Phantom Splitboard Bindings

[Buell]

http://www.phantomsnow.com/

Reviews on SB.com

Photo of Phantom System on a carbon Amplid Milligram

I’ve been riding modified AT boots on splitboards for 10 years.  I have ridden multiple binding systems and numerous boot models.

History

Several years ago, John Keffler made a simple hardshell splitboard binding for himself.  Instead of using the Voile puck system, the binding was designed with its own board attachment system.  Enough people knew of this binding to convince John to make a production model.  It was the first time hardshell splitboarders had an option that did not involve Voile pucks and a set of toe and heel blocks mounted to a Voile slider plate.  The moment Rebecca and I, and most others who tried them, stepped on the first production binding from Phantom, we knew it was a huge step forward.  

That first year’s production binding was a bit clunky and heavy.  John was very conservative with making sure they were strong enough to not break.  By the end of the first season, he was already prototyping a much lighter, much more refined Phantom binding.  That prototype became the Alpha Ride which has been offered for several seasons now.  John has since added Phantom heel risers, toepiece adapters for the Dynafit Superlight, has simplified the system even more with single angle cleats (called Solo Cleats) and his own minimalist hook design that will be released next season.

The System

From the design to the ride performance, Phantom split board bindings are top quality.

On a splitboard, the bindings provide the torsional stiffness between the two board halves.  A major benefit of the Phantom system is the way it connects the board halves.   The Phantom base plates overlap the board halves to give a far more solid connection than a puck system binding.  Beyond the base plate, the binding plate itself rests on the board, providing the torsional stiffness that helps us approach the splitboarder goal of a system that "rides like a solid board.

To date, hardshell splitboarders all ride in modified, lightweight AT boots. Because they are designed for skiing, the boots lack the lateral flex necessary to ride well at lower angles. While we can alter the boot somewhat to improve the lateral flex (and we are working on more and better mods), John has designed his bindings to flex in the lateral/medial direction to allow us to move up and down the long axis of the board, dramatically improving the ride. In the toe/heel direction, Phantom bindings are stiff to give quick board response.

Phantom riders use tech toe pieces (typically Dynafit) for the ascent.  This provides the rider with a solid touring interface and an improved toe pivot point for skinning.  This results in outstanding skinning ability, particularly when in steeper terrain and side hilling.  It even split skis well.  Phantom sells adapters and Dynafit Superlite 2.0 toe pieces.  They also sell Rocket Heel Risers.  Bindings go in you pack when skinning taking weight off of your feet.  

You can add cant and lift to Phantoms.  Inward cants are included with the bindings and John can make custom cants if needed.  This further helps with the AT boot lateral stiffness at the split board’s lower binding angles.

Riding angles range from -30 to +30 degrees.

The Performance

The Phantom ride is crisp and connected.  The board feels as much like a solid board as possible.  With the effort given to the flex and flex patterns, the bindings are fluid, but never sloppy.  The bindings are light which helps you get uphill and because splits tend to be on the heavier side, it also helps with allowing more agility on the way down.  Because of the design, the boot tightness is set it and forget it.  I have never adjusted my bindings for tightness.

With this design, on some days, icing can be a bit more of an issue that with a slider / puck style binding, but the short time spent scraping around the bindings is well worth the effort for the performance increase.  The bindings do not ice up, they simply need the ice scraped from around the board cleats.

Skinning with AT boots and tech toe pieces is a huge improvement over soft boots or over using a plate with a pin through a touring bracket.  There is no play in the system.  With the bindings in your pack, it is also much lighter on the feet.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the in-depth review Buell! Looking forward to the season when I get enough days on snow to make upgrading my splitboard worthwhile...

[chowtownsfinest]

@Buell,  I have been riding the Phantoms on my splitboard for two seasons now, and decided to give the modified TLT6 a try on my solid board.  What plate binding is closest to the Phantom in terms of flex and low deck height? 

[Buell]

chowtown, it looks like you are getting decent answers to this question in other threads. Let us know what you come up with.

Buell