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DPS Phantom base treatment, how to avoid waxing recreational skis - Notes 2020

alison wong

Angel Diva
did someone say one kit covers two sets of skis? I have four sets to treat.
I was able to use 1 kit for 1.5 pair of skis (3 skis).

4th ski - shop used solution from their bulk stock bottle (same stuff), I just paid for the amount I used.

Per shop owner, it is pretty "standard" that 1 kit is sufficient for 1.5 pairs (3 skis), will not be sufficient for 4th ski.
 

Soujan

Angel Diva
I'm definitely ordering now, but did someone say one kit covers two sets of skis? I have four sets to treat.
I treated my skis last years with 2.0. I used 2 kits for 3 pairs of all mountain skis. We're short people. My skis are mid 150s and DH skis are mid 160s. Still had good coverage on all 3 pairs of skis. I don't think I would have spread it out to 4 pairs of skis.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I grabbed some 2.0 on sale and did a pair of skis today. Much as I love waxing and tuning, I don't have space for it these days, and Phantom seems like a good idea for spring skiing.

I followed the instructions faithfully and it was a blazing, sunny day. But at the end of the process, my bases look chalky and dry, so I'm a bit underwhelmed and worried about how they will perform. Nothing to do at this point but wait and see.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I grabbed some 2.0 on sale and did a pair of skis today. Much as I love waxing and tuning, I don't have space for it these days, and Phantom seems like a good idea for spring skiing.

I followed the instructions faithfully and it was a blazing, sunny day. But at the end of the process, my bases look chalky and dry, so I'm a bit underwhelmed and worried about how they will perform. Nothing to do at this point but wait and see.
Phantom bases will never look like freshly waxed skis. They do look more like skis that haven't been waxed in too long. However, the performance has nothing to do with how they look. It seemed that one reason REI was doing a quick wax job when 2.0 first came out after a treatment in some stores was to avoid customers complaining about how their skis looked when they picked them up.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Phantom bases will never look like freshly waxed skis. They do look more like skis that haven't been waxed in too long. However, the performance has nothing to do with how they look. It seemed that one reason REI was doing a quick wax job when 2.0 first came out after a treatment in some stores was to avoid customers complaining about how their skis looked when they picked them up.

That's good to know, thanks!

I kind of want to throw a little wax on just to keep them from drying out over the summer and also because the appearance makes me cringe :-).
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Just got my kit. Now to find someone to grind my skiis. I'm nervous about this.
Understand the feeling. I felt that way a bit when I did the first pair of skis with 1.0 back in Jan 2018. One advantage of owning basic skis for mid-Atlantic skiing is that I wasn't having to commit for a one-ski-quiver. That was when the cure process required 3 hours in the sun . . . and there happened to be snow on the ground at my house in NC the week I really wanted to do the treatment because I was going to ski that weekend. Got a quick base grind from a local ski shop near my home mountain in northern VA the weekend before because the young man had heard of Phantom. It felt like a rushed treatment because of other things going on that day but worked out fine.

Have you viewed any of the videos of people doing the treatment DIY? I found them helpful.

I treated my rock skis with 2.0 without a base grind. Had a grind done a couple seasons later. Was very happy with them for spring skiing at Alta before the grind was done. Worked just as well after the grind, which is as expected.

Also treated my daughter's skis without a grind. They hadn't been used much because she was busy with high school. I think we'd waxed them once after we bought them. I just brushed them a lot. Worked fine.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
As the Australian season gets going, there are a few people who are about to do their first Phantom DIY treatment. One backcountry skier asked questions about "fish scale" bases. I gather that's a version of "traction pattern base" that seems to make it a little easier to do a gentle uphill without putting on skins. He has new Voile UV BC skis. Here's the official answer that the Aussie DPS rep got from the Phantom team:

"PHANTOM will 'work' on a fish scaled base, however the customer needs to be aware that although PHANTOM will help with the glide of their skis it won't overcome the inherent glide drawbacks of the scales. And there's a lot more abrasion between the scales and snow, so their base maintenance would need to be pretty regular to optimise the glide of the scaled section.

On the application side, it'll be a little more difficult to get even spread during the initial soak and might take a bit more time during. They'll also need to be even more diligent with the finishing/brushing process as it's more difficult to get the PHANTOM residue out from between the scales."
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
Understand the feeling. I felt that way a bit when I did the first pair of skis with 1.0 back in Jan 2018. One advantage of owning basic skis for mid-Atlantic skiing is that I wasn't having to commit for a one-ski-quiver. That was when the cure process required 3 hours in the sun . . . and there happened to be snow on the ground at my house in NC the week I really wanted to do the treatment because I was going to ski that weekend. Got a quick base grind from a local ski shop near my home mountain in northern VA the weekend before because the young man had heard of Phantom. It felt like a rushed treatment because of other things going on that day but worked out fine.

Have you viewed any of the videos of people doing the treatment DIY? I found them helpful.

I treated my rock skis with 2.0 without a base grind. Had a grind done a couple seasons later. Was very happy with them for spring skiing at Alta before the grind was done. Worked just as well after the grind, which is as expected.

Also treated my daughter's skis without a grind. They hadn't been used much because she was busy with high school. I think we'd waxed them once after we bought them. I just brushed them a lot. Worked fine.
I have not! But that's a great idea. I just ordered base cleaner. Since my bases are in pretty good shape, I've decided against the grind.

Thank you!
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Looking at the site I don't think it is the 2.0 on sale, but a new one part (!) formula.
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
Understand the feeling. I felt that way a bit when I did the first pair of skis with 1.0 back in Jan 2018. One advantage of owning basic skis for mid-Atlantic skiing is that I wasn't having to commit for a one-ski-quiver. That was when the cure process required 3 hours in the sun . . . and there happened to be snow on the ground at my house in NC the week I really wanted to do the treatment because I was going to ski that weekend. Got a quick base grind from a local ski shop near my home mountain in northern VA the weekend before because the young man had heard of Phantom. It felt like a rushed treatment because of other things going on that day but worked out fine.

Have you viewed any of the videos of people doing the treatment DIY? I found them helpful.

I treated my rock skis with 2.0 without a base grind. Had a grind done a couple seasons later. Was very happy with them for spring skiing at Alta before the grind was done. Worked just as well after the grind, which is as expected.

Also treated my daughter's skis without a grind. They hadn't been used much because she was busy with high school. I think we'd waxed them once after we bought them. I just brushed them a lot. Worked fine.

Okay, I'm doing this tomorrow, and thought I'd get my bases prepared today. I'll be honest - I'm terrified. Did you scrape off any existing wax and then clean with a base cleaner?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Okay, I'm doing this tomorrow, and thought I'd get my bases prepared today. I'll be honest - I'm terrified. Did you scrape off any existing wax and then clean with a base cleaner?
Honestly, I just did a fair amount of brushing when I applied 2.0 to my daughter's skis and my old BPs. Didn't bother with base cleaner. Her skis were relatively new and had only been waxed once or twice. She didn't have that much chance to use them because getting too busy with high school. Seems to work fine.

Reason I like Phantom is that I'm lazy about waxing at home. :wink:
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
Thank you! I'm still really nervous, but feeling a bit more confident. Just like I'm about to ski a steep... haha
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
I did it! I didn't get a complete cure with the second step. They're under florescent lights in the shed right now, but I just googled to see if anyone else had this problem, and it brought up an old Diva conversation as my first hit! So, I'll put them back out in the sun tomorrow, and hopefully I'll get a full cure.

I was also very nervous about the way the first step dried (VERY chalky) and the way I rubbed the chalk off (with the scratchie-type pad that came with it), but again, I googled to see if anyone else had that experience, and someone did (photos and all). He used a roto-brush to clean his, so I felt using the scrubbie (fine grade fibertex?) would be okay.
 

gingerjess

Angel Diva
Good catch! That's definitely what the pictures look like! The FAQ below is definitely written for the 2.0 though...

So... update on this. I was really curious, so I ordered the deal, and in fact, I did get a box labeled "one-step formula", with only one packet for each ski. No instructions in the box, with a card pointing to the website for directions. The website only has directions for the 2.0 two-step formula, so I sent them an email and will hopefully hear back sometime soon.
 

gingerjess

Angel Diva
DPS got back to me really quickly! They're having issues with their website, but the instructions to apply the 1-part formula can be found at this link, for anyone interested in a peek.
 

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