DC Phase Snowboard Boots Review

Hello and welcome to my DC Phase Snowboard Boot review.

In this review I will take a look at the Phase as freestyle snowboard boots.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Phase a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freestyle boots.

Overall Rating

Boots: DC Phase

Price: $199 (USD recommended retail)

Style: Freestyle

Other Uses: Beginner, Casual All-Mountain

Flex Rating: Soft (3/10)

Flex Feel: Mid-Soft (3.5/10)

Rating Score: 76.1/100

Compared to other Freestyle Boots

Overview of the Phase’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Phase’s specs and available sizes.

SPECS

SIZING

Who are the Phase Most Suited to?

The Phase are best suited to beginner riders or those looking for a low-cost soft boot for riding park or for riding their soft/playful board and using them on days when they want to ride slowly and playfully. 

Not well suited to anything that requires higher speeds and don't have the force to properly drive stiffer boards, IMO. Best suited to boards in the 2/10 to 4/10 flex range.  

The Phase in More Detail

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Phase are capable of.

Demo Info

Boots: DC Phase (Traditional Lace version)

Size: 10.0 (US Men's Sizing)

Date: January 8, 2025

Flex

Really quite soft, straight out of the box when first trying on. But when I got them out on snow, they didn't feel quite as soft as I thought they would - more of a mid-soft feel. Would soften up over time, though. Overall, settling into a likely 3/10 to 3.5/10 most likely.

Easy of Entry/Lacing Up

The Phase were on of the easiest I've found to get on and off, in terms of getting foot in and out. Not the fastest because of laces, but there wasn't anything extra (bad for adjustability but good for speed of getting on) like hook and loop closures for the top of the liner or anything, so liner was fast and easy.

Liner

As mentioned above, there's nothing much going on here. Just a standard lacing harness. Cheap looking tightening toggle as expected on boots of this price. Could only get the liner so tight. Wouldn’t go any tighter. With just the liner on, there was huge heel lift, when first trying them on.  

Shell

The shell is standard Traditional Lacing - nothing fancy going on there. 

Even with shell lacing done up the heel lift was still huge. But my toes were at the end, so I don’t think I could go to a 9.5. But they did feel insanely comfortable. (More on how heel-lift felt on snow below).

Boot to Foot Fit

Length: My toes were just a little bit more than brushing the end. Not enough pressure to bend them or to cause any pain as such, but they toes are right up against the end. When bending forward at the knees, the toes pulled away slightly they were still very slightly brushing the ends.

Tops of toes: There is ample room. Noticeably more than my control boots (Adidas Response), which have a good bit of room themselves.

Instep Pressure: Zero. I mean really zero, which is rare for me, particularly on my right foot. There was a minor pressure when bending into them, but it was very minimal and not uncomfortable.   

Wide or Narrow: I could move my forefoot around quite a bit, so I would say wide. I can move my forefoot a little bit in my control boots (with effort) but it was noticeably easier to do in the Phase.

Ankle pressure: None. I could feel the boots against my ankle, but there wasn’t any pressure. 

True to size or Small or Large: It’s a tough one, because they were true to size, length-wise, almost bordering on being a touch small. But the rest of the boot is a bit big. Length-wise, a 10.5 would be fine, but I think the 10 would work as well. But otherwise, a 9.5 would likely be better for the rest of the boot, for me. 

On-Snow fit: Still definitely a roomier than normal fit on snow, but they did become a bit more snug, as they molded to my feet, which was good. The length was fine. I would still say they'd pack out to be too big in the 10 for me, though I'd still be concerned they would be too short, length-wise in the 9.5, but overall, I would say they run a 1/2  size too big. 

Boot to Binding Fit

Heel width:  The heel of the Phase were a little too wide for my Medium Malavita heel cup. I can get them to the back, but it’s a squeeze. I can hold the binding up with the Phase in there and not strapped in and it holds the binding up with the grip the heel cup has on the boot’s heel.

Toe width: There’s a small bit of room on the lateral side, but the medial side is right up against the side of the binding – and because of that tight heel cup fit, I can’t adjust the boot to even up those gaps. Felt like it would be quite easy to step on the front medial side of the binding when trying to get in, which I did a couple of times on snow, but it wasn't a major issue or anything. 

Ankle Strap: Fit relatively well but had to lengthen it by one hole to fit optimally and to fit the same as my control boots do. 

Toe Strap: I had to extend the toe strap right to the end to fit them in with the toe strap properly centered, so I wouldn't put a 10.5 in of these in my bindings. 

Shock Absorption

In-House Stomp Test: They didn't absorb shock great compared to other boots I had with me, including my control boots. You could feel quite a lot of ground shock through them and they sounded real hollow. 

On-Snow: On snow, the shock absorption was noticeably less than my control boots and the K2 Overdraft and Nitro Club BOA I also tested that day. 

Board Feel

The board feel was really decent, but given how little shock absorption there was, I would expect it to be a bit better. I would imagine their board feel would improve over time, but they were a little rigid in terms of their articulation in the time I had them. But overall, still really decent for board feel. 

Carving

Definitely felt like an entry level boot when trying to carve in these. Worst for carves on the day. Just too soft and flimsy - made my overall setup feel less good for carving. 

Slow Speed Response

They were much better for slow speed turns, than they were for carving, for sure. But still nothing that I would call top tier for this. In fact, I felt the K2 Overdraft were just as good for slow speed response as these, but significantly better for carving. Similarly, the Club BOA were better for carving (not quite as much so as the Overdraft) but were actually also better, in my experience in terms of slow speed response. 

Adjustability

There's not much to the lacing up of these boots. Nothing special. But that said, they are traditional lace, which naturally gives you pretty good adjustability. 

Comfort

This is by far these boots best quality. That lack of snugness in fit, likely a contributor to this, even if it's a detraction for its performance. 

This is important for beginner boots, which I would class these as, first and foremost, and it doesn't disappoint in this area in the slightest. 

I mean you could challenge my 5/5 rating for comfort for these on the basis that their poor shock absorption might take it's toll at the end of a long day. And particularly for those hitting a lot of bigger jumps.

Or if you were determined to continue to try to ride fast in these and try to lay down carves, you could maybe argue that your feet wouldn't like how much work they'd have to do to try to keep you stable - but you'd be using these boots for something they're just not designed for. 

For beginner riders, neither of those scenarios are likely to be the case though. 

Heel Hold

That comfort also came at the cost of having to deal with quite a bit of heel lift. That heel hold did improve when I got them on snow and they formed to my feet a little better. So, not as bad as they felt when I first tried them on, but still not great. And after a while, they would likely pack out to get worse again. 

Reduced Footprint

They weren't the bulkiest ever length-wise, with an outsole that was 3.1cm longer than its mondopoint, but still longer than average. And while their toe-bevel was on the higher end of normal, the heel bevel was a little less than normal. So, I would say a little more likely for boot drag than the average men's boot in this size. 

Traction/Sole Quality

Looked and felt like a pretty low quality sole to me and not likely to last overly long. But at this price-point, that was very much expected. And for most, these would last long enough to get them to their next phase of riding, where they would probably want to upgrade to a better boot anyway. 

As far as I can tell there isn’t any rubber content in the sole. OK pattern variety. Slightly less than average tread depth.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

While they aren't the highest quality boots you'll ever set your eyes on, that would never be expected at their price point. 

They are a boot that knows what they are - soft and best suited to slower speed riding and for beginner riders. They have a few things in particularly going for them. Firstly, they are super comfortable, secondly well priced and thirdly, easy to ride in for making turns at slower speeds.