Is Phantom Glide Worth It If You Only Ski a Few Days a Year?
Straight Answers for the Part-Time Skier
Unless you're lucky enough to ski every day, your skis spend a lot of the year in storage. And that first day back always sneaks up on you. So do you pay a shop to tune them, wax them yourself, or treat the base once and call it good?
Phantom Glide is a permanent base treatment from DPS Skis. For a part-time skier, the case for it comes down to how much base-care hassle you want to skip. Here's what it costs, what it takes and what it doesn't replace.
Your Questions, Answered
What is it, and is it worth it for a few days a year?
It's a base treatment for skis and snowboards that cures to the base in about an hour of direct sun, and it's made without PFAS or fluorocarbons. Whether it's worth it depends on what you want to avoid. If the hassle is remembering to wax before that first day, Phantom Glide takes it off your list. One UV-cured application delivers smooth, consistent glide, day after day, season after season.
If you actually like waxing, or you only wax two or three times a season (or less, and that's OK!), a block of universal wax does the job too. Our tune and wax guide says a universal wax lets your skis or board glide in just about any conditions.
What does it cost?
The treatment comes in the Single Application Kit ($99.99). You can get it on its own, or inside the At Home Kit ($199.95), which also comes with a Base Cleaner and the Base Care Kit. See which kit does what.
Buying new skis from another brand, or a snowboard where offered? Add Professional Application Before Shipment ($129.95) and our technicians treat the base before your order ships. Here's how the two routes compare.
Then ask your local shop what a tune costs, and weigh that, trip by trip, against one treatment plus your prep time.
How much work is it, and how long does it last?
Here's the quick version of what a home application asks of you:
All in, a home application takes less than 2 hours on a sunny day, and our guide to applying Phantom Glide at home has the full steps. One application lasts the life of the base. Wear gloves and eye protection, keep open flames away and work in a well-ventilated spot.
Your base still wears, though. Phantom Glide doesn't prevent base abrasion, and it performs best on new or freshly ground bases.
Do I still need to wax or tune?
You can still wax if you want to. Wax can go on top of Phantom Glide, so if waxing is part of your routine, keep it.
A home wax works great for most people, and a whole tune should take 20–40 minutes, depending on your ability level. Snowboarders, plan on cooling time. Let the final coat of wax fully cool before scraping, as our snowboard tuning guide explains. For some waxes, that can take up to an hour. Either way, base welds, base grinds and edge repairs belong at a ski shop.
Will it work on my skis or board, and in all snow?
Phantom Glide works on alpine skis, Nordic skis and snowboards, on both sintered (made from pressed polyethylene powder) and extruded (made from melted polyethylene) bases. It's built to deliver lasting glide across all snow temperatures and conditions.
The Verdict
If you ski a few days a year and don't own a vise, a shop tune at the start of the season has you covered. If you'd rather skip the yearly wax job, a one-time treatment fits.
Ready to treat your base once and get on with your season? Grab a Single Application Kit (plus a base cleaner if you need one), or the At Home Kit if you want the Base Care pads too. Buying DPS skis? They come treated. Not sure it fits your setup? Chat with a Gearhead.