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Buyer’s Guide reviews
The charts show our impressions from testing
Product info
Category average
In words
Intro
4FRNT is nowhere near as well-known in Europe as it is in North America, though it is possible to buy their skis online from many European countries, and it has some great, innovative products. We tested the Raven, at 104 mm underfoot the skinniest in the touring line (which also includes its beefier siblings the Hoji 112 and Renegade 122) developed by the legendary Eric Hjorleifson. It has a core made from maple with carbon stringers and shovel with neoprene inserts to dampen vibrations. With its gigantic sidecut radius, flat camber and plenty of rocker at the tip and tail, it definitely marches to the beat of its own drum.
On the snow
The Raven won't magically have you skiing like Hoji himself, but watch his videos and you can get an idea of how it's supposed to be skied and the underlying philosophy behind it. It's completely unlike any other of the skis tested for this issue, you need to forget your edges and get your slarve on. With so little edge contact and such a large radius it's super easy to turn and is crazy fun on moguls, pillows and tree runs, but almost dangerous on hard snow. Get a longer length for float on fresh snow and support at the tip and tail, though you may well ask yourself if a ski so specifically designed for powder doesn't make more sense in a wider size (like the Hoji and Renegade). It's not the lightest in ascent, but its size does help you set a trail in deep snow and the 4-Lock system, a slot halfway up the tail, ensures less friction and means you can use shorter skins.
Lab
Very concave along the whole length, still not fixed after 10 passes through the machine. The base hasn't been prepared or waxed, just roughly sanded with a different finish on each ski. Decent edges 1.7 x 1.7 mm at 89°, base edge 1.2°. Good finish overall on the base, but terrible at the sides, with protruding sidewall. Tuning required.
Technical specifications
Construction
cap-sidewall
Materials
carbon fiber, light wood
Base
sintered polyethylene
Available sizes
190, 184, 177, 170
Released in
2022
Made in
Canada
Price
918 € / 799 $
Declared specsMeasured by us
We measured the length 184 to get all the details
184 cm
Length
XXXXX
121 cm
Tip width
XXXXX
112 cm
Tail width
XXXXX
104 cm
Waist width
XXXXX
N/A
Edge contact
XXXXX
N/A
Camber
XXXXX
N/A
Tip rocker
XXXXX
N/A
Tail rocker
XXXXX
1.827 g
Individual weight
XXXXX
N/A
Left weight
XXXXX
N/A
Right weight
XXXXX
29 m
Sidecut radius
XXXXX
N/A
Load-bearing surface
XXXXX
N/A
Tip torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Center torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Tail torsion
XXXXX
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