Scarpa Phantom 6000...some questions and first reports

I'm the proud owner of a pair of brand new Scarpa Phantom 600o boots....hmmmm...I hope they keep my toes warm this season. 

My Phantom Techs were just too cold that last few years. 

Two questions:

1) How are folks putting these on?  Do you take the liner out first, place foot in liner, and then liner/foot into boot?  Or do you just slide foot into boot?  Both work for me, but I'm wondering what others have found works best. 

2) How the hell do these cord lock lace things work?  Do I pull up on the cord lock to fix the bottom of the boot, and then tie a knot Or do I pull up and then just tuck the longer strands into the gaitor (no knot required)?  And what's the best way to release them? I'm finding it frustrating.

Observations: These boots are the real deal....they make the Phantom Tech look like rock climbing shoes.  Fit is similar maybe a little more roomy.  Not hard for me to beleive that these will keep my feet really warm and comfortable.  

1. Don boot with inner already in, doff by removing foot and liner will probably come out with foot

2. Pull laces through and out of cord lock, flush cord lock down toilet, tighten/tie laces per usual 

One thing with not using the cord lock is that the laces tend slip. I replaced the laces with "non-slip" laces.

When I used previous gen 6000s I would tighten using just the plastic lace lock for the approach, then typically tighten the lace lock again and lock it in with a shoelace knot on the tails before climbing

I had these boots out today for about eight hours of ice climbing, which involved steep approach, a couple of multi pitch lines, easy ice, steep ice, wet ice...and everything in between. 

They are really, really, nice. 

I was concerned about the bulk of the boots, but once I started climbing, they felt perfect.  Precise, solid, supportive.  In my size (48) and weight (90 kg), lighter boots like my Phantom Techs often just don't feel supportive.  These boots are "truck" as the cool kids used to say a few years back.

And they are warm.  It's the first time in years I had no issues with cold feet, and I didn't adjust the boots once.  I just tied the laces moderately and closed the strap with some light pressure before the first pitch, and that was it for the rest of the day. I would say that they were warmer that my Phantom Techs with electric socks!

I followed the advice above and removed the lace locks.  I will definitely search for some thicker non-slip laces. 

Another intriguing possibility is to buy another set of inner boots; you could change socks and inner boots before climbing if you jad a particularly hard (and thus sweaty) approach, or you could have two pairs of liners to rotate for multi-day climbs.

Anyway, they were expensive, but for me having supportive boots and warm toes makes ice climbing so much more enjoyable.  I think boots like this are a great place to spend money and grams :)

How do you re thread the laces? I can’t reach deep enough inside the built in gaiter to reach the last rows of lace holes.

I love my phantom 6000ms. Best boot I’ve ever owned