Which model Zipfit?

[Floyd47]

I received the new ones, and after fiddling with (and wearing) them for a few hours, I'm finally home. I did some oven baking just to make the plastic panels conform a bit better to the shells, and they will definitely need some cork before skiing, mainly in the "upper back pocket" and down towards the heel, as well as just some in the tongue, but they are a different liner, definitely, from the "92" model. Much, much skinnier overall.

So sounds like the current Corsa model similar in volume to the liner from your Dobermann plug?

 

[fatbob]

The price uptick is a big problem in the UK. There was never widespread distn but now almost no one is taking the risk of stocking them. And we're probably still cheaper than the US.

Bringing folk in who understand a bit about marketing is good ( when Sven clearly didn't) but at the same time killing growth is a bit hmm.....

 

[arildGFB]

So sounds like the current Corsa model similar in volume to the liner from your Dobermann plug?

Yep. My dobies weren't plugs, though, but similar in volume to rossi/lange plug liners, maybe a tad more voluminous.

 

[Noodler]

I've always wondered why there haven't been more stock liners that have the ability to have their volume adjusted. Of course there's Head Liquid Fit, but I think everyone agrees that system is not great. It's not like ZipFit has a patent on using cork compounds in liners. I have the feeling that it's this issue with the "first fit" comfort. The manufacturers want a liner that feels great when the boot is put on in a store, not a liner that performs well over time.

 

[arildGFB]

I've always wondered why there haven't been more stock liners that have the ability to have their volume adjusted. Of course there's Head Liquid Fit, but I think everyone agrees that system is not great. It's not like ZipFit has a patent on using cork compounds in liners. I have the feeling that it's this issue with the "first fit" comfort. The manufacturers want a liner that feels great when the boot is put on in a store, not a liner that performs well over time.

Agreed. The French outfit Ultimate Fit tried something of a hybrid between Zip and Intuition, using cork placements and ultralon foam, but ultimately reverted to using only ultralon foam. I guess one issue might be the ten days a year skier, for whom the stock liner will work for five years until they scrap the boot(since the liner turned to crap).

I'm really glad Zipfit exists, and the quality is unbeatable. What I, maybe irrationally, fear, is that true competition might force Zip to compromise on material quality in order to compete on price.

 

[David]

I've always wondered why there haven't been more stock liners that have the ability to have their volume adjusted.

My Nordica GP in the mid 90's had a pocket aroung the ankle & lower leg for something. I don't recall what my shop used but when they injected it the fit took a huge step up!

 

[salvatore]

What I, maybe irrationally, fear, is that true competition might force Zip to compromise on material quality in order to compete on price.

First sign things start going downhill, I'll purchase two or three backup pairs of liners. That should get me to the end of my days!

 

[Wade]

I just purchased my 4th pair of Zipfits. The first ones were Grand Prixs which I bought at Snowbird in an effort to fix a pair of boots that didn’t fit as well as they should have. That was 9 years ago and I want to say I paid something around $350. I just bought a pair of Garas for $485. That’s an annual price increase of 3.5%. They’re really expensive, but I don’t think annual increases of 3.5% are outrageous or even high relative to other ski related items.

 

[Floyd47]

Agreed. The French outfit Ultimate Fit tried something of a hybrid between Zip and Intuition, using cork placements and ultralon foam, but ultimately reverted to using only ultralon foam. I guess one issue might be the ten days a year skier, for whom the stock liner will work for five years until they scrap the boot(since the liner turned to crap).

I think you’re right. The ability for Zips to last 400-500 days isn’t going to be relevant for a lot of skiers. And if these types of skiers want to upgrade liners, they can get an Intuition for $200 or Atomic Professional foam injected liner for $300. Both of those are good to go on day 1 and will still last more days than they’ll ski in the next 5-10 years.

 

[Jeronimo]

Whatever the reason, they are rapidly pricing themselves out of the market for most skiers. They make it a very difficult proposition now to buy the liner for $500 on top of the cost of a boot. Stock liners are vastly improving. They're still not at the level of a ZipFit, but they're getting good enough to sway the value proposition back toward the "why bother replacing my stock liner" side. ZipFit is kind of out of touch with what's happening in the market and with their competition. I would be really surprised if they couldn't actually get more competitive with their pricing if they wanted to. Their actual overhead, being a very small company, is probably quite low given their comparative global market reach.

What they have going for them currently is a grass roots marketing campaign. Between the changes to the web site, and Jeff really getting out there with video and podcast interviews, folks who had no idea what a ZipFit liner was, are now coming into the fold. The report from the latest Blister Summit is that ZipFit was literally the "talk of the town". Blister has been pushing hard for the past couple years on the benefits of the ZipFit liner and it definitely has gained traction.

Well, I think they made a very wise decision to get ahead of this by linking up with Fischer. The best way they can stave off pricing themselves out of a market is to not be a SECONDARY option when buying a ski boot. If their cost is baked into the boot/liner initial cost, that will be waaaaaaaaaay more palatable.

 

[David]

Well, I think they made a very wise decision to get ahead of this by linking up with Fischer. The best way they can stave off pricing themselves out of a market is to not be a SECONDARY option when buying a ski boot. If their cost is baked into the boot/liner initial cost, that will be waaaaaaaaaay more palatable.

They also come with Daleboot's.

 

[Paul Frede]

Nice to see they are putting Velcro on the cuff of the new ‘24 models. I wish mine from last year had it.

 

[locknload]

View attachment 214616
Nice to see they are putting Velcro on the cuff of the new ‘24 models. I wish mine from last year had it.

This is nice...so you can attach those spoilers if you want to.

 

[Paul Frede]

This is nice...so you can attach those spoilers if you want to.

Definitely. Those of us with high ROM want more forward lean. It’s easier to seam rip the Velcro off if you don’t need it than it is to attach a spoiler some other way.

 

[locknload]

Definitely. Those of us with high ROM want more forward lean. It’s easier to seam rip the Velcro off if you don’t need it than it is to attach a spoiler some other way.

I typically just wrapped that top strap around it...but it would always fall out. I'm rolling without spoilers for awhile, but its nice to know I can add them back in if needed.

 

[Paul Frede]

 

[Noodler]

View attachment 214616
Nice to see they are putting Velcro on the cuff of the new ‘24 models. I wish mine from last year had it.

I noticed that they've also changed the heels. I had to go to the original pic and zoom in, but it's clear that they've eliminated the heater cable slot and now it looks like they have simply extended the sole to have a "tab" that comes up over the heel patch.

 

[Floyd47]

I noticed that they've also changed the heels. I had to go to the original pic and zoom in, but it's clear that they've eliminated the heater cable slot and now it looks like they have simply extended the sole to have a "tab" that comes up over the heel patch.

The pair of Gara LVs I bought in March 2023 were like that, but mine don’t have the Velcro for a spoiler…. I wish they did!

@Jeff@ZipFit , thanks for updating the pictures of the different liner models and including pictures from multiple angles. Very helpful!

 

[Wade]

I noticed that they've also changed the heels. I had to go to the original pic and zoom in, but it's clear that they've eliminated the heater cable slot and now it looks like they have simply extended the sole to have a "tab" that comes up over the heel patch.

Yep, there’s definitely a tweak to the design there in the pair I just had delivered. I’m assuming it’s aimed at making that area more durable given it’s an area of the liner that potentially rubs against the boot when getting in and out of boots.

They also changed the material in the area immediately surrounding it from regular leather to suede or it may be a microfiber suede equivalent.

 

[smctigue]

The new Corsa pairs well with my Lange ZA.