Reviews: 4frnt VCT 182
I'm finally going to contribute some reviews to the board. Just got back from a 4 day binge at Mammoth, and skied different skis the last 3 days, all in powder.
Me:
I'm not the ripper that many are here, but I spent 5 seasons at Squaw during and after college. The last couple of seasons I've been a grad student, skiing 30-35 days a year, almost all at Mammoth. I don't do much straightlining or hucking any more. I've never dropped anything over 30-35 successfully, Smooth Air at Squaw(40) resulted in a new ACL. At Mammoth I mostly ski Hangmans, varmits, noid 4, philippe's, lines off 22, hemlock...Standard stuff, I have not hit top of the world yet, hopefully this year. I'm about 5'8" 165.
That was a long winded way of saying I'm a long way from rockstar level. Evaluate these reviews accordingly. When I say something does not have a speed limit that more likely means that I didn't find it, not that it is not there.
Skis I ski: I'm a creature of habit. When I lived in Tahoe I skied the same thing almost every day. 190 AK launchers(lost one), 193xxx's, then 190 CMH explosivs. Probably put 250+ days in on the CMH's. The last couple of years I've skied mostly 189 green pistols. Definitely more of an everyday guy then a quiver guy. I've skied 189 vicious, and loved them, favorite ski ever, until this week.
I should add that the CMH's I ski are somewhat softer than the black explosives or wizards.
4frnt VCT 182.
I skied these on Friday, in several feet of new, snowing all day type conditions. Snow was pretty heavy, solid base snow.
Groomers: Sidecut felt like the old explosives, except wider, which it is. They don't roll like the pistols, you have to make them turn a bit, but they were still very easy to ski. They have a solid flex, stiffer than green pistols but not iron. If I really tried to push the speed on a really hardpack day they might chatter, but I don't buy skis whose purpose is to ski groomers.
Powder: Skied avy chutes in a couple of feet of fresh, solid snow, and absolutely loved these. 104 wait makes it easy to bust through stuff. The tip does not flex with the snow quite the way it does on the pistols, but the overall width of the ski allows you to blast through stuff easily. Skied the trees under chair 25 in untracked and had a blast. Despite being only 182 you can really open them up and fly. I did not really find a speed limit, though I'm sure some on this board would. When they closed 22 I skied the runs under 22 from canyon and had a blast in the cut up stuff. The solid flex makes it easy to blast through stuff.
I would like to have gotten to ski some technical steeps in firm snow on these, but with the solid flex, and the short length I'm sure they would be fun. I would also like to try them in palisades-type straightlines. They seem a bit short for straightruns, but with the added width and solid flex I think they would be fine, probably about as good as my CMH's or green pistols, particularly if the snow is soft.
Overall: A great ski, if I could choose one ski to ski everyday at Mammoth or Squaw, this would be it. Agile enough for tight steeps, but solid enough to charge, easy to handle on groomers...If I could pick one, this would be it. When I skied them they ranked with the Seth Vicious' as my favorite skis ever.
Then I tried the ARG's and EHP's...
I will write reviews of ARG's and EHP's when I can. If you have not tried early rise/rocker/reverse camber or reverse sidecut you should.
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