosen boot were put into production and 33 taken on the expedition. Each was handmade to suit individual members of the team, both Europeans and Sherpas.
After the successful ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, expedition leader John Hunt wrote to SATRA’s director of research, Harry Bradley, saying that the boots were a great success and were worn by all members of the party above an altitude of 6,100 metres. Unlike any previous Everest expedition, not one of the British team had suffered from frostbite in their feet.
The following month, SATRA released a factual statement a copy of which can be viewed online in SATRA’s Media Centre.
SATRA continues to research and help develop footwear products for use in a wide variety of applications throughout the world.