In the late 70s I broke my big toe on my right foot, I had to work so I had a pair of Scott ski boots, they were lightweight fiberglass with a single buckle and a foam liner. I cut the foam liner out of the front and went back to work, worked great. I have often thought someone should market them as protective boots for injurys and also as mountaineering boots, were better for that than skiing.
If you scroll down on this blog you can see a pair
http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html