First Look: ZipFit Espresso

We’ve been fortunate here at The High Route to have some pre-production looks, access, and perhaps some small influence on ZipFit’s latest touring liner. A few years back, I reviewed the GFT; ZipFit’s first iteration of touring liner. Their goal with the GFT was to add some walking ability to a standard ZipFit liner. The result was an amazing downhill experience, decent walking performance, but a downright heavy liner at ~600g. In my conversations with Jeff at ZipFit during that review process, I mentioned how awesome it would be to have a similar fit and some of the GFT’s performance in a lighter build. 

Here we are, maybe three seasons after that comment, ZipFit has released the Espresso liner, which, ironically, is far better suited to skiing on the GFT’s namesake mountain, the Grand (F**kin) Teton. The Espresso is perhaps best described as a hybrid between an Intuition Tour Tongue and a traditional ZipFit. Perhaps most importantly, it maintains the amazing fit characteristics of other ZipFits, with cork pouches at the ankles and tongue to add/subtract volume and provide incompressible foot-holding and molding. 

Some ski tourists are blessed with easy feet and seem to be able to ski most boots with minimal work or issues; so, to justify spending $500 on a liner, it needs to offer something more than great fit. The Espresso (and every ZipFit) is truly unmatched when it comes to fit, heel hold, and the ability to adjust/customize a touring liner (I have yet to hear of anyone actually using the Atomic foam-injected touring liners, so that doesn’t count). 

Beyond fit, ZipFit has traditionally offered the promise of durability—with stories from all over of folks using their liners for 1000 days and more. Compare this with Intuition liners, which I can often barely limp over the finish line of a season of heavy use before they are completely falling apart. While it is yet to be seen how durable the Espresso proves to be, it is sure to fall somewhere between traditional ZipFits and 100-day Intuitions.

Aside from these points, the Espresso is clearly a nice ski boot liner. It has excellent details such as a kevlar reinforced sleeve (think high end ski pant cuffs) to house an optional foam spoiler and prevent wear and tear from walk/ski mechanisms inside the boot, a plastic reinforced, asymmetrical tongue for a little added stiffness and excellent shin contact, an outsole that protects the strobel stitching around the bottom edge of the foot (a place that often wears and makes holes on touring liners). Like my other ZipFit liners, the Espresso has a distinct handmade feel, more akin to an expensive handmade leather work boot than a Nike from Famous Footwear. With this, they are also substantial; both in hand and on the scale (mine come in at 430g in size 28, compared to about 300g for an Intuition Tour Tongue in the same size). 

Anyways, if it wasn’t already clear, I’m quite excited about the Espresso. I’ve got a handful of days with them in the La Sportiva Kilo XTR and Dynafit Blacklight 2.0. This mid-weight class seems like a good fit for the Espresso, where they can improve on ski performance and offer excellent fit in a well-matched bulk and heft level. For my tastes, the Espresso seems a bit overgunned for a 1kg boot like the Zero G Peak, and perhaps the GFT is a better fit for something like the Scarpa Quattro or similar heavy hitters. The Zero G Tour Pro and Dynafit Ridge certainly also fit the bill as good matches for the Espresso. 

I’m looking forward to continuing to put mileage on the Espresso and see how it holds up to a full season of wear and tear. I’m also curious to see how warm it is and how well it dries in a camping/expedition setting; these were limitations of the GFT that ought to have been addressed with the foam hybrid style.