The Hoji by 4FRNT is a fun playful, responsive and nimble Freeride ski that’s not for everyone, but honestly it could/should be
I purchased the 4FRNT HOJI ski in the 18/19 season with the idea of it being my new backcountry ski. I paired it with the Shift binding from Salomon. My main reason behind this ski was the rave reviews about it’s versatility on and off the piste. I was quite happy with my Wailers from DPS but was ready for a change.
Wasn’t happy at first… The learning curve effect
My first runs where not powder runs, it was on the groomer. I didn’t feel connected with the ski like my MSP 107 which was largely due to the shape of the ski. It’s got a full rocker shape and when I was leaning into the front edge I couldn’t find it and felt like it wanted to put me in the back seat. This caused a lot of leg strain and pretty much wasn’t happy with the ski. I spent hours on forums and online with the pro’s at 4Frnt about my experience. Everything pointed to “give it more time, you’ll love it when you find the sweet spot” Mind you this was only on the groomers. In the powder I had zero trouble with them but nothing mind altering from my other skis in the powder.
The Sweet Spot?
Determined this year to find the “sweet spot” on these skis I started off skiing these and only these. I took the advise found on many forums about skiing from the center of the ski and focus on not waiting for the ski to engage but just tipping the ski and trusting the edge will be there. ALL BE DAMNED there is a edge and this ski can CARVE like a tradition shaped ski. In fact this ski is so playful, responsive and fun as hell I don’t see myself picking any other ski than this 90% of the time. It’s really the most fun I’ve had on skis in a long time. I love how playful this ski is and how responsive it becomes when you find the sweet spot. It’s one of the quickest skis from side to side I’ve ever been on. It makes navigating tight spaces between trees so much fun. It’s super light so you feel like you have full control over it in any condition. The lightness does make it a bit sketch in chopped up conditions but completely manageable.
So how does it do in the powder?
I took this ski in the Idaho backcountry and man oh man let me tell you it just “floats different” than any other powder ski I’ve been on. Combined with its light weight and super floaty feel this ski makes for an awesome uphill ski and FANTASTIC downhill powder slayer. Because it’s light weight and floaty feel powder turns feel more responsive and quick which I prefer. You don’t need 6+ inches of powder to feel the float, give this ski a few inches and it feels like 6 (um, yeah there is a joke there somewhere Michael Scott) but really all this ski needs is a few inches to increase the stoke and fun you’ll have on these.
Here you can see in pretty deep powder the float is real this was at Snowbasin this year
Is there anything I don’t like about it?
No, not really. The learning curve is a lot for the average skier, you need to be committed to learning to ski on a fully rockered ski to truly love this ski. If that isn’t for you don’t bother because you will not like this ski. Some say once you learn to ski on a rockered ski you’ll have a hard time picking anything else. I can see why, it’s just more fun. Not to say that a groomer with a narrow or traditional shaped ski isn’t just as fun because digging an edge into a well shaped ski is also awesome. I just now understand why they’d say this. I do see this ski taking more time away from my MSP 107 this year and years to come. Also I’m trying to spend more time in the back country so by default the MSP’s will be sidelined to the HOJI.
Some IG love too: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6tfasGFBWm/
