I was excited to see the title of this podcast. I bought a pair of sidewinders last year to replace a packed out stock liner and the difference was absolutely incredible. The closest description I can think of is it's like having your leg and ankle secured in place by comfy concrete, the power transmission and precision you gain is immediately noticeable. I will say, like Jeff says you do have to ski them a few times to get the OMFit to conform to your leg. And they have taken some tinkering my footbed properly shaped or getting my calves comfy volume wise, I ended up ditching the powerstraps as it was just too much stuff inside the shell. Getting the technique down for stepping into/out of the shells also took a little adjustment. I recently bought a pair of tecnica Mach 1 130LVs though and transferred the zipfits over without much issue. I still heat fitted the stock liners but they were so squishy and sloppy in comparison it was like night and day, so into the attic they went. I recently bought a pair of tecnica Mach 1 130LVs though and transferred the zipfits over without much issue which is nice. I'm not sure I can ever go back to a different type of liner, worth every penny IMO. I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on your new liners once you've gotten to spend some time in them Tom!
Absolut deiner meinung ,habe auch die Powerstraps weggelassen und die schuhbänder durch salomon Quicklase ersetztz die sind dünner, Fahrgefühl und Performance absolut Geil, Habe eine beheitzbare skischuhtasche sehr empfehlenswert einsteigen kein Problem, Viel Spass mit Zipfit
Interesting discussion around the "inside edge/outside edge" around 48:48, is this why some footbed makers take a suspended impression of your foot to avoid the arch collapse?
I am a 5’1” female with typical low athletic calf. I remember my early zipfit liner (don’t remember which year or which shell) did have a strap, but I don’t remember the laces. Did early zipfit liners have laces? I warmed up my liners each day & never had cold feet. Loved them! Unfortunately they got really smelly & I switched to other boot/liner combos. Never happy! I am hopefully returning to zipfits to see me into my later years of skiing!! I’m returning to Jacque of le feet lab in Winter Park, Co for this fitting & purchase. Wish me luck!
Been in Zipfit for 19 years. On liner #3. Still using liner #2 for some types of skiing. An absolute game changer, especially for someone like me with bird legs and ultra low ankle volume. Jeff, please bring back the leather interior Gara. The leather is the best way to go. My heels are glued to the back of the boot with my leathers.
The best way to buy a ZipFit is to go to a ski shop that has lots of experience in fitting ZipFits and have the boot fitter look at you feet and your shell and recommend the best model for your foot in your shell. What’s most important about picking the right ZipFit is relationship between the volume of your foot as it relates to the volume of the shell. It’s an over simplification to say that since that a person has a 96mm plug boot he/she should have a Corsa. If the person has an extremely narrow foot with no volume the Hara HV is probably a better choice in that plug boot. and visa versa. If a person in a 104 mm last shell and has an extremely high volume foot and ankle area he shouldn’t automatically get a Gara HV. He would probably be better off in a lower volume Zipfit.
Interested to see your update after 3 months...waiting for mine to arrive. Sadly though, it looks like there's no OMfit anywhere, so customizing it will have to wait.
@Tom Gellie - Big Picture Skiing - Hey Tom would these help with cold feet ?. Still waiting on the guy (from your video) with the VPECs to add that to ski boots :). But meanwhile looking for anything that can help overcome cold feet. You think these would be better than intuition liners?
Intuition are very warm liners. Possibly warmer than zipfit. However I’ve found the zipfits to be the best warmth whilst still performing well out there. It’s the wool lining on the inner plus the moldable liner allowing blood to flow. The zipfit guys are great if just contact them and ask if they think their liners would work in your particular boot. That’s an important piece as the type of boot you have makes a difference
Zipfit - Zero injection pressure. First zipfits were silicon injection then later Omfit cork. I will make more comments later as I have met Sven in 1979 and became a Superfeet rep ( with the great Scott Brooksbank) a couple of years later.
The best way to buy a ZipFit is to go to a ski shop that has lots of experience with fitting ZipFits and have the boot fitter look at you feet and your feet shell and recommend the best model for your foot in your shell. What’s most important about picking the right ZipFit is relationship between the volume of your foot as it relates to the volume of the shell. It’s an over simplification to say that since that a person has a 96mm plug boot he/she should have a Corsa. If the person has an extremely narrow foot with no volume the Hara HV is probably a better choice in that plug boot. and visa versa. If a person in a 104 mm last shell and has an extremely high volume foot and ankle area he shouldn’t automatically get a Gara HV. He would probably be better off in a lower volume Zipfit.
As far as I’m concerned Sven invented 3 out of 4 of best innovations ever invented in the ski world. 1) Custom footbeds. He developed Superfeet custom footbeds , one of the very first custom footbeds for ski boots. 2) ZipFit inner boots. Which are THE best things ever invented for skiing. 3) He helped develop the heated boot bag. The second best thing in skiing. The forth development is the shaped ski, which he did not invent, but probably had the concept in his brain.
Great info and thanks for sharing. Tom, curious about your thoughts now that you've had this product and knowing you want the precision to carve the way you do. I need to replace my liners so would very much appreciate the feedback.
I’m a full convert. Wouldn’t ski without them now. Love how my feet can perform really well inside the shell but still feel snug, not squeezed uncomfortably.
Tom, I know you are an active user and proponent of Carv. Have done videos for them etc... Everyone I know who has a lace up liner whether Zipfit or a competitor brand have to lace up their liner outside the boot and then insert it every time they gear up to ski. Carv are just taped to the boot board and it seems to me that constantly sliding a foot and liner over the carve sensor like that will cause the sensor to come loose and move. When you get yours and start using it, can you please comment on how that works for you? Here and/or in the Carv facebook group would be great. Thanks!
I’m also curious of Tom’s experience and tips. I use Carv in my ski boots with my Zipfit liners and what I did is I taped them onto the boot board with carpet tape. One season down and it’s been working perfectly!
Thanks for the podcast. Since you are going to be testing these liners out, could you do a video review regarding your experience with them, especially in comparison to regular foam-injected liners please.
Tom, did the Corsa fit in your Fischer Podiums out of the box or did you have to tinker with them further? I have 27.7 RC4 Podium and just ordered 27.5 Corsa.
I did a lot of work on my podiums before it fit. But that’s because I have to do that in any sort of race boot. The zipfit made it easier to fit if I’m honest though
I’m super interested in this. Been teaching for 28 seasons. Looking to dial back n fit so I can attain better balance. Wide 6th tie fit. Always a struggle.
@@Bigpictureskiingre there boots that don’t work well with them while other boot brands that don’t? I’m narrow fit 24.5 and female but in men’s boot For the cost I wish they had heaters also with replaceable battery! Why don’t they make just a form fit bed liner cork like I used to have? I have Nordica Pro Machine 130s being sent to ski shop and pray they can be made to work for me even though they are not quite narrow enough for me but they DO have the cork ankle inserts in them which made it attractive for me to try.
Jeff, Sven invented the cork fit liner back in the days of the Nordica Astral Slalom in the ‘70s. A customer could buy it foam injected or with a flo liner made of minced cork. I have Nordica liners from the ‘70s in my ski shop made with cork liners. The shells from that time have crumbled apart. Sven has refined the cork mixture over the years. And for a time Zipfits used a silicone injection option.
Was he the same guy who offered the custom cork liners in 1989 time frame? My boss at Mogul Mouse Ski Shop back in the day, made some for me and on the first 2 or 3 turns with them I noticed a MASSIVE difference in responsiveness!!! I am so mad at myself for throwing them away in my old boots because they had mold or mildew on them, not realizing how difficult it would be to ever find them again. It was like a Birkenstock footbed on steroids where, I think after getting the right size for your foot it would be heated in the special oven and then placed on your foot with a plastic bag around it and your foot and the air would be vacuumed out to suck the mold / shape into the bottom of your foot while standing up I believe. It was a long time ago so I’m a little foggy but used them for many years and LOVED them. Where can we find something like this again? The foot shops don’t have the ridged shape of my cork cast molds that I feel is what makes the difference!! Any edge to edge transition you feel responsive immediately as there is no room to move foot inside boot….it moves the whole boot and thus the skis! 😉👍🏼
So I grew up playing hockey, and hickey skates are made of leather. When I became a ski instructor, I couldn’t under why stock liners were such crap compared to my hockey skates. I had cork in leather for my skates. 35 years later, I still have my hockey skates.
Why add a leather treatment oil/ wax that may allow sliding in more easily? Is there something like that , that won't degrade the leather? Has it been tried?
Some skitalk forum members suggested silicone spray. I tried a zipfit at a 'top 100 bootfitter' who used the same, and it does help. Spray it on the inside of the boot shell.
If anybody has experience with regular foam-injected liners can you please inform me better on how exactly they fall apart, what becomes the problem with them, do they essentially become unskiable and worse than lent ski boots? Thank you for any insight on this.
I have been following all of the videos that have been posted lately about bootfitting, boot modifictions, ect. I may have missed it, but I do not recall if the topic of what signs to look for in your skiing that maybe impacted by improperly setup boots has been covered. For example, what would boots with too much or not enough forward lean cause you to feel while skiing? If it has been covered, could someone point me to the episode where I missed it?
Did a fitting last year. A beautiful and quality product, but unfortunately my toe touches the front of the liner, so I won't be a customer. If my toe touches the liner, the circulation gets cut off and eventually the bottom of my foot gets numb.
Seriously fantastically fascinating and so informative as well as presented as always. Thanks so much
I was excited to see the title of this podcast. I bought a pair of sidewinders last year to replace a packed out stock liner and the difference was absolutely incredible. The closest description I can think of is it's like having your leg and ankle secured in place by comfy concrete, the power transmission and precision you gain is immediately noticeable. I will say, like Jeff says you do have to ski them a few times to get the OMFit to conform to your leg. And they have taken some tinkering my footbed properly shaped or getting my calves comfy volume wise, I ended up ditching the powerstraps as it was just too much stuff inside the shell. Getting the technique down for stepping into/out of the shells also took a little adjustment. I recently bought a pair of tecnica Mach 1 130LVs though and transferred the zipfits over without much issue. I still heat fitted the stock liners but they were so squishy and sloppy in comparison it was like night and day, so into the attic they went. I recently bought a pair of tecnica Mach 1 130LVs though and transferred the zipfits over without much issue which is nice. I'm not sure I can ever go back to a different type of liner, worth every penny IMO.
I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on your new liners once you've gotten to spend some time in them Tom!
Absolut deiner meinung ,habe auch die Powerstraps weggelassen und die schuhbänder durch salomon Quicklase ersetztz die sind dünner, Fahrgefühl und Performance absolut Geil, Habe eine beheitzbare skischuhtasche sehr empfehlenswert einsteigen kein Problem, Viel Spass mit Zipfit
So glad you are getting a pair of Zipfit Tom and look forward to your take. I love ‘em!
Interesting discussion around the "inside edge/outside edge" around 48:48, is this why some footbed makers take a suspended impression of your foot to avoid the arch collapse?
I am a 5’1” female with typical low athletic calf. I remember my early zipfit liner (don’t remember which year or which shell) did have a strap, but I don’t remember the laces. Did early zipfit liners have laces? I warmed up my liners each day & never had cold feet. Loved them! Unfortunately they got really smelly & I switched to other boot/liner combos. Never happy! I am hopefully returning to zipfits to see me into my later years of skiing!! I’m returning to Jacque of le feet lab in Winter Park, Co for this fitting & purchase. Wish me luck!
Fantastic show.
Been in Zipfit for 19 years. On liner #3. Still using liner #2 for some types of skiing. An absolute game changer, especially for someone like me with bird legs and ultra low ankle volume.
Jeff, please bring back the leather interior Gara. The leather is the best way to go. My heels are glued to the back of the boot with my leathers.
Corty Lawrence at Footloose fitted my cork footbeds back in '86... still going strong
The best way to buy a ZipFit is to go to a ski shop that has lots of experience in fitting ZipFits and have the boot fitter look at you feet and your shell and recommend the best model for your foot in your shell. What’s most important about picking the right ZipFit is relationship between the volume of your foot as it relates to the volume of the shell. It’s an over simplification to say that since that a person has a 96mm plug boot he/she should have a Corsa. If the person has an extremely narrow foot with no volume the Hara HV is probably a better choice in that plug boot. and visa versa. If a person in a 104 mm last shell and has an extremely high volume foot and ankle area he shouldn’t automatically get a Gara HV. He would probably be better off in a lower volume Zipfit.
Interested to see your update after 3 months...waiting for mine to arrive. Sadly though, it looks like there's no OMfit anywhere, so customizing it will have to wait.
@Tom Gellie - Big Picture Skiing - Hey Tom would these help with cold feet ?. Still waiting on the guy (from your video) with the VPECs to add that to ski boots :). But meanwhile looking for anything that can help overcome cold feet. You think these would be better than intuition liners?
Intuition are very warm liners. Possibly warmer than zipfit. However I’ve found the zipfits to be the best warmth whilst still performing well out there. It’s the wool lining on the inner plus the moldable liner allowing blood to flow. The zipfit guys are great if just contact them and ask if they think their liners would work in your particular boot. That’s an important piece as the type of boot you have makes a difference
@@Bigpictureskiing Thanks.
Zipfit - Zero injection pressure. First zipfits were silicon injection then later Omfit cork. I will make more comments later as I have met Sven in 1979 and became a Superfeet rep ( with the great Scott Brooksbank) a couple of years later.
Thanks Brian, we'll pass along your hello to Sven!
Hey Brian, what is Scott doing these days?
The best way to buy a ZipFit is to go to a ski shop that has lots of experience with fitting ZipFits and have the boot fitter look at you feet and your feet shell and recommend the best model for your foot in your shell. What’s most important about picking the right ZipFit is relationship between the volume of your foot as it relates to the volume of the shell. It’s an over simplification to say that since that a person has a 96mm plug boot he/she should have a Corsa. If the person has an extremely narrow foot with no volume the Hara HV is probably a better choice in that plug boot. and visa versa. If a person in a 104 mm last shell and has an extremely high volume foot and ankle area he shouldn’t automatically get a Gara HV. He would probably be better off in a lower volume Zipfit.
@@zipfit9691jn 😮😮😮😊😊o.´9😊´😊😅ll ´´´sort sort ´
As far as I’m concerned Sven invented 3 out of 4 of best innovations ever invented in the ski world. 1) Custom footbeds. He developed Superfeet custom footbeds , one of the very first custom footbeds for ski boots.
2) ZipFit inner boots. Which are THE best things ever invented for skiing.
3) He helped develop the heated boot bag. The second best thing in skiing.
The forth development is the shaped ski, which he did not invent, but probably had the concept in his brain.
also the 3 piece boot, Raichle flexon (full tilt or now k2 fl3x)
Great info and thanks for sharing. Tom, curious about your thoughts now that you've had this product and knowing you want the precision to carve the way you do. I need to replace my liners so would very much appreciate the feedback.
I’m a full convert. Wouldn’t ski without them now. Love how my feet can perform really well inside the shell but still feel snug, not squeezed uncomfortably.
Tom, I know you are an active user and proponent of Carv. Have done videos for them etc... Everyone I know who has a lace up liner whether Zipfit or a competitor brand have to lace up their liner outside the boot and then insert it every time they gear up to ski. Carv are just taped to the boot board and it seems to me that constantly sliding a foot and liner over the carve sensor like that will cause the sensor to come loose and move. When you get yours and start using it, can you please comment on how that works for you? Here and/or in the Carv facebook group would be great. Thanks!
I’m also curious of Tom’s experience and tips. I use Carv in my ski boots with my Zipfit liners and what I did is I taped them onto the boot board with carpet tape. One season down and it’s been working perfectly!
Thanks for the podcast. Since you are going to be testing these liners out, could you do a video review regarding your experience with them, especially in comparison to regular foam-injected liners please.
I will do this
Tom, did the Corsa fit in your Fischer Podiums out of the box or did you have to tinker with them further? I have 27.7 RC4 Podium and just ordered 27.5 Corsa.
I did a lot of work on my podiums before it fit. But that’s because I have to do that in any sort of race boot. The zipfit made it easier to fit if I’m honest though
I’m super interested in this. Been teaching for 28 seasons. Looking to dial back n fit so I can attain better balance. Wide 6th tie fit. Always a struggle.
Tom- great content on your channel!!
How did the Zipfits work out for you? I would love to hear your thoughts!
They’re awesome. I love them. Warm comfy and the corsa is nice and thin to work in a high performance race boot
@@Bigpictureskiingre there boots that don’t work well with them while other boot brands that don’t? I’m narrow fit 24.5 and female but in men’s boot
For the cost I wish they had heaters also with replaceable battery! Why don’t they make just a form fit bed liner cork like I used to have? I have Nordica Pro Machine 130s being sent to ski shop and pray they can be made to work for me even though they are not quite narrow enough for me but they DO have the cork ankle inserts in them which made it attractive for me to try.
Great interview Tom. Now that you've skied in the Corsa for a few weeks. In you opinion. ARe they comfortable enough to ski all day in them?
Penultimate is the wrong term. Ultimate is correct. Penultimate is next to the ultimate but not ultimate. Just an FYI for Jeff
Jeff, Sven invented the cork fit liner back in the days of the Nordica Astral Slalom in the ‘70s. A customer could buy it foam injected or with a flo liner made of minced cork. I have Nordica liners from the ‘70s in my ski shop made with cork liners. The shells from that time have crumbled apart. Sven has refined the cork mixture over the years. And for a time Zipfits used a silicone injection option.
You failed to mention that Sven was Olympian. He competed in the modern pentathlon for Australia in the ‘56 Sydney games.
He is quite the human being.
Was he the same guy who offered the custom cork liners in 1989 time frame? My boss at Mogul Mouse Ski Shop back in the day, made some for me and on the first 2 or 3 turns with them I noticed a MASSIVE difference in responsiveness!!! I am so mad at myself for throwing them away in my old boots because they had mold or mildew on them, not realizing how difficult it would be to ever find them again. It was like a Birkenstock footbed on steroids where, I think after getting the right size for your foot it would be heated in the special oven and then placed on your foot with a plastic bag around it and your foot and the air would be vacuumed out to suck the mold / shape into the bottom of your foot while standing up I believe. It was a long time ago so I’m a little foggy but used them for many years and LOVED them. Where can we find something like this again? The foot shops don’t have the ridged shape of my cork cast molds that I feel is what makes the difference!! Any edge to edge transition you feel responsive immediately as there is no room to move foot inside boot….it moves the whole boot and thus the skis! 😉👍🏼
Tom do you happen to know the mm between ur heel and shell? Did you stay the same mondo size as your shell for your liner?
So I grew up playing hockey, and hickey skates are made of leather. When I became a ski instructor, I couldn’t under why stock liners were such crap compared to my hockey skates. I had cork in leather for my skates. 35 years later, I still have my hockey skates.
Why add a leather treatment oil/ wax that may allow sliding in more easily? Is there something like that , that won't degrade the leather? Has it been tried?
Some skitalk forum members suggested silicone spray. I tried a zipfit at a 'top 100 bootfitter' who used the same, and it does help. Spray it on the inside of the boot shell.
If anybody has experience with regular foam-injected liners can you please inform me better on how exactly they fall apart, what becomes the problem with them, do they essentially become unskiable and worse than lent ski boots? Thank you for any insight on this.
I have been following all of the videos that have been posted lately about bootfitting, boot modifictions, ect.
I may have missed it, but I do not recall if the topic of what signs to look for in your skiing that maybe impacted by improperly setup boots has been covered.
For example, what would boots with too much or not enough forward lean cause you to feel while skiing?
If it has been covered, could someone point me to the episode where I missed it?
Did a fitting last year. A beautiful and quality product, but unfortunately my toe touches the front of the liner, so I won't be a customer. If my toe touches the liner, the circulation gets cut off and eventually the bottom of my foot gets numb.