Thoughts on hardboot splitboarding with a Phantom setup
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- Опубликовано: 24 янв 2024
- Hardbooting! Some folks love it, others hate it. Here, I'm dishin' on my experience with the full Phantom Snow hardboot gear ecosystem. I go over the gear lineup available as of the 2023-2024 winter season, my thoughts on the quality and performance of the setup, and swaps/modifications that I've made to offer better performance both uphill and down. I hope it's helpful.
Stay safe and have fun! 
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Thank you Bryan. Great review.
Thanks!
Subscribed.
Thanks!
Hey Bryan. I just transitioned to hardboots for backcountry. I tried the Phantom Slipper but didn't like the fit. I moved to Atomic Backlands and like it. But I do get heel slip. Can you share what specific heel strap/modification you used. Any suggestions on where to buy the strap and how to install? Thanks in advance. Subscribed!
Hey Todd, thanks for watching. I spent a good bit of time trying to Frankenstein an ankle strap/buckle from a variety of old ski and snowboard binding straps and never found one that worked as well as the Phantom strap, so I just ended up using that. In hindsight, you could probably pick up a couple feet of 1" webbing from REI or the like and fasten a buckle to it for super cheap, but the Phantom one works so well. Phantom sells it on their website, it's called the "Pivot Buckle Mod Kit" and is annoyingly pricey but I do think it's worth it, and it comes with pretty detailed instructions too. Additionally, I had to get a little creative with foam shims on the liner, but I just bought some craft foam for ~$1 and played around with that around my heel until it felt right. It takes a little trial and error but once it's dialed, it feels nicely locked in. Between those mods, it fits like a glove now! You could also try a boot fitter if you need even more extensive modifications, but I'd be shocked if these didn't offer a pretty substantial improvement.
Thanks for sharing. Could you elaborate more on why you remove the tongues on the Phantoms when transitioning? This is not something I've tried or have felt the need to do so far.
Hi Michael, I remove the tongue when transitioning to tour mode because I think that leaving it in reduces ankle articulation pretty substantially, reducing stride length and comfort. Conversely, riding downhill without the tongue felt really soft and less responsive and I would kinda bottom-out and pinch the ankle strap on toeside turns.
Great video Bryan! Where the modifications you did to the Atomic boots relatively easy to do? I know Phantom sells the parts, just not sure how straightforward those are to install.
Thanks, Nick! They were all super easy to install. Phantom has a few guides/videos available to help too. Just remember to blue loctite your bolts or they'll loosen up eventually!
Awesome video! Did you get to try the disruptives?
I did, but only one day! They were super flexy and actually felt softer than my soft boots. I think they'd be great for folks that want a really soft ride. In order to get the stiffer flex that I prefer, I had to strap them uncomfortably tightly, and they felt a bit heavier than the atomics/phantoms. That said, they ride pretty darn well, but again, all of this is just based on one experience so take with a grain of salt.
@@itsmisterbrown Oh nice, you've touched upon the most important points I've been wondering about tho, thank you! If I may ask another, which colour link lever spring are you riding with?
@@burakurgancoglu6908 glad to hear it! I ride the green springs, which I believe are the stiffest.
@@burakurgancoglu6908 I have 2 days with the Disruptives and they definitely are a softer, surfy feel, they are like soft boots with the uphill hardboot benefits. Once you get the tension on the heel and ankle strap locked in it feels really good.
Hi brian, have you installed the link levers from phantom on your backland boots or you kept the stock ones? In case you have switched, have you noticed a difference?
Hi Filippo, yep, I installed the link levers and I feel like they offer a tremendous upgrade in ride quality by providing a real progressive flex. Otherwise, it would feel too stiff for my preferences.
@@itsmisterbrown thanks! Do you think that this setup would be comfortable as first spiltboard approach? I really don't like the goofyness and low control of the soft setup in the ascend, but surely i am a bit afraid that on descend an hard setup would be too much unconfortable
I do think it'd do well as a first hardboot setup, but if you want to do a little less tinkering then I'd maybe go with the stock Phantom slipper or the Disruptive boot. In my experience, the Backland and Phantom slipper have more of a progressive flex and a stiffer/more responsive ride downhill than the Disruptive, so if you want the softest feeling hardboot possible, that's probably the Disruptive.
@@itsmisterbrown thanks!
What's your thought on BACKLAND EXPERT UL?
I haven't used that one personally but it looks like the weight is a touch lower than the backend carbon (so a bonus for the uphill!) and has a 90 flex stiffness rating compared to 110 for the Backland Carbon. It'd probably be a bit softer of a boot, which might suit your preference?