Zay ZR 125

Model Year
2014-15
Category
Frontside
Last Width
98
Flex Index
125
Price (MSRP)
$850.00USD

The Zay 125 got a lot of attention for how it looked and how it closed—which are by the boot's nature inextricably tied together. It has no lower buckles, but rather a thin cable which encircles the lower boot along two grooves at typical buckle positions. These loops are routed beneath the boot, along the sole and out the back to a single, multi-hinged buckle that tensions them.

The brand new Zay boot also got a fair amount of attention for how tricky the boot was for many testers to get on—the early generation liner tended to crumple down into the throat of the boot, blocking entry, and the cables at times failed to release enough tension to allow an easy slide in. Once on and properly adjusted for tightness using the barrel-nut cable adjusters on the rear buckle, two traditional upper buckles and a snowboard-style ratcheting powerstrap, testers were reminded that this is a serious fit in a serious category.

The rearfoot (heel, ankles, instep and mid-body of the lower) is tight! As tight as anything in the category, testers said, with a particularly snug fit on the navicular and styloid process area. And then the fit opens up to the forefoot and very roomy toebox. The upper boot was snug in a manner characteristic of other performance 98 mm boots. Testers had some hot spots—mostly attributed to the prototype liner—especially at the inside ankle bone.

But damn did the boot ski well, the test team said--as strong as the best performers in this hard-carving group. Agility and precision marks were well above standard too.

Gender 
Men's
Sizes (MP) 
25.0, 25.5, 26.0 - 27.5
Hike Mode 
No
Construction 
Overlap
Boot width profile 
Narrow

Kudos

  • “My expectations were low based on how different it looks, but it's not bad! USA, USA!” -- Mason Tuor
  • “Great fun—stable with sure-footed edging.” -- Larry "Laurent" Smith
  • “This boot skied great! The potential for a really good boot is there with some liner improvements.” -- Mike Evans
  • “The power!” -- Mark Elling
  • “Strong-skiing boot with a Buck Rogers vibe.” -- Scott Blackwell

Caveats

This boot available at...

None of our fitters currently carry this boot. Check back soon!

Zay

Zay's designer Rex Deitesfeld worked with Ed Chalmers to develop the Zay ski boot. Chalmers’ boot pedigree is impressive with 15 years at Lange and responsible for the high-performance boot designs of the -70s and -80s, including the original Lange Banshee, XL 1000, XLR, and the Z series. Almost every traditional overlap boot available today is a direct descendant of Chalmers designs.

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