Expensive Divorce - The Split Thread

[benjinyc]

Phantom isn't making boots anymore. Was always intrigued with hard boot setups but alas

Hello Phantom Riders - We hope you have all been enjoying your summer, and for those of you still riding in the southern hemisphere, we hope that you are still getting some nice turns. To get straight to the point - Phantom is not going to be making any more boots. It's a big change to our business, but we think that it's the right move for Phantom. It's important to be clear that we still have a good number of boots in stock. It is also important to note that we are fully stocked with all service parts and will continue to honor our warranty and provide service on every boot that we have sold - we are not abandoning our customers. And while we still feel like the Slipper HD is an incredible value to our customers, we just cannot keep up with the workload any longer: We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with the Slipper and the Slipper HD - in addition to winning several industry awards, ultimately, it made hardboots and the split tech system accessible to the general public. We gave riders a platform that was endlessly customizable - from the fit to the ride, everything could be personalized. As a lot of you guys are aware, this project has been a major undertaking for us. Phantom at its largest has been 5 people, including John and Alex, with a handful of helpers who would work seasonally. What producing boots has meant is working huge amounts of hours to get it done. Every single component of the boots is assembled by us, by hand, which has meant 50- 60+ hour weeks, consistently. Sacrificing riding time. Sacrificing family time. Because in addition to all of the work that comes with producing boots, everything else that we sell has to be manufactured, built, sold, and serviced. We've worked these kind of hours for 4 years now, and it's taken a toll on all of us. Jason Goldstein, who many of you have worked with directly, has probably been the hardest working man in the splitboard industry over the last few years - that's no exaggeration. The fact is that continuing to produce boots is unsustainable at Phantom's current size, and we want to be able to splitboard during the winter, not just in the late spring. We are extremely proud of what we achieved, but it's time to move to a more sustainable work model. Phantom is not going anywhere - We are going to continue to make the best SplitTech bindings and board hardware in the industry. We are also going to continue making our patented Link Levers, which will still fit all Atomic Backland models. Most importantly. we made sure to order enough spare parts that we will be able to service all of the boots that we have sold for the foreseeable future. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at info@phantomsnow.com We are deeply grateful for all of your support; past, present and future - it means the world to us.
John Keffler and Alex Gelb

[Tubermeister]

Have you had a chance to ride the Tour Operator yet?

Picked up the Amplid Tour Operator as a replacement to my Lib Split Brd.
...
Unfortunately I need to wait a few months in the southern hemisphere to get this tested out but will give this a spin in the resort.

[tp1_kenobi]

Have you had a chance to ride the Tour Operator yet?

Picked up the Amplid Tour Operator as a replacement to my Lib Split Brd.
...
Unfortunately I need to wait a few months in the southern hemisphere to get this tested out but will give this a spin in the resort.

I'll get you an answer end of January. Will be in Japan then and have had a good few days on it. I didn't get to give it a whirl, snow was terrible this season in Oz and ended up teaching my little one how to toe side.

[tracer]

all 3 of those have a lot of camber, it seems like for Japow terrain people prefer flat or very little camber

"People" all have very different goals and values, me included.

And all those boards also have early rise "big floaty noses" so
Not into flat/rocker myself just because of how I like to ride. And other aspects of the boards' geometries, my skill as a rider and my knowledge of the terrain (or reading it) keep me floating and moving forward. So it balances out in the end. For me.

[benjinyc]

@tracer - makes sense, just an observation ive seen with most of the Japanese shapers/designers

I have a big pref for camber myself. One of the reasons my Gentem Stingray mostly sits in the closet. Interesting about your experience with the Covert as that's what I was thinking of using in Japan

Where in Japan are you splitting? I'm trying to plan a tour there this winter

[Spenser]

Been feeling the urge for a different split lately. I like my squash 63 (older one with 260 width) but due to placing the climbing location too far forward between the inserts, I have to set my stance a bit forward to clear the front toe bracket with sparks, since they slide on, leaving me centered on edge instead of its factory setback that I like. Also want a little more taper, width, and no swallowtail so the tail kick helps prevent v-ing. Eyes heavily on the new US covert 61. Seems right up my alley… basically a more tapered cadet with a little more width. Feel like I'd split a little more if I really loved the board.

[casjcade]

Get yourself some floorboard stuff, feels so much better, if you find a board you like. Dunno how easy it is to get hold of now though, for NA.

[SJF_NH]

Covert is probably the right call. It has the similar US feel, but despite the width it's way turnier than the Cadet (in a good way for wiggling through trees anyway). The sidecut specs etc. are similar, so I assume the more nimble feel is probably due to all that extra taper. It also has a more set back feel than the Cadet. I haven't had mine in powder yet but my guess is that it probably also floats like a champ due to all of the above.

Ever since I picked up a Cadet last spring, I've become a US fanboy. I've got about 7 days on the season so far and also have a Horizon still in the wrapper, just waiting for a decent snow day to give it a thrashing. Between my US decks and my Banked Country, I'm a pretty happy dude. I still love my Dart, although that's become more of a quiver board ever since I got the Cadet.

[Lonz]

You may enjoy a couple of Prior's offerings as well, @Spenser. The Khyber and Spearhead are both great decks, and Priors are well built.

[picasso]

@Spenser Saw this the other day, I don't have any experience with them though.
https://ame-snowboard.com/boards/splitb ... lator-168/
https://ame-snowboard.com/boards/splitb ... -wide-art/