Fitting ZipFit Ski Boot Liners - Our Shop Fit

This is how we fit ZipFits at our shop in Carbondale and Aspen. We hope this can be a resource for shops and skiers dialing in their fit at home. The main consideration is "Don't overheat your liners!" ZipFits are not meant to be warmed up much above 150º F, but we typically only warm them to between 100-120º F. If you have questions, visit www.zipfit.com/fitting or leave a comment/ give us a call.

[@seanstarky]

If you are watching this video and you are on the fence, just buy the liners. Honestly I would stop skiing if I couldn't ski with a ZipFit liner. I was that guy that had to stop and unbuckle and buckle on the top of the run. Haven't had deal with that since I starting running a ZipFit. My boots fit a 100 percent better and I feel locked into the ski. Putting the liner on then in the boot is not an issue, if this is an issue for you, you need to get your life together.

[@taprackbang8516]

I skied in ZipFits for the first time today and it was the most painful day of skiing in my life. The pain was nearly unbearable.

[@denisobrien699]

The cork/silicone mix needs time and warmth to mold to your feet and ankles. Either ski for a week in them or get them set up by a boot fitter, they work !

[@antonsailer1346]

@@taprackbang8516 hallo brauchen etwas zeit bis sie eingefahren sind aber dann supergeil evtl die schale etwas nach arbeiten lassen,war bei mir dass gleiche, aber nach zweimal bootfitting past der schuh super fahre einen dalbello drs 130 mit zipfit gara lv und heizsohle muss dazu sagen bei mir ist das linke srunggelenk dicker. viel spaß

[@Skedawg88]

Mine are comfortable. I have never had an issue.

[@wrenchesandcars5161]

So I stopped skiing around 6 years ago after 23 years on skis. My feet hurt so bad. I want to get back on skis this year and I’m on the fence. I always had to unbuckle my boots at the end of every run and was in constant pain. I would ski every run hard than have to take my boots off after about 4 runs and take a break

[@Skedawg88]

I have a pretty high volume foot and normal calves. I use the Corsa race liner, low volume. With the Cosa I can ski any boot last width from 98 mm to about 100. No issues. If I ski a factory liner then I need a 102 through a 104 mm liner. Even then I need to modify the liners some. ZipFits are just put ‘em on and go for me.

[@jefflacourse3344]

I'm in the process of getting my Gara LVs going with a new boot - the Hear Raptor 140 RS. The work will mainly be with the shell since at my 25.5 it is a 94 last. Have had some initial pressure points ground and punched in the shells. Need to get skiing in them. Also changed to a new footbed which, while posted, is quite a bit softer than my other one and seems to allow for a bit more foot articulation. Hoping this will alleviate the aching I used to get in my super posted up footbeds. The lines seems quite good but hard as hell to get into the shell. I may try leaving the liner in the shell.

[@zipfit9691]

Try stepping in this way or using a ski boot horn, it may help! kzbin.infoqJFMWENuudE?si=0G-m8XRtZLSr32Vk

[@sPGgwUxYrSd7Cf5H]

My experience with zip fit wasn’t ideal. The shop sold me a World Cup liner and it was extremely tight. So tight that I had trouble getting the boot closed up. I’m assuming I just needed the Gara lv as I ski a low volume boot but I’m not sure? Thankfully I was able to return them before skiing in them. Open to trying them again but we will see.

[@zipfit9691]

@@sPGgwUxYrSd7Cf5H Alex, please reach out to us at [phone], we'd love to learn more about your experience and make the best possible recommendation for you. Thanks for your note.

[@antonsailer1346]

zip fit absolut geil fahre den gara lv aber ich denke nur bestellen und selber einbauen ist nicht , es gehört ein super boot fitter dazu dann ist es absolute performance, super product aber in deutschland zu wenig bekannt auser bei fischer ski boots macht so weiter

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

Ok, why do we want a “high volume liner” IF he has a low volume foot, but bought a HV boot? Wouldnt that just duplicate the liner he already has (likely too big?)? Sorry for the questions but im trying to understand this.

[@mertanen1]

Gara High Volume liner means that it has more cork material than Gara Low Volume liner. Confusingly Gara High Volume doesn't mean the same thing as high volume ski boot. Gara High Volume was selected because it fills the wide boot better so the user with the small foot will not feel so loose in the boot. Hope this clarifies. 😊

[@yootoobguy101]

Is there a max width for the footbeds on any of these liners? My custom footbed pushes on the sides of the liner.

[@anthonyb.9336]

Zipfit liners? Do you take the liner out of the shell every time you put boots on? I am asking because I have Carv sensors in my shells and I am looking for an aftermarket replacement however I am concerned that constant insertion of a liner could damage the sensor pad or the wires

[@zipfit9691]

Hi Anthony, while we recommend skiers lace up their Zipfit first and then step into the ski boot shell, many customers choose to leave their Zipfits in their ski boots and step in. If you are skiing in a Zip with a leather interior (currently the Corsa and World Cup Sidewinder), the leather interior has too much resistance to step into the liner while it is in the shell. For these models of Zips, you have to lace them up first.

[@deetrane]

Very happy customer here. I have been mostly leaving my ZipFit Gara LV's inside my Full Tilt boots (with classic shell). I had to remove the power strap in order to use them with this shell. I also had removed the laces. The Full Tilt shell is quite cramped for this kind of liner, and I didn't think I would need the laces. Plus I thought the laces might add extra volume to what was already going to be a pretty tight fit with the Gara LV's. With this configuration, the fit was incredible. It turned the FT from a loose feel, despite its reasonably low volume, into a dialed-in, precision instrument. I had no problem getting the boots on and off while leaving the liners in place. I left them in the boots because I want my ZipFit's to last as long as possible. Full Tilt's have a number of fastener nuts inside the shell that hold on the buckles and the bi-lateral canting/hinge bolts for the uppers, and I'm afraid repeated rubbing against the liners while putting them in/out could shorten the life of the liner. The only issue I ran into was being able to correctly seat the lower part of the liner tongue inside the instep of the liner. On one foot in particular, this was causing a pressure point on the instep of my foot. To mitigate this, I put the laces back on the liners. This fixed that issue. But even with the laces, I did not have to resort to putting the liners on outside the boots, because with Full Tilts, the entire tongue and opening of the liner, and all of the laces, are fully exposed when the Full Tilt tongue is pulled forward. This would not be the case with a traditional 4-buckle shell. So my experiment with Full Tilts and ZipFit's has been a success. In case anyone out there is considering something similar.

[@Seektruth-59]

I preferred the Intuition wraps as I hated all the Velcro and laces and lace eyelets in the chin area.

[@miamiole]

And you will be replacing them after a season or two. Zipfits last forever.

[@Seektruth-59]

@@miamiole have mine for 7 years now and 100+ ski days - plenty for me.

[@nikolaossamaras1225]

100 ski days is a season for some people and they are not a lot@@Seektruth-59

[@kaipaulcarter]

Do the metal eyelets on the liners ever spark in the microwave? Or does the mass of the liner absorb enough energy to mitigate any damage from arcing?

[@zipfit9691]

Kai, sorry for the delay in response. We don't have any issues with the metal eyelets sparking.

[@zipperboy2008]

Mine are in the mail!

[@kevintjustice]

He slips that liner in the shell SO easily. I am struggling to get the liner into the shell with my foot in the liner. GFT in Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro. Suggestions?

[@Slitch-nl1]

Place the boot after your body and step in. It looks a bit like your doing a fitness exercise called the lunge.

[@zipfit9691]

Kevin, when I step into my Zero G Pro Tour with the GFT I use a ski boot horn every time. Mostly to prevent those two horns on the back of the boot from folding over.

[@kevintjustice]

Thanks -- I will get one and give it a try.@@zipfit9691

[@Skier_202]

Shouldn't he be better served in a LV boot from the get-go since he has LV feet? Then get a LV Gara once his liners pack out.

[@zipfit9691]

In this care, the skier already had this ski boot and was then looking to replace his liners. You are correct, he likely should have been fit in a lower volume ski boot to begin with. We do our best to pair the ZipFit with the skiers foot and boot.

[@Skedawg88]

My thoughts as well.

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

Im confused. First, he bought a “high volume” boot. Zip fit said he had a “Low Volume” foot. Second, he said let’s figure out which liner model to chose. I’m then thinking it will be a liner that fills up a lot of space and maybe even balloons out towards the plastic shell a little. But then he analyzes the toes and talks about not wanting a boot too tight on the toes, Otherwise they’ll curl up.”. Third, and this really got me confused, he then says, “there’s no reason to have a lot of space near the toes”. But, wasn’t he just saying, “you DON’T want them to curl up”?? If he’s low volume foot but bought a high volume boot, doesn’t he need to make everything a lot smaller?

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

Is it a too small of boot fit if the liners DO make the toes curl slightly when put on and while skiing, barely toughing the end of the boots?

[@zipfit9691]

@@mrslkungpowchikn1206 Thanks for your questions. First off, the volume of the ZipFit is not going to change the fit of the toe box. When we are talking about selecting the right SIZE liner, we talk about the toes not being scrunched up or curled over at all. But the size of the liner refers to the length of the liner, while the volume refers to the amount of cork composite fill around the ankles, over the instep, and through the tongue. All ZipFit liners have the same toe box construction, neoprene, merino wool, and Thinsulate -- a combination that allows the toe box to conform to the width of the skiers foot. Okay, with that said, the volume of the liner is meant to reflect the skiers foot shape and the volume of the ski boot shell. With this skier, his foot is on the narrower side, yet he owned a mid to high volume boot. While some skiers buy their ZipFits before selecting new ski boot shells, most skiers are coming to ZipFit for replacement liners. In this case, the higher volume liner is going to take up more room in the ski boot shell and be the better fit for his lower volume foot.