Phantom Glide Applied Before Shipping or Done at Home: Which Route Fits You?
Want the glide without the iron? Phantom Glide is a base treatment you put on once. There are two ways to get it on your base. Our technicians can apply it before your new skis ship, or you can do it yourself at home with a kit. The right route depends on your setup and your timing.
Here's the short version. Buying new skis on Backcountry? Our add-on is a $129.95 service you add to a new ski or board order, and our technicians treat the base before it ships. Already own your skis or board? The Single Application Kit, or the At Home Kit that includes it, lets you do it at home. Buying a new snowboard? Check its page for the add-on; if it isn't there, use one of those kits. Buying DPS skis? They come already treated, so skip the add-on.
Phantom Glide Routes Side by Side
Applied before shipping (add-on)
Done at home (kit)
Who applies it
Our technicians, using a DPS UV Cure Station (a UV light unit that cures the treatment)
You
When it happens
Before your order ships
Whenever you have the right weather
Gear it fits
Only comes when you buy skis or a snowboard (snowboards where offered); not needed on DPS skis
One Single Application Kit treats one pair of skis or one snowboard
What it costs you in time
Slower shipping; expect your item to ship within a week of ordering
Less than 2 hours with the Single Application Kit
Your work
Nothing beyond adding it to the order
Clean, apply, cure in the sun, polish
Not for you if
You already own the gear, or you're buying DPS skis
You don't want to do the prep, or you can't give your kit the sunny cure it calls for
When the Pre-Shipping Add-On Fits
Our add-on, Phantom Glide: Professional Application Before Shipment, is a service, not a product you open at home. Our technicians apply it with a DPS UV Cure Station before your order leaves, so your new skis show up already treated.
There's a trade-off, and it's time: applying the treatment delays shipping. If you're counting days until a trip, factor that in.
The add-on only comes when you buy skis or a snowboard. On snowboards, it's available where offered, so check the board's page for it.
When Doing It at Home Fits
The at-home route starts with the Phantom Glide: Single Application Kit. One kit treats one pair of skis or one board. That makes it the natural pick for the gear already in your quiver, and for any board without the add-on.
Plan on less than 2 hours on a sunny day. Our guide to applying Phantom Glide at home walks you through it, and your kit's instructions are the final word.
Gearhead Tip: Check the forecast before you start cleaning. The cure in step 3 needs direct sun, so save this job for a bluebird day, not a storm day.
Which At-Home Kit to Grab
We carry four Phantom Glide kits, and only two hold the treatment. One is the Single Application Kit. The other is the At Home Kit, which comes with a Base Cleaner, the Single Application Kit and the Base Care Kit. See which kit does what, or browse all four on the Phantom Glide kits page.
Pick Your Route
If you're buying new skis on Backcountry and can wait a little for shipping, then add the application to your order.
If you're buying a snowboard, then look for the add-on on the board's page where it's offered. If it isn't there, treat the board at home with a Single Application Kit.
If you're buying DPS skis, then skip the add-on: they come already treated.
If you already own your skis or board, then the Single Application Kit or the At Home Kit is your route at home.
If you're treating gear at home and only need to clean the base first, then the Single Base Clean Kit covers that step.
On a budget? Don't buy new skis just to get the add-on: if your current setup is dialed, one Single Application Kit treats it.
Gearhead Notes
Prep matters. Remove wax and clean the base before applying, for best results: a clean base sets the stage for a better application of Phantom Glide. So don't rush the cleaning to get to the fun part.
Base welds, base grinds and edge repairs belong at a ski shop. If you also tune or hot-wax your gear, our tune and wax tutorial covers waxing and base care. Hot irons burn. Keep the iron moving so you don't burn the base, work in a ventilated space, and use the iron temperature from the wax maker.
Make the Call
You know your setup and your schedule best: pick the route that fits how you buy and when you ski, then go get after it. Want a hand matching a route or kit to your setup? Chat with a Gearhead.