 Poster: A snowHead
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I've had a pair of boots fitted and altered at Profeet and after years and literally thousands (well one and a half) I have now found a virtually pain-free pair of boots that keep my feet in place.
The only problem I have is a bit of heel lift. It is between 1/3 and 1/2 an inch if I really lean forward .
I do like my feet to be locked in as much as possible.
Does anyone out there know if a bit of heel lift is to be expected anyway or should your foot be completely locked in?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I prefer no movement at all. I bought boots in Profeet a couple of season ago, and after about 100 days skiing in them (almost pain-free) the liners had compressed enough to allow some heel lift. Rather than get new boots I ditched the liners and replaced them with Zipfit liners from CEM. Best things I've ever bought for skiing! Amazing foot hold (feels like you're welded to the ski), and once the liners fully conformed to my foot shape I get no pain at all (for the first time in any pair of boots I've used). Can't recommend them highly enough 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rob@rar, hmm, that's interesting. What sort of price? I can't have any new boots this year because I bought expensive board boots.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Lizzard, I can't remember exactly, but around £100 I think.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You could also try foam liners - I had some Zipfits fitted in my boots (similarly suffering from packed out liners after 100days+) and although they were comfortable and secured my feet I found it very difficult to flex the boot with them in. As a result I removed them and have just had some foam liners made and they are perfect. My feet are held securely, the boot flex is as it was before and I also have much more control/response from the ski
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Jack Hallam, I had a shaped packing piece cut and fitted onto my liners, it sort of cups above and around my ankles from the rear. The boot fitter in Borg St Maurice (to the left of railway station if I remember) did them at the same time as he made me moulded insoles. I can now leave my boots fairly loose with no heel lift. Most boot fitting shops should be able to do this fairly cheaply so they may be worth a try before spending more on complete new liners.
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BGA, By these, I take it you mean foam injection liners. I've always fancied these but have been put off by what oythers think of them. Where did you have them done? I might give them a call.
Cheers
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I had mine done at Surefoot in Verbier, although I have friends who have had it done at Profeet with similarly good results (I originally bought the boots and footbeds from Profeet but logistics prevented me from going there to get the liners done) My take on it is that if it's done by someone who knows what they are doing, and it's done in a well fitting boot and not in an attempt to make a poor fitting boot fit better then it works very well. The process itself is a little strange, the sensation of the foam whizzing round the liner is odd to say the least. I have to say that I was encouraged when I walked into the shop to see three of the local ESS instructors having their boots foam injected at the same time as me. I would give Profeet a call and see what they say. The people I know who have had it done there had it done by Mike (the Canadian guy) and are very happy with the results
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Anyone know how the foam-injected liners compare to the Zipfit liners?
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rob@rar, CEM will know for sure! He has just transformed Mr HH boots (who was sufferring from heel lift) by the judicious addition of a few well placed additions to the liners. His advice was not to go for new liners until Mr HH has replaced his oversize shell with ones better suited to his foot! So Jack Hallam get yourself off to a good bootfitter and get some advice....no need to lash out hundreds of pounds if you don't have to!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Jack Hallam, Pain free boots are what you are looking for!!, the lift you get could be down to many things, is it when you just flex forward as if you were skiing or do you really have to throw yourself up and forward.
first thing to do is to try tightening the clip just above the ankle a little see if that makes a difference, if that is not enough get to a shop and have some pads put onto the liner to envelope the heel / ankle area, pretty much any shop will be able to do this...., if your calf muscle is very tight then you may need a small heel lift inserted in the boot , but without having someone check thisit is difficult to say.
as for zip fit or foam, they are performance liners, if you have lumps / bnumps on your feet that have not been contained / accomodated by normal boot fitting techniques then they are an option, or if you are looking for out and out precision then again they are a good option do note that
A. they are not suitable for everyone.
B. they come at a cost ...£160-£200
sometimes shops offer a discount when you buy a boot / liner package
rob@rar, as for comparing the foam and zip fit liners, the PU foam is a static mould of the foot it offers a very tight precision fit and can be used [with care] to fill voids in the shell, some people find foam a cold liner although i never had any problems when i have used them, the fit is long lasting but cannot be transfered to a new shell unless it is the same shape / model ie. you could move it from an X wave shell into another X wave shell, but not from the X wave to a nordica speed machine.
zip fir is a dynamic mould [ it keeps moulding every time you ski in it] it is normnally found to be warmer than foam [debatable], the liner is not quite as good at shaping round big problem areas. as for grip.... i don't need to explain to you how well they grip your feet, and has the advantage of being transferable between different shells with a small amount of heating of both the liner and the shell. additional material can be added to the liner should it feel loose after a lot of skiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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CEM, is there any difference in comfort levels between PU foam and Zipfits? My new Zipfits are extremely comfortable despite securing my foot like no boot I've ever skied in before
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Jack Hallam, taking on board this thread and borrowing a bit from your other, I have Xwave 10's with zipfit liners.
The shell fit was pretty good before I put the Zipfits in, but the liners had started to pack out which meant my feet moved around more and heel lift increased. After the zipfits were put in I felt the overall flex stiffened up a bit, but I've had zero heel lift - or any other foot movement - since.
I do mean zero heel lift though - no matter how hard I try the heels just can't be lifted. The liners are also comfortable and warm, if a tad large for the shells IMHO. Packing out of zipfits seems minimal and as they have custom footbeds in them I should be able to move the whole thing over to newer boots in future.
Cheaper than new boots, but a dearer option than just a bit of extra padding.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Having experienced both Zipfits and foam injection liners in the same boot shell my vote (as seen in posting above) is for foam. The Zipfits were comfortable and secured my foot but as marc gledhill says the Zipfits are pretty bulky and this seems to effect both the flex of the boot and, to me anyway, the 'feel' through the boot into the ski. Foamed liners are also slightly bulkier than stock liners but IMO much less than Zipfits and so have less effect on the flex and made me feel much more connected to the ski. What made me ditch the Zipfits after persevering with them for quite a while was the thread on Plug boots. Reasoning - if the ultimate in performance and feel is gained by close fitting shells and thin liners then putting a whacking great leather lined lace up inner boot in the shell which has inherent stiffness is achieving the opposite. Just my thoughts on the matter for what they are worth
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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BGA, just one question how long ago did you get your zip fit liner...? there have been pretty major improvements to the zip fit for this season, which have resulted in a slimer fit and a version designed for plug boots, the older versions [even upto last season] were indeed pretty bulky..... but as i have said before it is not right for everyone 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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CEM, it's this year's model. Tried taking the laces out to reduce bulk but no joy. The base of the tongue and the part on top of my foot seems to me to be the problem, it's really bulky and made of hard leather and when it's in the boot it just prevents me from flexing the boot forward. The foamed liner is also slightly bulkier than a stock liner but much less than the Zipfit. I think another issue is that the shell of my boot is quite low volume and close fitting over the top part of my foot and instep and so there isn't really the room for the Zipfit. When I take the foamed liner out and compare it with the Zipfit it is this area where there seems to be the major difference in shape
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Zipfit can be a great solution, we've stopped doing it through supply and incompatibility with modern shell shapes. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Looks like I might be in Cham for a long weekend at the end of March/erly April. Will you be around to sell me some good snowboard boots at the time?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Nice one, I need some that lock my feet in, preferably heat moulded so they (my feet) don't want to leave the boots every time I turn!
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FAQ
We have a few odds and ends, but i can point you in the right direction as to where and what to buy, and then fit them for you. 