First Look: Phaenom Ski Boots

The first thing you need to know about Phaenom Boots is that they come in only one color: black. Phaenom designers decided to keep it simple and modern. Making an all-black shell allows the brand to use the highest proportion of recycled materials. That all-black shell could also be more easily reused when these materials are done being a ski boot.

The second thing to know is that Phaenom is brand new to the market for 2024/25. This is the first footwear line by Full Stack Supply Co., makers of Faction Skis and United Shapes Snowboards. But that doesn’t mean these boots aren’t vetted.

Phaenom boots are made in the same factory in Montebelluna, Italy, as some of the world’s most revered ski boots. (Fun fact: This small city in northern Italy is responsible for production of over a dozen top ski boot brands like Nordica, Dynafit and Scarpa with bootmakers going back generations.) Here, veteran engineers from Swiss-based Faction Skis teamed up with footwear experts from around Europe. They spent four years on research and development, figuring out gaps in the market to create ski boots that delivered on a few simple promises: Make them comfortable yet high performance and focus on repairability.

These unisex, understated boots come in two styles: Freestyle (marked by fs) and Freeride (fr). Both are made with similar construction and shell materials. “They’re built for progressive skiers who want a more comfortable boot with a planted heel,” says Emily Murray, snowsports buyer for REI Co-op. 

The fr boots come with walk mode functionality for backcountry touring. The freestyle boots come in flex options for every ability level, including 90, 100, 110, and 120. Meanwhile, the freeride boots come in higher flex index ratings of 100, 110, 120, and 130. (The higher the flex index, the stiffer and higher performing the boot. For more on flex index, see our Expert Advice on buying ski boots.)

Testing Phaenom Boots on Snow

I wanted to see how the Phaenom boots held up, so I tested them in December at ski resorts around Lake Tahoe in California. I tried out a pair of the fr 01 110 boots, but takeaways will be similar with all Phaenom models.

• Pros:
  • Immediately comfortable and easy to get on and off with secure heel hold
  • Supportive flex that’s surprisingly stiff given the minimalist two-buckle construction.
• Cons:
  • Heavy in weight and overly heavy-duty in materials
  • May also feel too wide and high-volume for those with narrow, slim feet.
• Best for:
  • Intermediate to expert freeride or all-mountain skiers
  • Those looking for a boot that offers a spacious feel combined with high-powered performance.

Comfort and Performance

I’ve been testing ski boots for years now, which means I’m used to cramming my sample-size 24.5 foot into a boot and enduring several days of painful squeezing or pressure points before I can break them in enough to truly feel how they ski. The Phaenom boot was completely different. On day one, my foot glided easily into the liner. No heavy breathing or profanities needed, and the break-in period was minimal.

The first thing I noticed was the width. All Phaenom boots come with a roomy 102mm last, so my forefoot and toes had plenty of wiggle room. I worried that it would feel too spacious, resulting in a lack of edge control while skiing. I was surprised by their responsiveness: These boots made getting my skis on edge a cinch. They had the power transfer of my old stiff race boots but the comfort and ease of my favorite fleece-lined all-mountain boots. Hmm. Maybe we don’t need to be cramming our feet into tiny packages anymore?

Unique construction

This performance quality is due to the unique construction of Phaenom boots. A quick primer: Ski boots are usually built using one of two construction methods. There’s the traditional two-piece, or overlap, four-buckle construction, where a plastic upper and lower wraps around the foot for better power transfer. That style is found in most high-end race and freeride boots.

The other option is a three-piece cabrio construction with an upper and lower that don’t overlap. Instead, the boot relies on a plastic tongue for a more progressive flex. You’ll find three-piece construction from boot brands like Dalbello and select models from K2. Phaenom boots are made using a unique hybrid of these two styles. It has a short plastic tongue combined with an overlap design. In a way, you get the perks of both. You’ll get the easy on/off and progressive flex of a three-piece boot with the edge control and power transfer of an overlap design.

The other more noticeable downhill performance quality is the locked-in sensation of the heel grip. Despite the comfort in the toe box and forefoot, my heel did not budge from its pocket while skiing. My foot felt glued into the liner, which made for greater control on high-speed turns and a secure feeling of power and control.

Boot Features

These boots come with just two oversize buckles—which seems like it wouldn’t be stiff enough, but trust us, it is. Plus a huge rubber, patent-pending power strap at the top of the cuff locks you in. This rubber strap, made from recycled materials, is easy to adjust and has the beefiness of a third buckle, but it felt bulky under the hem of my ski pants. (I also worried how manageable this material would be in extremely cold temperatures, but it held up fine in Tahoe’s balmy December weather.)

The boot liner deserves heaps of praise. The stock liner in Phaenom boots can be heat-molded for extra customization, but the foam is designed to naturally shape around your foot as you wear it. (I wore it out of the box without any boot fitting and had zero complaints.) The best part about the liner is they’re easy to remove and slide back into the shell to dry out after a stormy day (no more wrestling your shell to get the liner back in). The bottom of the liner has grippy rubber lugs, so you could wear the liners around as sturdy slippers or outdoor shoes in a pinch.

“That rubber sole replaces a traditional boot board to create a better connection between liner and shell while saving your ankles on hard landings,” adds Murray with REI.

These boots come with forward lean—the angle of your stance—that can be changed to three angles (13°, 15° or 17°), though the adjustment wasn’t that intuitive. Non-slip GripWalk soles held on well during an icy bootpack at my local ski area and while trudging through a slick parking lot. There are no men’s or women’s models, but the naturally lower cuff height should work for most women’s leg shapes. You can opt for thinner or thicker liners if you need more or less volume inside the boot.

Circular Design

You don’t notice these things while skiing, but it’s nice to know that your boot was designed to lengthen its lifespan and reduce its environmental impact. Every piece of this boot—from the strap to the buckles—was designed to be easily repaired or replaced. It’s put together using easily swappable screws, not rivets, which can break and cause a premature end to the boot. When the boot has finally seen its last day, the black polyurethane (PU) plastic can be remade into something new. The boot itself is made from more recycled materials than current industry standard. The shell is made from 30% recycled materials, while the liner is made from 50% recycled fabrics.

Drawbacks

For a boot that saves weight by only having two buckles and promises some uphill capability through a walk mode on half of its models, the boot felt heavy. I did several inbound sidesteps and a short backcountry ski tour in these boots and noticed how much bulkier my equipment felt hauling it uphill. On the up, I did appreciate the wide range of motion with walk mode engaged through an easy-to-use back lever on the fr boots I was testing. The boot weighs around 2,100 grams per boot, which clocks in higher than comparable boots from other brands.  

Bottom Line

These are fully developed freeride boots, designed for big-mountain athletes and park-and-pipe specialists. They’re built with durable materials intended for heavy-duty use. Still, even if you’re not sessioning the park or skiing aggressively, there’s a lot that a recreational skier will appreciate. This is not a boot that will break down quickly, which is something we can all get behind. It’s robust and well-made. Most of all, it delivers on the oft-impossible promise of creating a fusion of slipper-like comfort with ultra-stiff performance—a rare and beautiful thing.