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Want to Avoid Waxing Your Skis? Consider DPS Phantom 2.0 If Keeping Skis 3+ Years.

BlueSkies

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Apparently they are up and running, and have already done some skis. Right now it’s $125 for just the Phantom application, or you can add a sharpen and base grind for $150 total. You have to leave the skis overnight of course. I really want to go do it during the special, but not sure if I’ll be able to get it done before their end of season.. With you being so close it might be worth it to go now versus fall though!
I'm going to try to get up there tomorrow and get it done.
 

BlueSkies

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Took my skis in around noon time and picked them up this evening. Now I just need to get back out and try them. If anyone is interested in getting their's done, Proctor's is changing to spring hours for next week (Mon-Fri 10 am-6pm), and Saturday will be their last day until late summer.
 

mahgnillig

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
A quick report back on my experience with Phantom...

I'm typically not a fan spring skiing as I'm paranoid about hitting slush patches and getting hurt. I usually end up skiing too cautiously, which translates into skiing poorly, which in turn makes me more likely to fall and hurt myself. Today was my first day out with the Phantom and it was a revelation. It started out icy but warmed up to the mid 40s by the afternoon and got very slushy in places. I could feel the difference in the snow under the skis as I purposely sought out patches of ice/slush/ice/slush, but I didn't feel the skis actually sticking. I never felt as though I was about to be catapulted forwards over my tips, the skis just carried on going. The slush patches definitely felt slower, but not grabby like they did in the same conditions last weekend... the ski performance was just much more consistent across all types of snow. And I actually enjoyed myself instead of worrying about the slush! I was so impressed I'll be getting my other skis Phantomed as well:thumbsup:
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
I discovered the cure stations now use a single solution to apply phantom treatment, no longer separated into Part A & Part B. To make a long story short, I didn’t get a chance to phantom my BP88s before heading out to Breckenridge. I arranged to have the shop in Breck with a cure station to apply the treatment using my kit and charge only the $50 labor. They thought my kit has the same stuff they have - only one packet of solution. They wanted to charge more to do Part A & Part B. After checking with REI Denver the single solution is legit, I ended up paying the Breck shop $150 to do it their way and I got an RMA from DPS to return my unused kit.

As backup, I brought my phantomed AJs along. I took both to the mountain to compare, my DIY AJs and the professionally treated BP88s. Right away I noticed how smooth and fast the BPs were. There was no stickiness in the lift lines or anywhere. The AJs were definitely exhibiting the momentary stickiness reported by other DIYers. The AJs were a little slower too. Both cut through the cruddy slush with no problems, but the BPs did a better job due to its wider width. So I’m happy to report although professional treatment yields slightly better results, the DIY route is more than acceptable.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I ended up paying the Breck shop $150 to do it their way and I got an RMA from DPS to return my unused kit.
That's good customer service!

I took both to the mountain to compare, my DIY AJs and the professionally treated BP88s. Right away I noticed how smooth and fast the BPs were. . . .
I know version 2.0 is faster than 1.0. Perhaps the new version being used at Break is actually 3.0 and that's part of the reason those skis ran faster.

When I visited the DPS Factory this week, the Product Manager noted that research continues for Phantom.
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
From what I've read before, newly Phantom'd skis tend to be sticky or grabby for a run or two. Mine weren't. Mine were so slick, I almost fell in the lift line. Someone mentioned REI may have waxed them after the Phantom, specifically to overcome initial stickiness. @Ski Sine Fine -- I wonder if that might be the case with your BPs also.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
From what I've read before, newly Phantom'd skis tend to be sticky or grabby for a run or two.
That was true for the AJs that I treated with Phantom 1.0 at home. My first runs were at Massanutten during a lesson. The glide was fine after two very short runs (Geronimo, green). Didn't seem to be as much of an issue for Phantom 2.0, which I put on my daughter's skis and my old BPs last fall as a DIY project. Felt normal after the first slides to load a chairlift.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
From what I've read before, newly Phantom'd skis tend to be sticky or grabby for a run or two. Mine weren't. Mine were so slick, I almost fell in the lift line. Someone mentioned REI may have waxed them after the Phantom, specifically to overcome initial stickiness. @Ski Sine Fine -- I wonder if that might be the case with your BPs also.
I was all prepared for that initial stickiness. Then I leaned forward and the BPs just took off. I actually laughed out loud.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
There's a guy on Pugski that did have a number of grinds done and eventually it was too much. Can't remember why he needed all the grinds. The ski still had Ptex. :-)
Looks like he had over a dozen grinds done all at the same time at his local shop in Seattle to fix a bad tune done by a resort shop.

My understanding is that a recreational skier is unlikely to need a base grind more than once a season, and that's only if they average more than 40 days per season on a given pair of skis.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Since I never have my skis ground anymore and do my own structuring, I couldn't say, but I think his base wasn't flat. Clearly if, due to heat or manufacturing issues, your base needs flattening (a good reason to have your base ground, not just cleaned, before doing this), OR due to excessive wear to your edges in terrain parks, you need to grind the base to restore your base bevel, you are going to need a radical amount of grinding done. DPS has claimed it penetrates the full base. Apparently not. It might last forever for most of us, but not necessarily.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
I know version 2.0 is faster than 1.0. Perhaps the new version being used at Break is actually 3.0 and that's part of the reason those skis ran faster.
From the tech who did the application, they use a steel roto-brush to get the excess phantom off, then do a buff wax with nylon and then horse-hair root-brush. Gives you instant glide :thumbsup:
After three days the wax had worn off the BPs. They still feel a tiny bit faster than the AJs, but it could be due to other factors such as a longer length. So my guess is it was version 2.0 and not 3.0, if it even exists.

A related question — last year my shop put wax over the bases and edges for summer storage then scraped off at start of season. Now that they are phantom’d, is there still a need to do that?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
A related question — last year my shop put wax over the bases and edges for summer storage then scraped off at start of season. Now that they are phantom’d, is there still a need to do that?
In terms of the bases, there isn't really a need for summer wax. However, it can still be useful to protect the edges from moisture. So depends somewhat on where you store the skis during the off-season.

How much did the shop charge for putting on summer wax and then scraping before the season started?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
After three days the wax had worn off the BPs. They still feel a tiny bit faster than the AJs, but it could be due to other factors such as a longer length. So my guess is it was version 2.0 and not 3.0, if it even exists.
Most likely Phantom 3.0 only exists at DPS at this point. I was told by the DPS Product Manager that there is active research going on for the next version.

I'll be able to do a direct test between my AJs with 1.0 and my BPs with 2.0 at Massanutten next season. Didn't really have time in 2019 because I was only at Mnut for a few days.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
In terms of the bases, there isn't really a need for summer wax. However, it can still be useful to protect the edges from moisture. So depends somewhat on where you store the skis during the off-season.

How much did the shop charge for putting on summer wax and then scraping before the season started?
It was part of a $59 summer tune package — grind & structure, edge sharpening, hand wax on bases & edges, then scrape & binding check at start of season. For now, I store my skis in my bedroom leaning against a wall. The edges on the AJs might need sharpening. The BPs shouldn’t need work as they only had 4 ski days since an initial tune. I’m thinking I can skip the summer wax on edges and just have them sharpened come next season?
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
It looks like Phantom has finally arrived in Canada. And from the looks of the list, if you sell DPS skis, you're selling and curing this product. So far only 1 place in Ontario and it's in Toronto. Multiple places in Quebec though.

Have to check the price in Toronto, but I have a friend in Banff that sort of owes me a favour. Might ship my new skis out to him and get them done at Monod's. $ 159.95 done in store.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
My sense from watching the number of the locations of the Cure Stations grow on the DPS Dealer Locator map is that there is far more interest and awareness about Phantom out west where DPS is better known. Most of DPS skis are designed for deep powder and backcountry touring, although the Cassiar at 94 underfoot is marketed as all-mountain. When I've asked about DPS near Boston, have found few ski shops who even think of it as a company in the ski industry.

There aren't any DPS dealers in the mid-Atlantic or southeast. Only one in the midwest so far. Gear West near Minneapolis sells DPS skis and has a Cure Station ($150 for Phantom w/ Cure Station, $190 with base grind).

MEC in Vancouver and Escape Route at Whistler have had Cure Stations for a while. In addition to Monod's in Banff, MC Sporties at Sun Peaks is set up for Phantom.

Australians are anxiously awaiting the delivery of Cure Stations in order to get their skis treated for the upcoming 2019 season. A few liked how it performed in Japan in recent months.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
It was part of a $59 summer tune package — grind & structure, edge sharpening, hand wax on bases & edges, then scrape & binding check at start of season. For now, I store my skis in my bedroom leaning against a wall. The edges on the AJs might need sharpening. The BPs shouldn’t need work as they only had 4 ski days since an initial tune. I’m thinking I can skip the summer wax on edges and just have them sharpened come next season?
Honestly, for skis that I was using mainly in the southeast I didn't bother to sharpen the edges every season. That was for 10-15 days per season. The only skis that I had sharpened more regularly were the skis I took to the northeast. I didn't get a base grind every season. I got basic tools and learned enough to wax at home but would usually get a wax or full tune once or twice a season while it was convenient when on a ski trip (15+ days).

One advantage of owning all-mountain skis used only for trips out west is that they don't need edge sharpening or waxing nearly as often. Meaning compared to when I had a One Ski Quiver (OSQ) that I used at Massanutten and for a trip or two out west each season. Of course, for the skis I've treated with Phantom there won't be a need for waxing at home or at a shop while traveling.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
MEC in Vancouver and Escape Route at Whistler have had Cure Stations for a while. In addition to Monod's in Banff, MC Sporties at Sun Peaks is set up for Phantom.

MEC in Toronto was one of the places with it. Online is doesn't mention the cure stations. There are few places by @SkiBam in the St Saveur valley that have the stations, as well as Montreal.

edit - according to the DPS site, the new MEC in North York has the curing station.
 
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