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Never Wax Skis Again? DPS Makes Bold Claim

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DPS today announced a permanent, base-penetrating, one-time application formula it claims ‘makes ski wax obsolete.’

Phantom ski snowboard base glide treatment
Phantom is a product that could end the need to wax downhill skis and snowboards

Ski waxing is a ritual of fall and early winter. As the first snow falls, friends gather in garages and basements with hot irons and cold beers. Piles of scraped wax build on the floor as stoke builds in the skiers’ minds.

But come late winter, those hours of scraping skis get less fun and more tedious. Riders ignore their boards more often. And they get slower and dryer even as the best powder storms of spring arrive.

But no more! DPS claims Phantom Permanent Base Glide Treatment, announced today, will forever end the need to wax your board. The brand calls its wonder-product “Phantom,” and you can buy it now for $80 on Kickstarter.

It will retail for $100, and it looks to be popular. Phantom already raised nearly $50,000 in its first day online.

Phantom Permanent Ski Treatment Replaces Wax

So how does it work? DPS says the secret is in the sauce, so to speak. Here’s the pitch from the brand.

Developed by a team of chemists and material science engineers, Phantom’s patent-pending formula creates a hydrophobic environment that offers three undeniable benefits. First, unlike wax, Phantom is only applied once and permanently alters ski and board bases to make them both faster and harder for the life of the product. Second, Phantom offers consistently fast on-snow gliding performance across a broad range of conditions and temperatures. Third, and most importantly, Phantom is made up of non-reactive chemical functional groups that are both inert to the environment and safe to those applying it – something that traditional waxes have never been able to achieve.

OK, you have my attention, DPS.

The brand tested 50 compound variations in labs and the mountains of Utah, Chile, and New Zealand. DPS claims lab results of the final formula correlated hydrophobicity, coefficient of friction, shore hardness, and full base penetration with test ski days in every condition, including manmade snow, midwinter groomed snow, fresh powder, and warm spring snow.

We’ve yet to get our hands on this product, but it sounds impressive. The claim that it works in basically any temperature would be remarkable if true. And if it holds up against traditional wax, this stuff will likely disrupt the entire industry.

For now, we’re excited to give it a try as soon as there’s a decent base in the mountains. Stay tuned!

Learn more or buy now at Kickstarter.

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