2023 Nitro Phantom Carver Binding

[TWM]

After researching soft boot carving binding offerings, I ordered these today. I will post a review later.  On paper and pictures they seem good; purposefully built for carving.

Among current offerings, they seem to check the largest number of my boxes for materials, features, and adjustability:

- Canted footbeds (3*) with plush padding and 4mm of heel rise

- Three-position rotating carbon highback with wide range of forward lean settings

- Low-profile aluminum heel cup with slide adjusting for precise foot positioning relative to board edge

- Cable-reinforced straps (I didn't know I wanted this, but I like it)

Misses: I would have preferred an aluminum baseplate paired with the aluminum heel cup and a wing on the high back. 

Likely mods: I would like to see more highback rotation range. It'd be easy to do (drill more holes) and I'll probably do so. 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by TWM

[dhamann]

21 hours ago, TWM said:

Misses: I would have preferred an aluminum baseplate paired with the aluminum heel cup and a wing on the high back.

well, is the rider willing to sacrifice the body or the equipment? looks like this base connection design could be a safety feature and intentional "failure" point for sake of saving the body from serious injury beyond what could happen if the binding doesn't fail. look forward to hearing your thoughts on performance after a few good rips. break em. looks like a nice binder.

[TWM]

2 hours ago, dhamann said:

well, is the rider willing to sacrifice the body or the equipment? looks like this base connection design could be a safety feature and intentional "failure" point for sake of saving the body from serious injury beyond what could happen if the binding doesn't fail. look forward to hearing your thoughts on performance after a few good rips. break em. looks like a nice binder.

I truly hope they do not break.

Binding failure--being left one-footed at speed, and especially on rail--is one of the most terrifying paths to bodily injury. 

I've never been injured as a result of forces imposed on the body during a carve, but I have snapped cores and bindings mid-carve.

Given the choice between board and binding failure, I'll choose board each time. In my experience, board failures are simply safer.

This is why I'd prefer aluminum baseplates; I've never had one fail.

But yes, I'll test these and post up a review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by TWM

[Deuxdiesel]

I am looking forward to your review.  I had and older pair (20/21) and the were a good binding choice for lower angle stances.  I switched to the Ride A-series and am really impressed with how stiff they are, even when riding 30/27 or 30/24.  It looks like they changed the dual ladder straps on the latest version of the Phantom- any thoughts?  

[Québec man]

On 11/21/2022 at 12:22 PM, TWM said:

I truly hope they do not break.

Binding failure--being left one-footed at speed, and especially on rail--is one of the most terrifying paths to bodily injury. 

I've never been injured as a result of forces imposed on the body during a carve, but I have snapped cores and bindings mid-carve.

Given the choice between board and binding failure, I'll choose board each time. In my experience, board failures are simply safer.

This is why I'd prefer aluminum baseplates; I've never had one fail.

But yes, I'll test these and post up a review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi

What is your long terme review  on this bindings ?

Tanks

[Pusbag]

My wife has a pair so far so good

[TWM]

Review:

I had high hopes for these bindings but the highback is not stiff enough.  Everything else about the binding is great -- the adjustability, the baseplate stiffness, the canting, etc., but the highbacks are too soft to provide leverage and stability on high-angle heelside rail.

Regular foot rider, 6'4", 225lbs, 35/20 on a 170/30.5/10-13m custom Donek Sabre. Riding a stiff, plastic-insert-modified US size 12 front boot.

After half a season, dissatisfied, I modified the binding by drilling two holes on the front foot heel cup about 2cm cm rotationally fore, or left, to bring the highback parallel to my heel edge. This helped some, and did, as a matter of geometry, provide more leverage -- but materials seem to soft to transmit rather than flex out that leverage. 

Generally, snowboard bindings still aren't designed for heel side demands of soft boot railing. Who will break out and do it for us?

Modified highback angle:

 

 

Edited February 25 by TWM