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jmills115

Making fresh tracks
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Apr 25, 2017
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1,158
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Salt Lake City, Utah
Is anyone finding the World Cup Sidewinder overly stiff?
It was the only model the local dealer had in stock so I went with them.
These are my first zip fits and I use them all mountain / all conditions.
I find them overly jarring in some situations compared to Intuitions and stock liners.
Like I'm getting bucked around way more than I should be.
Is that just the nature of zip fits?
I wonder if it’s how you are buckling in.
I run Booster Straps under my shell, pull them tight and then latch the upper cuff buckle just so it’s not flopping around.
There have been times where the I flex the Booster and then hit the looser upper buckle and have gotten jarred a bit. I have unbuckled the top buckle or gone one ladder tighter and the jarring stopped. This is more a user issue than with the Zipfit.
 

Skisolo

Putting on skis
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Joined
Sep 27, 2022
Posts
55
Location
sweden
Just fitted my Gara LV at home, in Lange RS120 LV boots. I baked them slightly at 50 degrees in a convection oven before putting in my footbeds and in to the boots.

They fit suspiciously easy into my boots with only minor bear trap splay but i could fairly easily close the top two buckles. After just a minute I could cranked them up to 3 without much force.
Reading what other users here are experiencing I'm thinking I should've gone the Gara HV liner route?

Instep feels great and forefoot good. I can fit my thumb between the back of the liner and my calves (high set calves) which I had hope to eliminate but it's there even if i crank my booster strap up, but not a big issue for me.
I can feel some air around my Achilles tendon and ankle. Not sure if the cork material will move around and fill this up better?
I'm wearing very thin compression socks which are the ones i prefer to ski in but I'm sure my "normal" thicker socks would fill them up a fair bit more.

Seeing as I've only worn them inside for like 40 minutes they feel almost too comfortable (and VERY warm lol).

Gonna see if I got time to hit the local mini mountain tomorrow and ski them a bit.

Should I exchange for HV liners or ski them a bit and maybe get more oomfit to put in them?
 

abdul

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Mar 6, 2022
Posts
76
Location
california
Just fitted my Gara LV at home, in Lange RS120 LV boots. I baked them slightly at 50 degrees in a convection oven before putting in my footbeds and in to the boots.

They fit suspiciously easy into my boots with only minor bear trap splay but i could fairly easily close the top two buckles. After just a minute I could cranked them up to 3 without much force.
Reading what other users here are experiencing I'm thinking I should've gone the Gara HV liner route?

Instep feels great and forefoot good. I can fit my thumb between the back of the liner and my calves (high set calves) which I had hope to eliminate but it's there even if i crank my booster strap up, but not a big issue for me.
I can feel some air around my Achilles tendon and ankle. Not sure if the cork material will move around and fill this up better?
I'm wearing very thin compression socks which are the ones i prefer to ski in but I'm sure my "normal" thicker socks would fill them up a fair bit more.

Seeing as I've only worn them inside for like 40 minutes they feel almost too comfortable (and VERY warm lol).

Gonna see if I got time to hit the local mini mountain tomorrow and ski them a bit.

Should I exchange for HV liners or ski them a bit and maybe get more oomfit to put in them?
If you can, ski them a bit and then see if you need more cork added (or push it around if there's too much pressure in some areas and not enough cork in the back).

I found the new liners to be a lot thinner around the cuff so added 3mm foam around the calf, in addition to more cork in the tongue.
 

Skisolo

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Sep 27, 2022
Posts
55
Location
sweden
Some initial impressions of the Gara LV.
The liner looks and feels very high quality and appears to be well thought out in design and materials.

The forefoot is lined with thick wool which made them very warm to wear indoors which bode good for cold skiing days.

I find them fairly easy to get in and out of the shell while wearing them and I don't need to do the "Ski racer knee down" maneuver.

I tried them without laces but with the strap on and keeping them in the shell as a regular liner and it was very easy to slide in and out. Not sure what performance i would leave on the table without laces on but they felt VERY comfortable worn that way.

I don't mind the power strap and will probably keep it on. Will definitely keep it on if i decide to ski without the laces.

That plastic "stealth" material on the outside seems high quality and grippy, never tried a leather one so can't compare but the material seems fine to me..

Wearing one stock Lange liner on one foot and a Gara on the other foot was quite a revelation, especially when assuming a bit of a skier stance. The heel got locked in hard on the gara (even without laces) compared to the stock liner. The stock liner do fit me reasonably well though.

With shells on, the difference between stock and Gara was also very obvious though the Gara LV isn't exactly plush the fit is much better around the whole foot.

Looking down in to the Gara liner it shows how the Oomfit pockets has molded to my foot and leg. There are pockets and dimples everywhere where there is oomfit whereas on the stock liner you just see the factory foam shape.
Not sure how well it comes across in the below photos.

IMG_6532.jpg IMG_6539.jpg
IMG_6540.jpg
 
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fatbob

Not responding
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
OK zipfitters. After about 80 very happy days on my freerides last week skiing excessive Tahoe pow ( and hitting the odd traverse) I got some big toe bang which resulted in a big blister over the end of the toe and now some rawness while it heals.

I've always liked the wiggle room in the liner. AIUI there is no scope for OM fit in the toe box so is the sution to lock the foot down harder in the heel through addition OM fit? Ideas welcome. I don't believe my liners should be done at 80 days though I'd believe it in a stock liner.1
 

abdul

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Mar 6, 2022
Posts
76
Location
california
OK zipfitters. After about 80 very happy days on my freerides last week skiing excessive Tahoe pow ( and hitting the odd traverse) I got some big toe bang which resulted in a big blister over the end of the toe and now some rawness while it heals.

I've always liked the wiggle room in the liner. AIUI there is no scope for OM fit in the toe box so is the sution to lock the foot down harder in the heel through addition OM fit? Ideas welcome. I don't believe my liners should be done at 80 days though I'd believe it in a stock liner.1
Maybe a little more cork at the bottom of the tongue to hold the foot back. Unless you're feeling slop on the sides of the ankle/heel then extra cork there probably won't do anything.

Getting thrown forwards/backwards in crud and on traverses is always going to play havoc with your feet.
 

Skisolo

Putting on skis
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Joined
Sep 27, 2022
Posts
55
Location
sweden
Got a chance to ski with my zipfits finally. Initial impressions for a first time user.
Only liner I have ever tried that felt good from the first minute. I usually get pain at the sole of my feet for the first hour but nothing with zip fits. They fit really good all over and the only hot spot was the end of the fifth metatarsal (the bony portrusion at the midfoot). My old liners had packed out there to alleviate this but not sure if there is any material there on zipfits to mold or pack out. If it becomes a problem I'll fetch the dremel.

I'm going to ski them properly next weekend and see how they feel after a couple of days but initial impressions are they fit very tight and snug and my ski boots felt very responsive, it was almost jarring as i caught an outside edge several time which is not normally an issue.
Might be a user issue or maybe It's because I'm used to "more play" before edged engages?

In any case my feet feel great and we skied pretty hard today with no breaks and I kept buckles cranked the whole time.
 

Doublegreen

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Mar 14, 2023
Posts
139
Location
Minnesota
Does anyone know where I can buy some tubes of OMfit cork? I’m in Minnesota and there are no zipfit shops within 5 hours of me, which is hard to believe but nonetheless true. I talked with the guys at zipfit and they’re waiting for more.

I ordered the Gara HV for my Tecnica Cochise 130’s and did the home fit which went smoothly. I fought instep and heel hold issues with the stock liners, mostly in my left foot. The instep problems are gone but I still want more heel hold. My right foot is rock solid and feels great. With the liners off I can feel a noticeable difference in the achilles/ankle pocket with my hand (more room in the left foot). I’m thinking of adding some cork to the achilles/heel hold pocket and some to the tongue. I’ve skied them 5-6 times, any other suggestions?
 

Jersey Skier

aka RatherPlayThanWork or Gary
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Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Posts
1,956
Location
Metuchen, NJ
Does anyone know where I can buy some tubes of OMfit cork? I’m in Minnesota and there are no zipfit shops within 5 hours of me, which is hard to believe but nonetheless true. I talked with the guys at zipfit and they’re waiting for more.

I ordered the Gara HV for my Tecnica Cochise 130’s and did the home fit which went smoothly. I fought instep and heel hold issues with the stock liners, mostly in my left foot. The instep problems are gone but I still want more heel hold. My right foot is rock solid and feels great. With the liners off I can feel a noticeable difference in the achilles/ankle pocket with my hand (more room in the left foot). I’m thinking of adding some cork to the achilles/heel hold pocket and some to the tongue. I’ve skied them 5-6 times, any other suggestions?
Temporary fix, go old-school. Pad or tape to the outside of the liner to take up space. Tognar has various pads for heel hold.
 

fastnlight

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Posts
2
Location
VENTURA, CA
Just got my World Cup Sidewinders today. Zip Fit recommends using an electric oven as opposed to gas. Anyone know why? I have a gas oven.
 

raytseng

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Posts
3,330
Location
SF Bay Area
Yea probably too quick to overheat.

Set up the bottom rack and throw some thermal barrier and mass there like cast iron griddle if you have it, or heavy baking sheets and/or use silpat. And do your baking on the middle rack, so it's not directly exposed to the heating element.

If you do a lot of baking in your oven you probably are already be aware of your heating pattern though...if not consult with your inhouse baker. I won't preach to the choir if this is something you are already aware of.
 

gwat

Putting on skis
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Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Posts
61
I find them overly jarring in some situations compared to Intuitions and stock liners.
Like I'm getting bucked around way more than I should be.
Following up on this..
I think the stock cork was not enough volume for me and the fit was a bit loose (even with buckles cranked). I’ve put a few tubes of cork in the liners and the ride is much improved.
 

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