The Never-Ending Zipfit Discussion

[BS Slarver]

The tongue strap issue happened a while ago while the instep was just discovered while adding cork last week and none appears to be leaking out.
* disclaimer * I leave the liners in the shells and don’t use the laces or the Velcro strap and hardly ever buckle the lower clog, so I’m obviously not your typical Zipfit user.

Again, I’ve never had a liner hold my foot like these with the comfort including race room Tecnicas fitted by the best in NH, years ago it wouldn’t be uncommon to go through multiple liners in a year.

 

[Skisolo]

Had 10 quality ski days on my new Gara LV Zipfits now and here are some impressions.

Done park, steeps, little bit of trees and lotsa groomers.

They've been very comfortable since day one. Skied 10 hours with them on Saturday and my feet felt as good as new. (my legs on the other hand)
They are definitely more voluminous around the forefoot area than my stock Lange liners which was a huge plus for me as I like the locked in feel.

I have very skinny ankles and feet so I'm going to have to add some more oomfit. Luckily I bought two tubes before they ran out of stock again.
I feel I can use some more oomfit around my ankle and heel area. Not entirely sure how I should evaluate the tongue area but I experience no pain or instep issues.

After initial boot up I have to tighten the top two buckles after a run or two. (I can close them to the forth setting now after I skied for a while but keep them at the third notch for comfort)I struggled to get them closed at all when they were new but I can now close them easily.
I got very high set calves and skinny lower legs and the liners are pretty roomy around that area unfortunately.

Getting in and out of them is fairly easy but obviously more involved than regular liners. I managed to squish the toe area on one of my sidas custom insoles because I forced my foot in the shells even thought I felt something was not quite right so I skied with the insole squished against the toe box which deformed it a bit but It's fixable.

Question: Has anyone tried using them without laces and just keeping them inside the shells for resort cruising with the fam?

Also they didn't make me a better skier (though still the best on the mountain obviously) /s

 

[Doublegreen]

Some have tried them without laces and left them in, but many have warned that if you leave them in the shell there’s a good chance you can rearrange the cork in the heel pocket when trying to squeeze in. YMMV.

Sounds like have similar feet to you. they recommend not adding cork to the heel pocket, at least at first. Start with tongue for heel hold problems. For me, on My achilles, I added a quarter tube on each side because I had no contact there and I worked the cork into the doughnut pocket for Achilles, problem solved.

 

[Skisolo]

Some have tried them without laces and left them in, but many have warned that if you leave them in the shell there’s a good chance you can rearrange the cork in the heel pocket when trying to squeeze in. YMMV.

Sounds like have similar feet to you. they recommend not adding cork to the heel pocket, at least at first. Start with tongue for heel hold problems. For me, on My achilles, I added a quarter tube on each side because I had no contact there and I worked the cork into the doughnut pocket for Achilles, problem solved.

Thanks, I think I have the same Achilles issue.

 

[Doublegreen]

I have the Gara HV, super skinny legs and ankles

 

[salvatore]

Couple of points:
1. The new cork formulation seems to be more pliable than the previous version. This makes it much easier to move the cork around within the chambers, but also means there is greater risk of spreading the cork if you tried to leave the liners inserted in the shells. I personally prefer "racer entry" anyway, and once you get used to it I think it is quicker and easier.
2. Although the general consensus has always been to add cork to the tongue in order to improve heel hold, I have been working relentlessly to get my new Corsas to fit the way my WCSWs do, and ultimately I found the greatest improvement by really packing cork into the "donut" chamber. Once I did that, pushing it all the way up through the achilles and around the ankle, the liners finally feel just like my WCSWs.
3. Of course, the Corsas come with practically zero cork inserted, so this is also a factor to consider. I've put at least 4 tubes of Omfit in each liner thus far (although I've frankly lost count, and it could be closer to 5).

 

[Vinnie]

Anyone experience difficulties using Gara LVs with Atomic Hawx Ultra shell? New owner of Gara LVs. With foot in liner first, I feel like I am really deforming the lower shell overlap and cuff when putting on my boots. I’ve done an initial home fitting and plan on doing a complete mold with a local bootfitter in the next week.

 

[Doublegreen]

I felt that way with my Gara HV in my Tecnica Cochise‘s, it really splayed the overlap. Got them buckled and it’s no big deal.

 

[Vinnie]

I felt that way with my Gara HV in my Tecnica Cochise‘s, it really splayed the overlap. Got them buckled and it’s no big deal.

Does it still splay open now that you’ve put some days on it?

 

[AmyPJ]

Anyone experience difficulties using Gara LVs with Atomic Hawx Ultra shell? New owner of Gara LVs. With foot in liner first, I feel like I am really deforming the lower shell overlap and cuff when putting on my boots. I’ve done an initial home fitting and plan on doing a complete mold with a local bootfitter in the next week.

Once it's heated by a pro, I think you'll find it settles into the boot nicely.

 

[AmyPJ]

I'm back in my ZipFit liners in my Atomic Redster sti's because my foot measures a 20-21 in every way except length. So, my 22.5 boots are too big in the ankles. I had forgotten how incredibly precise these liners make skiing, however, I cannot STAND the tongues in the ZipFits. They don't contact my shin all the way to the top of the tongue. I had some dense foam padding added to the outside of the tongue this week, but it still doesn't contact me high enough. Does anyone have a workaround for this issue? I have Booster straps, and I cinch them down as tight and as high as I can, but they slide down after about 3 turns. Maybe I need two of them.

 

[locknload]

Had 10 quality ski days on my new Gara LV Zipfits now and here are some impressions.

Done park, steeps, little bit of trees and lotsa groomers.

They've been very comfortable since day one. Skied 10 hours with them on Saturday and my feet felt as good as new. (my legs on the other hand)
They are definitely more voluminous around the forefoot area than my stock Lange liners which was a huge plus for me as I like the locked in feel.

I have very skinny ankles and feet so I'm going to have to add some more oomfit. Luckily I bought two tubes before they ran out of stock again.
I feel I can use some more oomfit around my ankle and heel area. Not entirely sure how I should evaluate the tongue area but I experience no pain or instep issues.

After initial boot up I have to tighten the top two buckles after a run or two. (I can close them to the forth setting now after I skied for a while but keep them at the third notch for comfort)I struggled to get them closed at all when they were new but I can now close them easily.
I got very high set calves and skinny lower legs and the liners are pretty roomy around that area unfortunately.

Getting in and out of them is fairly easy but obviously more involved than regular liners. I managed to squish the toe area on one of my sidas custom insoles because I forced my foot in the shells even thought I felt something was not quite right so I skied with the insole squished against the toe box which deformed it a bit but It's fixable.

Question: Has anyone tried using them without laces and just keeping them inside the shells for resort cruising with the fam?

Also they didn't make me a better skier (though still the best on the mountain obviously) /s

My laces are long gone. They are not necessary and they only make it more difficult to get in/out.

I have a "shoe"horn that I bought at Teton sports but I don't need it anymore. I can simply pry the tabs open down on the bottom part of the boot and wiggle my foot and then seat the tongue of the zip fit. Sometimes the tongue is pinched and hanging out of the boot and I just have to push it back in..wiggle my foot and everything is in correctly. Its a bit harder to do in the parking lot but still very do-able. This took me a bit to figure out but it was a game changer for me. All of the methods that involve putting the liner on first and sliding it into the boot, I just find to be an unnecessary hassle. If you can't picture this method, I'm happy to make a short video to show you. Mastering this method has made the Zips basically equivalent to a regular liner and just wee bit harder to get on my feet. Reversing it is easy to get my feet out.

 

[Drahtguy Kevin]

I'm back in my ZipFit liners in my Atomic Redster sti's because my foot measures a 20-21 in every way except length. So, my 22.5 boots are too big in the ankles. I had forgotten how incredibly precise these liners make skiing, however, I cannot STAND the tongues in the ZipFits. They don't contact my shin all the way to the top of the tongue. I had some dense foam padding added to the outside of the tongue this week, but it still doesn't contact me high enough. Does anyone have a workaround for this issue? I have Booster straps, and I cinch them down as tight and as high as I can, but they slide down after about 3 turns. Maybe I need two of them.

Have you tried fastening the Booster against the liner on the inside of the shell plastic? Do you use the top strap that ZipFit sends in the liners? That would cinch the tongue against your leg.

 

[Doublegreen]

Does it still splay open now that you’ve put some days on it?

No, everything goes back to normal when I take the shell off. The Cochise has soft and pliable plastic in that area for use of entry and exit so YMMV

 

[Brad J]

they slide down after about 3 turns.

is the booster strap above the top buckle , directly on the liner?

 

[raytseng]

@AmyPJ

Some pics may help us understand the setup, and if we can spot any adjustments

Have you put at least some cork into the tongues? It can help a little bit with contact.

Agree with the other advice, if you have extra space you need to take up, you can put the booster under the plastic to take up the space, on top of the zipfit velcro strap.
Which model booster did you get? Perhaps you need to go up 1 level with another layer of elastic to both take up volume and less flex; if it is not giving you enough support

Also, I hear you saying that you've cinched it tight, but I don't see how it can slide down, even if you're setting it at a diagonal above the plastic, since the booster should be under a little bit of stretch when you're tightening it up.
I find when I do up my booster, I have to be sure lean back to make sure my liner/leg is truly at back of boot . Do you have a gap at the back of boot in your regular skiing position, perhaps you need a spoiler there?

 

[AmyPJ]

Have you tried fastening the Booster against the liner on the inside of the shell plastic? Do you use the top strap that ZipFit sends in the liners? That would cinch the tongue against your leg.

I fasten it against the liner, above the shell. I think I got rid of those straps. Too much to fiddle with but maybe that was a bad idea.

is the booster strap above the top buckle , directly on the liner?

Yes.

@AmyPJ

Some pics may help us understand the setup, and if we can spot any adjustments

Have you put at least some cork into the tongues? It can help a little bit with contact.

Agree with the other advice, if you have extra space you need to take up, you can put the booster under the plastic to take up the space, on top of the zipfit velcro strap.
Which model booster did you get? Perhaps you need to go up 1 level with another layer of elastic to both take up volume and less flex; if it is not giving you enough support

Also, I hear you saying that you've cinched it tight, but I don't see how it can slide down, even if you're setting it at a diagonal above the plastic, since the booster should be under a little bit of stretch when you're tightening it up.
I find when I do up my booster, I have to be sure lean back to make sure my liner/leg is truly at back of boot . Do you have a gap at the back of boot in your regular skiing position, perhaps you need a spoiler there?

I’ve added two tubes of cork to each tongue. I’m in the WC I believe. I wish it had a removable tongue. I’d swap the Atomic tongue in there.

 

[abdul]

I'm back in my ZipFit liners in my Atomic Redster sti's because my foot measures a 20-21 in every way except length. So, my 22.5 boots are too big in the ankles. I had forgotten how incredibly precise these liners make skiing, however, I cannot STAND the tongues in the ZipFits. They don't contact my shin all the way to the top of the tongue. I had some dense foam padding added to the outside of the tongue this week, but it still doesn't contact me high enough. Does anyone have a workaround for this issue? I have Booster straps, and I cinch them down as tight and as high as I can, but they slide down after about 3 turns. Maybe I need two of them.

I went through something similar with the Gara LV liner... I switched away from the Booster/elastic strap becasue i didnt like the "give" in the elastic and it felt like the top of the tongue was "loose" against my leg. Maybe try a solid strap instead. (the cam buckle on the stock CS130 strap always slipped and loosened up a little when i skied which is why i switched it out)

Also ended up tightening up the top buckle 1 notch more than normal to snug up the fit more. (after adding a couple of tubes of cork in each tongue)

I need to try it again, but i also skied for a day with a driver plate between the tongue and shell. That seemed to tie in the liner and shell better at the top of the boot (and bumped up the stiffness). I also wondered how difficult it would be to take out the zipfit tongue and velcro in the stock atomic tongue

 

[Doublegreen]

Did some people try putting a spoiler on the outside of the tongue near the top to fix this? I swear I saw that

 

[AmyPJ]

Did some people try putting a spoiler on the outside of the tongue near the top to fix this? I swear I saw that

I've done that with moderate success.