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Imminent Scarpa Phantom Tech with BOA?

Original Post
Bel Aoros · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2023 · Points: 0

i just wanted to share my minor observation that in multiple videos of Coling Haley(Scarpa pro-athlete) is wearing a new, most probably pre-production prototype Scarpa Phantom Tech? boots. It looks like they will finally make the move to a BOA dial instead of laces, catering to all the people and trends in mountaineering boots (still slight guess-game, as only the upper straps are showed)

Vid #1

https://youtu.be/WJzGQnMay3k?t=93

Arount the time mark, and other snippets of the video, the new Phantom could be seen, this video the dial is not showed, but you can grasp other details. A lot of unfinished details on the boots.

Vid #2

https://youtu.be/E7IJwa0PtjE?t=154

Around the time mark you can see the upper straps (Phantom text also can be read, in the coming seconds)

If you have any bits of information, feel free to share and help others who are planning to obtain a new boots in the future or just gear-heads.

NateC · · Utah · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 1

Does anyone know for sure that this is a new Phantom Tech and not a new addition to the Phantom line? When I noticed these on him recently, I wondered if they may be doing a Phantom Light to compete with the Gtech and leaving the Phantom Tech intact as the beefier/warmer boot in the lineup. 

I kind of hope they don't go with a BOA system. I haven't found a BOA climbing boot yet that secures my foot as well as laces. It's nice knowing that there are options available that aren't BOA for persons like myself. 

Ben B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0

I really really hope they don’t go with boa. I love my phantoms with laces just fine. I had a pair of mammut boots with boa and they broke catastrophically in a way that was NOT field repairable. I had to use ski straps to secure my foot. Boa will never be as reliable as laces. 

Bel Aoros · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2023 · Points: 0
NateC wrote:

Does anyone know for sure that this is a new Phantom Tech and not a new addition to the Phantom line? When I noticed these on him recently, I wondered if they may be doing a Phantom Light to compete with the Gtech and leaving the Phantom Tech intact as the beefier/warmer boot in the lineup. 

I kind of hope they don't go with a BOA system. I haven't found a BOA climbing boot yet that secures my foot as well as laces. It's nice knowing that there are options available that aren't BOA for persons like myself. 

good point, they may introduce high-caliber line

Rob Cotter · · Silverthorne, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 240

The new Ribelle Ice has a BOA closure very secure and cozy.

Charles Iguana · · Boston, MA · Joined Nov 2020 · Points: 80

They can't come soon enough! Looking forward to them. 

Last winter I moved to Phantom Tech HDs from LA Spo BOA and the chincy Tech laces stink!  (Or perhaps I'm bad at tying my shoes) Loved the quick and easy adjustments with the La Spo BOA before the approach, before the actual climb, after the climb, etc. 

Scarpa laces can loosen on their own, or I may want to tighten before the climb, forcing me to take gloves off, sit down, etc.  It's a production.

Ben B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0

It’s all fun and games until your plastic boa shit breaks while you’re on a several week long trip in the Alaska range and you can’t fix it, aside from getting a new pair of boots….just sayin…

Nick U · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2021 · Points: 0
Ben B wrote:

I really really hope they don’t go with boa. I love my phantoms with laces just fine. I had a pair of mammut boots with boa and they broke catastrophically in a way that was NOT field repairable. I had to use ski straps to secure my foot. Boa will never be as reliable as laces. 

What boots were those, 2.1s?

Joseph W. Dutton · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 0
Ben B wrote:

It’s all fun and games until your plastic boa shit breaks while you’re on a several week long trip in the Alaska range and you can’t fix it, aside from getting a new pair of boots….just sayin…

This is the fear but how often does it happen? I’m not saying it doesn’t but for the amount of boas out there over a large number of sports not just climbing I feel like I hardly ever hear of boa failures. 

Ben B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0
Nick U wrote:

What boots were those, 2.1s?

Mammut nordwand 6000m

Ben B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0
Joseph W. Dutton wrote:

This is the fear but how often does it happen? I’m not saying it doesn’t but for the amount of boas out there over a large number of sports not just climbing I feel like I hardly ever hear of boa failures. 

I can’t speak to how often it occurs but it happened to me on a pair of almost brand new boots that I bought last year. The boa dial itself snapped off. I contacted the boa company and they said it was not repairable 

Jeff Barrett · · MN · Joined Feb 2018 · Points: 0

Non-field repairable equipment for our sport is a liability, just my 2 cents. Boas are a cool idea but i’ve heard of instances of the dial malfunctioning that’s not good. Everything breaks down eventually, some of us aren’t getting new boots every few years so you’re gonna have a bad day out sometime with gear like that. I’d hope to have a problem i can manage versus one that makes me lose the day/climb to it.

Mark Pilate · · MN · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 25

I’m totally sold on BOA.   All things being equal, there’s no comparison to laces in terms of performance.   I would recommend enjoying the long term benefits rather than under clubbing yourself needlessly for years due to small risk of a breakdown on a long Alaskan mission.  There are 20$ repair kits for that.  

Over the decades, I’ve broken every piece of gear or component you can think of.  Almost every time, instead of it ruining the day, it in fact resulted in a memorable and even more satisfying adventure after cobbling together a solution and continuing on.  

My recommendation is to “go BOA” confidently with an old school, over come any obstacle, self sufficient mind-set.  

Don’t go BOA with a newer age, “gym safe”, I got my SPOT, sort of mindset.  Then you might find yourself F’d in the backcountry. 

Not pointing this at anyone here, just pointing out in general, that new technology is best enjoyed from an old school point of view.  

Rory Holt · · New York City · Joined Apr 2024 · Points: 0

FWIW, reading Colin's blog, he's about as picky and particular with gear as it gets. He seems to especially hate any kind of unnecessary or unreliable complication. See the recent M10 pants - he didn't even want them to have crampon guards because they'd add weight and complicate the design too much for his taste.

Makes me wonder if Scarpa has figured out some sort of more reliable/durable boa? It just seems outside of Colin's philosophy to run a boot with them otherwise.

Rory Holt · · New York City · Joined Apr 2024 · Points: 0
Mark Pilate wrote:

[...] Over the decades, I’ve broken every piece of gear or component you can think of.  Almost every time, instead of it ruining the day, it in fact resulted in a memorable and even more satisfying adventure after cobbling together a solution and continuing on.  

My recommendation is to “go BOA” confidently with an old school, over come any obstacle, self sufficient mind-set. [...]


Does anyone here have experience using one of the "boa field repair" kits? Genuinely asking; I've never run a boa boot personally, but this always seemed like a reasonable solution to the fragility question.

Kevin Mcbride · · Canmore AB · Joined Jan 2017 · Points: 505
Rory Holt wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using one of the "boa field repair" kits? Genuinely asking; I've never run a boa boot personally, but this always seemed like a reasonable solution to the fragility question.

Not on a mountaineering boot but I have used the repair kit before on my work boot. unless you’re the village idiot it’s a pretty easy fix.

I will also throw in my 2 cents by saying BOA whips ass and is the future for mountaineering boots, the ability to easily open up the boot at belays allows me to use a lighter more nimble boot without sacrificing warmth over the course of a day.

I’m rougher on shit than the average person, and I haven’t had one issue with my G techs. I’ve used a ton of stuff with BOA and the only time I had an issue with it was with my work boots, which was the result of a disagreement with a sledgehammer, definitely forces well outside what you’d see climbing.

NateC · · Utah · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 1

Just for clarification...

I've owned Mammut Nordwand 6000's, La Sportiva G2SM and G2EVO, and I currently own the Aequillibrium Top and several sets of ski boots with BOA systems. I've also tried on many more boots that use the system. My issue isn't a reliability concern, it's that BOA closure isn't as customizable to fitting nuances and I haven't found a boot that offers a precision fit for me that uses a BOA closure. 

Maybe Scarpa will nail it if that's the direction they go? At the same time BOA is inherently more limited in how it tightens vs laces and it may not be a fault of the individual manufacturer but a limitation of the system that it does not allow for varied pressure over the area being tightened. 

Robert Gregory · · Berlin, CT · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 0

FWIW, in the summer of 2023 at a biomechanics conference I ran into someone from La Sportiva NA who was specifically involved in incorporating the BOA system into their trail running footwear and asked him about the early failures of the BOA system in their mountain boots. He indicated that La Sportiva did not use the top tier/most durable BOA system in the first gen BOA boots but they now do so. 

Greg Steele · · SLC, UT · Joined Jun 2020 · Points: 60
Charles Iguana wrote:

(Or perhaps I'm bad at tying my shoes) 

It was only recently I learned there is in fact a correct way to tying shoes:


https://youtube.com/shorts/0MX-5BDeEnA?si=rfBHEAG2lG8QNK4E

Ben B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0
Greg Steele wrote:

It was only recently I learned there is in fact a correct way to tying shoes:


https://youtube.com/shorts/0MX-5BDeEnA?si=rfBHEAG2lG8QNK4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfLu7GRMR7g 

Grant Kleeves · · Ridgway, CO · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 60

FWIW I've broken a couple BOAs over the years (usually ripping the dial off) and found that BOAs warranty is maybe the best I've ever dealt with, they sent enough parts to rebuild the entire system 2x and repair is really easy, not sure how you could screw one up badly enough to not be able to field repair it? just go to the BOA website and get spare parts, a full kit weighs a couple grams and lives in my repair kit full time, doesn't seem much different than having a spare shoelace if you are somewhere a broken shoelace is a major issue...

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Ice Climbing
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