an arrangement for retaining a skier &# 39 ; s foot within the shell base of a ski boot , comprising one or more tongues integral with the inner sides of the shell base , extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the boot and at least partly surrounding the top of the foot . the tongues fold down along a drop line in a plane above the heads of the metatarsals and the malleoli , and are located between two planes secant to the plane of the boot sole and passing through the heads of these bones . actuation of the tongues relative to the foot takes place from outside the boot .