Att zipfit gurus!

Help! Could use some input on a frustrating issue I've been dealing with in my Garas:

I can't get the flex in my boots to feel the same. The left boot has a perfect flex - easy to get into the front of the boot and reliably bears weight on the shin, no shinbang, very reliable feeling. The right boot, however, feels much harder to get into the flex of the boot - much stiffer initial feeling, and worse shinbang.

Both zipfits have the same amount of cork in them - is this a distribution issue? need more cork in the right liner? less? the boots in question are shadow LV 130s. Any input would be welcome.

Your right heel back in the heel pocket the same?


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Curious if I'm the only one that wishes for a replaceable tongue for my Gara's. I'd love to run a Atomic tongue and have cork everywhere else. I feel like the cork squishes out of the lower shin where I need it to stay.

I would like the tongue to have two compartments for cork so it can’t migrate. Try doing your buckles up top down and then don’t over tighten your middle two buckles. I think it helps.

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Originally Posted by SnowMachine

Curious if I'm the only one that wishes for a replaceable tongue for my Gara's. I'd love to run a Atomic tongue and have cork everywhere else. I feel like the cork squishes out of the lower shin where I need it to stay.

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Yep I've had this same thought and problem. I've glued some foam to the outside of the lower tongue on mine.

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Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

Your right heel back in the heel pocket the same?


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yeah, they're both well seated in the heel pocket. cork distribution around both heels feels the same too.

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Originally Posted by flyingskiguy

yeah, they're both well seated in the heel pocket. cork distribution around both heels feels the same too.

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Interesting. Im not a zipfit versed dude as last season was my first in them but had a similar feeling. Reheated and made sure to smash my heel in and it corrected the issue. Hopefully you find an answer, very frustrating for sure.


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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

I would like the tongue to have two compartments for cork so it can’t migrate. Try doing your buckles up top down and then don’t over tighten your middle two buckles. I think it helps.

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I have the same wish. Keeping top buckle tight(er) seems to help some; still have to move the cork back down regularly, especially after warm days. Not sure additional cork would help or hurt.

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Originally Posted by [emoji638

FUNKY;[emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji639]][emoji637][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]][emoji640][emoji639][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji640]][emoji639]]Interesting. Im not a zipfit versed dude as last season was my first in them but had a similar feeling. Reheated and made sure to smash my heel in and it corrected the issue. Hopefully you find an answer, very frustrating for sure.


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Originally Posted by ASmileyFace

Question for those who have worked with Zipfit's more than me... Adding cork for more "heel hold", is there a time you add to the heel pocket rather than the tongue? I've got the slightest amount of heel lift after half a dozen days in these new to me Gara Stealth's. Zipfit had a video that says to add to the middle of the tongue first, but I am thinking this might be easier to fix by adding slightly to the ankle area. Probably hard to describe over the internet, but it feel like my achilles is a bit loose and I can lift my heel 5mm or so. Start by adding half a tube of cork to the tongue and go from there? Any other insights? Thanks!

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https://images.app.goo.gl/nxx8sWK92SQeneTp7

if this link works, the pocket on the left is what your ankle bladder looks like, with some tube manipulation you can "place" the cork in one of the zones depending where you need it
i was able to add 1/4 tube to each of the top chambers after about 250 days just to snug the ankle up

My only warning with adding cork to heel pockets in trying to solve heel lift is that it can have the opposite effect of what you’re intending, meaning that the extra cork added to heel/achilles area will push your heel forward. I actually removed cork from Achilles area to get my heal further back and added cork to the tongue. It was better, but not great. Then I measured the circumference of my left ankle and it was quite a bit smaller than my right to my surprise. I stuck foam to inside of the tongue right above where my ankle flexes and problem solved.

Foam is fine, but why?

Fill the tongue with the cork you removed from the heel if you need to take up volume at your instep to keep your heel in place.

I did add the cork that I removed but it was small amount and not enough. Zipfit was out of cork in the middle of season, this was a couple years ago when they always ran out. In my opinion, a little cork either way goes a mile in the heel/ankle/achilles area. It's not the same in the tongue area and it tends to migrate more. The foam was perfect.

First full day skiing in new gara lvs. Oh boy, tight. Figured out not to touched the tongue as it was folding over in my boot. Might need some cork pulled from instep, but honestly these things feel really great.

any reason i shouldn't buy a gara hv and take out and redistribute cork as needed vs buying the lv +cork kit?

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

any reason i shouldn't buy a gara hv and take out and redistribute cork as needed vs buying the lv +cork kit?

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None whatsoever. This is the way.

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

any reason i shouldn't buy a gara hv and take out and redistribute cork as needed vs buying the lv +cork kit?

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That worked for me. I never had to remove any cork, only redistribute it in the ankle pockets (massaging it from the back/bottom of the pocket to the front and top). First fitting had me thinking I made a really bad decision, but following the advice here and on newschoolers, all worked out fine.

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

any reason i shouldn't buy a gara hv and take out and redistribute cork as needed vs buying the lv +cork kit?

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Annoyance. Removing cork is relatively easy it just makes for a more challenging fitting and hard to make each liner symmetrical.

How much are they selling the cork for? We give two tubes of cork with each liner and free fitting/tweaking.

Hey gurus. Looking at purchasing some used 26.5’s Garas (unsure if they’re HV’s or LV’s). Would be shipping them to me, so no chance to try them on unfortunately. Feet measure 265 mm and 269 mm respectively, and am skiing in Roxa R3 130 TI IR’s with the standard intuition tongue liners. Fit wise I have no complaints, but know I could probably up the ante a bit with better liners. I’d say I have average width feet, normal instep height, but large ankle bones (had both shells punched on the inner ankle area for more volume).

Any one running LV’s or HV’s in R3’s?


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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

Annoyance. Removing cork is relatively easy it just makes for a more challenging fitting and hard to make each liner symmetrical.

How much are they selling the cork for? We give two tubes of cork with each liner and free fitting/tweaking.

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Yeah this. Removing cork is substantially more difficult than adding cork (still not hard, but plunging in cork is REALLY easy). You're spending 500 bucks on a liner, I think you can afford the extra handful of dollars for more cork unless your shell fit is roomy af.

I am struggling with my Gara LV's. Bought my shell size (28.5), through a shop, we heated them, jammed them in my XT3s, and the amount of tongue and material over the instep/throat of the boot is out of hand. My left boot is fine, a little tough to buckle but no pain. My right boot, due to some past ankle trauma/anatomic weirdness is just way too tight. Can barely buckle the boot, significant pressure over the instep/throat. It's not unskiable but it is mildly uncomfortable. I'm wondering if this is a case for removing cork or just trying to re-mold. If the latter, is there anything I can jam in the liner to free up some volume? Not sure the cork has anywhere else to go.

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Originally Posted by Huskier

I am struggling with my Gara LV's. Bought my shell size (28.5), through a shop, we heated them, jammed them in my XT3s, and the amount of tongue and material over the instep/throat of the boot is out of hand. My left boot is fine, a little tough to buckle but no pain. My right boot, due to some past ankle trauma/anatomic weirdness is just way too tight. Can barely buckle the boot, significant pressure over the instep/throat. It's not unskiable but it is mildly uncomfortable. I'm wondering if this is a case for removing cork or just trying to re-mold. If the latter, is there anything I can jam in the liner to free up some volume? Not sure the cork has anywhere else to go.

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How many days have you skied in them? Mine were uncomfortable for the first few days, and after a call with Zipfit while I was on the lift out west, they said they take up to 10 days before the cork works itself around.

Heat them up, you can work the cork around with the handle end of a screwdriver, that was Zips recommendation to start.

Next season when I out them on, bliss. Oh course, I got new boots mid next season, so now I'm filling the LV with more cork to get them dialed.

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Originally Posted by Huskier

I am struggling with my Gara LV's. Bought my shell size (28.5), through a shop, we heated them, jammed them in my XT3s, and the amount of tongue and material over the instep/throat of the boot is out of hand. My left boot is fine, a little tough to buckle but no pain. My right boot, due to some past ankle trauma/anatomic weirdness is just way too tight. Can barely buckle the boot, significant pressure over the instep/throat. It's not unskiable but it is mildly uncomfortable. I'm wondering if this is a case for removing cork or just trying to re-mold. If the latter, is there anything I can jam in the liner to free up some volume? Not sure the cork has anywhere else to go.

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2 ideas: make sure the lower laces arent right over the area you are feeling the pressure on your instep, if so relace leaving those lace loops open. otherwise as mentioned, warmup the lower tounge area and move the cork with your thumbs up higher in the tounge. Start towards the top of the area in question, so you are creating room to move the cork from the area you feel the pressure.

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Originally Posted by Huskier

I am struggling with my Gara LV's. Bought my shell size (28.5), through a shop, we heated them, jammed them in my XT3s, and the amount of tongue and material over the instep/throat of the boot is out of hand. My left boot is fine, a little tough to buckle but no pain. My right boot, due to some past ankle trauma/anatomic weirdness is just way too tight. Can barely buckle the boot, significant pressure over the instep/throat. It's not unskiable but it is mildly uncomfortable. I'm wondering if this is a case for removing cork or just trying to re-mold. If the latter, is there anything I can jam in the liner to free up some volume? Not sure the cork has anywhere else to go.

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It can take a while, several days possibly. I remember I had instep pressure on my left foot, right where the window is on the tongue. I didn't take any out or move it myself, I just let it do its thing and after 4-5 days it worked itself out. The cork finds its way. Barely being able to buckle your boots is very common, I wouldn't do anything to them yet. I would do a couple reheatings at home. Warm them up and stand in them and flex your boots for 10-15 minutes, walk around a little bit. The best way to break them in is skiing in them, though.

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Originally Posted by Just Looking

2 ideas: make sure the lower laces arent right over the area you are feeling the pressure on your instep, if so relace leaving those lace loops open. otherwise as mentioned, warmup the lower tounge area and move the cork with your thumbs up higher in the tounge. Start towards the top of the area in question, so you are creating room to move the cork from the area you feel the pressure.

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Another something I saw recently, don't pull up on the tongue. Creates a pinch point. Tongue should be level with the cuff.

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