4frnt EHP 186 review

[tromano]

I didn't notice any comments on the weight. I remember reading somewhere that EHPs were fairly heavy or maybe thats just the 193. Whats your take on the 186?

[mountain_man]

It would be interesting to know how heavy they are, the site says 5lb per skis i presume but its the same for every ski so i dont know.

[lax]

how similar do they ski to a pow plus? both seem to be heavy, but the EHP seems to have a smaller turn radius, and the rocker has to make it more maneuverable.

[mountain_man]

It is possible to see some pics of the rocker profile of the 186's i dont recall actually seeing one.

[mtskier]

tip rocker


camber


tail rocker


10.4 lbs per pair

going to mount mine with nx21 next week.

[Toadman]

The Rocker in the tip looks very subtle. Almost looks like the tail has more rocker in it than the tip.

[Long duc dong]

I have not mounted it back yet. Let me say this... the indicated mount puts them about right on for the cambered portion, but forward when considering the whole ski. Measuring confirmed this. It is possible to lose some ability to push the tail in pow and it definitely loses authority on steep tech snow when the tail will engage and try to carve you up the hill if you get thrown backseat. This opinion comes from 3 days on them (1 at Loveland 2 at Crested Butte) and they are presently mounted at -0.7cm I will probably move them to somewhere between -2.5 and -3.5

Curious to see how this works. I have mine mounted right on the line, and while I love them, they do not smear quite as well as I thought they might. I have always skied 190 CMH explosives at +3 and 189 Seths at +4, I like feeling on top of a ski to turn it quickly. If you have mounted them back, have you noticed a difference in swing weight for quick hop turns on firms steeps? I like that I can ski these when the top of something is a bit firm, they are easy to throw around. If I were to mount them back I would not want to lose this. It would be great to know your findings when you get a chance, if you have any yet.

[Long duc dong]

how similar do they ski to a pow plus? both seem to be heavy, but the EHP seems to have a smaller turn radius, and the rocker has to make it more maneuverable.

Have not skied the pow plus, but the EHP's are very maneuverable when mounted on the line.

I have not weighed them, but they do not FEEL particularly heavy. They are easy to get around on steep terrain.

[lax]

wow that rocker looks tiny. it probably gets a little bigger once the camber is eliminated, when you put your weight on them.

edit- thanks for the feedback guys.

[mountain_man]

wow that rocker looks tiny. it probably gets a little bigger once the camber is eliminated, when you put your weight on them.

Yeh i was hopeing for a little more rocker or an actuall tip as well as the rocker, but i guess i'll try and demo some before i buy. Thanks for the pics

[summit]

they do have more rocker than that pic indicates

[Long duc dong]

they do have more rocker than that pic indicates

They do. The pic makes it look like it is not all that much, but when you are on them it is very noticeable. I like the term "early rise" as that explains well what it does. The early rise is very noticeable in any type of soft snow.

[Charli2na]

As a proud 186 EHP owner myself I agree the tip rocker is much more noticeable than those pictures indicate.

For the record, I love mine. Mounted with Dukes and about 7 days on them this year. Incredibly easy to turn, and super fun in the pow. I'm a bigger guy (220) and they float me fairly well. I don't regret not getting the 193's or a softer rockered ski like hell bents. Although I think I'm going to get a pair of Pontoons/Praxis next year.

[Jim S]

1. EHP 186: I skied today at Kirkwood on boiler plate, crystal ice groomers, and bullet proof off piste crud. Not the ideal conditions for the skis maggots tend to fancy. The 186 felt stable at speed, quite smooth, skied relatively short...IMHO. That's not a detractor. I imagine in the right conditions it is quite playful and fun.

2. EHP 186 appears to have more rocker up front than the photos above suggest. Not major league rocker like the Pontoon or Solly rocker but it's noticeable and smears over crud.

3. EHP for 07/08 have all lengths shaped like this years 186. So the 17x and 193 have the subtle pin tail like this years 186.

4. I like this years graphics much better. Too bad in my opinion.

[mtskier]

the length in question will be 179cm. i really like the current topsheet, but next year's is growing on me.

[lax]

how similar do they ski to a pow plus? both seem to be heavy, but the EHP seems to have a smaller turn radius, and the rocker has to make it more maneuverable.

let me expand, just cause i'm bored, i want to keep the dialogue going, and depending on the answer, this will decide fo sho if i'm getting this ski....

with the pow+, i found that whenever i stood above something and scoped a line, i would have one idea for a line, and then once i started skiing it, the pow+ (with it's ~40 turn radius) would take over and i would end up taking 2 turns where i was planning on taking 5. after a while, it became near impossible for me to ski lines slowly. while this isn't a bad thing, sometimes you just want to chill and don't want have to fight the ski to get those smaller turns. it sounds as if you guys have been saying that the EHP is able to make maneuverable turns real easy because of the rocker, but that you can unleash the beast whenever you like and rail uuuuuuge turns. so my question basically is, do you ever find yourself fighting the EHP, fighting to 'contain the beast', trying to make smaller turns when the EHP wants to make huge rippah turns?

[summit]

EHP186 is happy to make huge arcing turns or throw on the slarve brakes and crank out tight turns in the trees... it effortlessly switches from Gotama/PP mode to Spatula mode and back.

[lax]

EHP186 is happy to make huge arcing turns or throw on the slarve brakes and crank out tight turns in the trees... it effortlessly switches from Gotama/PP mode to Spatula mode and back.

thanks summit. thats pretty much exactly what i'm looking for in a ski. sick. thanks again.

[Machete]

Is there any difference between the '08 and '09 186?

The '08 seems to have a little camber, but I thought somewhere I saw that the '09 was flat?

[Long duc dong]

let me expand, just cause i'm bored, i want to keep the dialogue going, and depending on the answer, this will decide fo sho if i'm getting this ski....

with the pow+, i found that whenever i stood above something and scoped a line, i would have one idea for a line, and then once i started skiing it, the pow+ (with it's ~40 turn radius) would take over and i would end up taking 2 turns where i was planning on taking 5. after a while, it became near impossible for me to ski lines slowly. while this isn't a bad thing, sometimes you just want to chill and don't want have to fight the ski to get those smaller turns. it sounds as if you guys have been saying that the EHP is able to make maneuverable turns real easy because of the rocker, but that you can unleash the beast whenever you like and rail uuuuuuge turns. so my question basically is, do you ever find yourself fighting the EHP, fighting to 'contain the beast', trying to make smaller turns when the EHP wants to make huge rippah turns?

I have not had to fight them too much, they are pretty maneuverable. The one thing I do find is that the more forward I stay on them, the easier it is too shut them down. If you get knocked into the backseat that becomes a bit tougher, but still manageable. If you stay forward on them they are easy to control and turn quickly, but they can also make huge arcs. I am really finding it to be a nice combination.

[mtskier]

finally mounted my EHP 186 with NX21 medium on the line. if anything, i think i could go 1-2 cm back, but i don't know if it would make a big difference. they rock the way they are intended to be mounted.

first time on them was a hut trip in the Swan Range of MT with over-the-should freshies.

me: 5'11" 165lbs
quiver: line prophet 100 179cm, liberty helix 187, nordica beast 92 188cm, blizzard titan 8.2 185cm, lightning board "ultimate" 176cm

they toured better than my Sir Francis Bacons (i know that's not saying much). they tracked better and felt a little lighter.

i love these skis. skied long, open shots all week and the EHPs ate it up. i found that to really haul ass, i could pressure the pin tail and stay on top of everything. i don't think i buried the tips the entire trip, and if i did a little, the tip rocker took care of it.

the length was also perfect for tighter trees, quicker turns, and dumping speed. haven't skied any groomers, but that's not why i have this ski.

if people are still debating whether this is the right ski for them, don't. if you like deep snow, skiing fast, skiing trees, touring, or straight lining, this is your ski. at least that's what my experience has taught me.

[lax]

^yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

so pumped. graduating thus year, doing the alta thing next year. my quiver...
OWN
180 pow + (it-hasn't-snowed-in-a-while ski, comp ski)
185 praxis pow (going to be hard not to ski these)
181 4frnt msp (3/4 edges underfoot blown out, rock ski/early season high t ski)

TO BE BOUGHT
186 4frnt ehp ("everyday" ski)
179 k2 hellbent (jibby/butter/booter ski)

[GoEhuge]

^^^ Weak sauce. Step it up fruitcake.

[lax]

whatever at least it snows in utah. you buy those praxis you homo?

[Phill]

tip rocker


camber


tail rocker


10.4 lbs per pair

going to mount mine with nx21 next week.

Does anybody know if the 193s have the same rocker profile.

oh ya. bump