Alpinestars

Alpinestars started in 1963. Sante Mazzarolo, a leather craftsman in the small northern Italian town of Asolo, named the company after the Alpine star flower. Motocross was new in Europe at the time. He set out to design a boot for it, and kept developing it with rider feedback from the first pair. Soon after, the company moved into a new headquarters in Maser, also in northern Italy, and began building boots for local enduro and motocross riders.

Its own history puts off-road racing at the root of the brand. Roger de Coster brought Alpinestars its first World Motocross Championship in the early 1970s and went on to win five. Road racing products followed in the 1970s.

Timeline

Ownership

Alpinestars' history says Gabriele Mazzarolo, Sante's son, founded the US company in 1986 and later also owned and directed the Italian company. The Italian parent is Alpinestars S.p.A., a public limited company under Italian law with share capital of EUR 3,500,000. Its registered office is in Asolo, the town where Sante Mazzarolo started the company. The US website is run by Alpinestars U.S.A. in Torrance, California. The company says it is working toward B Corp certification.

Alpinestars says it employs about 700 people. It lists headquarters in Los Angeles, northern Italy and Tokyo, plus a Southeast Asia headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Its careers page lists openings in two places: Torrance, California and Asolo, Italy.

Alpinestars S.p.A. states that it runs its quality management system to the international standard UNI EN ISO 9001. That covers how the company designs, makes and distributes apparel, footwear and protection. It is a management-system standard. It is not a safety rating for any single product. Product safety shows up in the CE certification that each protector, boot or airbag carries, covered in the next sections.

The company's product overview names Motocross, Enduro and Dual-Sport among its riding categories. Road racing, touring, auto racing, karting and mountain biking share the same development base. That shared base matters for off-road riders: the Tech-Air airbag began in road racing and moved to off-road via the Dakar Rally.

Alpinestars groups its dirt-bike protection under MX, with enduro-specific versions of several boots. The table lists the current range and the certification each product page states. Model names follow the maker's own listing.

The MX range also covers gloves, jerseys, pants, elbow guards, base layers and packs. See the gloves, pants and jersey, elbow guard and hydration guides for what to look for.

The enduro boots

The Tech 10 Enduro takes the Tech 10 chassis and adds a redesigned dual-compound sole. Alpinestars says the sole is built for grip and feel on the shifter. The boot keeps the Tech 10's Frontal Flex Frame, inner ankle brace and Dynamic Heel Compression Protector.

The 2027 Tech 7 Enduro Drystar adds a waterproof, breathable Drystar membrane and an enduro sole. Its buckles, outer sole and footpeg area are all replaceable parts. The Tech 7 Enduro GORE-TEX is an all-weather version with a dedicated enduro sole.

The Tech 3 Enduro Waterproof is the entry point. Alpinestars calls it a first step into its adult boot line, with a lugged sole and a waterproof membrane.

Our view: for hard enduro, start with the enduro-sole versions. Alpinestars built those soles for grip. Hard enduro means feet down on wet rock and roots, and long pushes on foot, where sole grip counts as much as peg feel.

Neck support and helmets

The BNS Tech 2 is a carbon polymer neck support. Alpinestars says it works when the helmet contacts the frame in a crash, directing force away from the neck and onto the back and shoulders. The stated weight is 1,730 g for XS/M and 1,900 g for L/XL.

The Supertech M10 has four shell sizes across six fit sizes. Alpinestars quotes about 1,260 g in size M. The helmet uses MIPS and an emergency removal system.

Alpinestars reports on its riders' results on its own news pages. In off-road, those reports cover hard enduro, EnduroGP and the Dakar Rally.

Hard enduro

• 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs. Alpinestars reported that Manuel Lettenbichler won the Gold class at the 23rd Red Bull Romaniacs in Sibiu. It was his seventh Romaniacs title, equalling Graham Jarvis's record of seven wins. Alpinestars rider Matthew Green was third on day four and fourth overall.
• 2026 Abestone Hard Enduro, Italy. In the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship round at Abestone, Lettenbichler won the Prologue, the Gold Sprint Race and the Gold Final. Alpinestars reported that the reigning champion led the series by 24 points with three rounds left.

EnduroGP

Alpinestars has reported each of Josep Garcia's recent titles: his 2023 Enduro1 world title and his EnduroGP world titles in 2024 and 2025. In 2026 he won both the EnduroGP and Enduro1 titles at the GP of France, one round early.

Rally and the airbag

The Tech-Air Off-Road system came out of the Dakar Rally. Alpinestars says it has been developed there since 2017. Sam Sunderland won the 2022 Dakar wearing it, according to the company's race report.

For how these events differ, see what hard enduro is and the Red Bull Erzberg Rodeo and Roof of Africa pages.

Tech-Air Off-Road: an airbag for rally and enduro

Tech-Air Off-Road is a wearable airbag with its own sensors. Three accelerometers and three gyroscopes sit in the control unit. No external sensors are needed. Alpinestars' product page lists these facts:

The system is built into a protection jacket. The jacket has a CE Level 2 passive chest protector and CE Level 1 back, elbow and shoulder protectors. The inflators are user-replaceable where local law allows. Alpinestars claims the system is over twice as protective as passive impact protectors.

Alpinestars describes the ENDURO mode as tuned for low and medium-speed trail riding. RALLY mode is for high speed on any terrain.

It does not work with a neck brace. The product page states the system is incompatible with all neck braces, including Alpinestars' own BNS. The airbag inflates around the neck instead.

Our view: for hard enduro, this is a choice between systems, not an add-on. Two facts from the maker's page drive that. The vest weighs about 4 kg, and it rules out a neck brace. Hard enduro means hours of pushing and lifting in heat, and the system was developed at a high-speed rally. Compare it with a neck brace and chest protector setup before choosing. The neck brace guide and chest protector guide cover both options.

Tech-Air MX

The Tech-Air MX System is the motocross version. Alpinestars states it is CE certified as an airbag, Category II, compliant with EN 1621-4:2013. It covers shoulders, chest and back. It inflates in about 40 ms and is certified for up to six deployments if undamaged. A single gas inflator gives one deployment and is replaceable. Its riding modes include ENDURO and RALLY as well as MX and MX RACE. Stated weight is about 3,140 to 3,170 g. Alpinestars claims over four times the impact protection of passive armor when deployed.

Boot engineering

The Tech 10 family uses three features Alpinestars developed itself:

1. Frontal Flex Frame. A frame that floats between the upper and lower boot. Alpinestars says it controls forward and rearward flex and absorbs energy.
2. Dual torsion bar inner ankle brace. Alpinestars says it allows natural ankle movement while controlling vertical compression.
3. Dynamic Heel Compression Protector. A patented heel design Alpinestars says reduces the energy passed to the ankle and lower leg.

Helmet design

Alpinestars claims the Supertech M10 exceeds the ECE 22.06 peak rotational acceleration requirement by 76%. Its A-Head Fitment System adjusts how the helmet sits on the head. The chin bar has a raised profile, softer EPS and a flexible cover, which Alpinestars says helps clear the collarbone.

Certification approach

Alpinestars states the standard and level on each product page. It names EN 13634:2017 for boots, EN 1621-1:2012 for knee protectors, EN 1621-4:2013 for the MX airbag and ECE R 22.06 for helmets. Boots, protectors, neck supports and airbags are personal protective equipment, CE marked under the EU PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Alpinestars cites that regulation on the BNS Tech 2 page. Helmets carry a separate UN ECE Regulation 22 approval. Our gear guides explain what each label means. The safety overview covers how to put a full kit together.