Can 4FRNT's New Cambered Nevar Ski Hang With The HOJI Collection?

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Eric Hjorleifson, henceforth to be referred to as “Hoji” here, has developed a bit of a cult following over the years for his out-of-the-box but wildly effective ski and boot designs. The Canadian pro backcountry freeride skier and mad scientist of gear has a whole slew of projects named after him, most notably 4FRNT’s entire line of backcountry touring skis. This year, Hoji added a fourth ski to the lineup (on top of the popular Raven, Hoji, and Renegade) that surprised a lot of his diehard followers (myself and POWDER writer Izzy Lidsky included). But wait…the new Nevar ski has camber! The blasphemy!

We loved the other skis precisely because they had obscene amounts of reverse camber, whose banana-like shape planed and slashed through bottomless powder unlike any other skis out there, providing immense amounts of float with a playful, poppy nature. That design makes skiing through really deep snow almost automatic. 

However, there was a clear lack of confidence and composure when the powder went away–turns out camber equals edge hold, and that’s something you might want when things get a bit firmer. The newly minted Nevar is Hoji’s answer to that problem–so we set out to see how it compares to some of our favorite backcountry skis. Turns out, the Nevar is a phenomenal and much-needed addition to the lineup.

4FRNT Nevar Specs

• Size skied: 184cm
• Lengths available: 170cm, 177cm, 184cm, 190cm
• Sidecut: 130mm – 104mm – 120mm
• Radius: 22m (184cm)
• Profile: rocker, camber, rocker
• Weight: 1820g (184cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Of course, the big talking point on the new Nevar is the fact that the ski has a traditionally cambered profile. That’s big news, given the fact that Hoji himself was pretty resistant to the idea at first. However, we can’t all ski deep pow all the time, and camber simply makes a ski much more versatile. For anyone who lives outside of interior British Columbia, you’re going to find yourself wanting some edge hold from your backcountry skis from time to time.

Luckily, not much else has changed in the ski compared to the rest of the line. There’s still a really long 22-meter turn radius, a relatively centered mount point, long taper lines in the tip and tail, and the 4-Lock climbing skin attachment system. Inside, there’s the same poppy yet damp aspen/maple core, full-length carbon stringers, and neoprene-infused tip. In essence, it’s the same construction as the rest of the series, with a shape more applicable to general-use ski touring.

The ski features a very round flex, with a stiff underfoot section, plus middle-of-the-road tips and tails. It’s not as burly as a dedicated inbounds charger, but it’s no park noodle.

Mount point is an interesting one here. Typically, I’ve gotten along great with the recommended 4FRNT mount points, but I actually felt it was a bit far back on the Nevar. I ended up liking it bumped forward 1.5cm to get a bit more tail, a bit less tip, and a little bit looser and more slashy feel out of the ski. I don’t normally stress out too much on mount point, but I felt it made an outsized difference on how this ski rides.

On-Snow Performance

For testing, I mounted my pair of 184cm 4FRNT Nevars with a pair of Marker Alpinist 12 bindings. This is a binding I’m quite familiar with and enjoy for its combination of shock absorption, light weight, and simple operation. I paired the ski with the Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro boot, but also took a few laps aboard it with both the heavier and stiffer Salomon Shift Alpha BOA 130, and a much lighter two-buckle boot, the new La Sportiva Kilo. I found the ski performed best with the middle-of-the-road Zero G Pro Tour.

Testing took place throughout December and January at Grand Targhee, and in the Teton Pass and Grand Teton National Park backcountry. I rode the skis on everything from resort hardpack to storm day skiing in the backcountry in 15+ inches of fresh snow, but spent most of my time adventure skiing in the high alpine in variable conditions.

From the get-go, it’s clear 4FRNT really wanted to improve upon the usability and versatility of the existing skis in the Hoji line, and I was really hoping that the new Nevar would still fall skew towards “toy” category on the “tool vs. toy” spectrum. As in, it’s a ski that’s still really fun to ski, but fulfills the needs of a more utility-minded touring ski. 

So, what does that mean? Well, to me, a utility touring ski needs to be trustworthy and composed in really bad snow, have great edge hold, be stiff and damp enough to be comfortable to ski with a heavy pack, but also not be too heavy as to tire you out on the uphills. It’s something guides, patrollers, production folks, and others who work on their skis appreciate.

The Nevar is all of those, but it still retains that certain something shared by all the Hoji skis that just makes them plain old fun. Despite the long turn radius, it’s quite easy to turn, especially in tight places like couloirs or dense trees. It rewards you skiing it aggressively through the front of the boot, driving the ski through a turn, but still wants to slash and release out of turns thanks to the healthy amount of tail rocker.

While it put a smile on my face in deep snow, it lacks the float of its bigger siblings the Hoji and Renegade, but that’s ok. Where I found the ski to really shine was ripping around in what we like to call “high-alpine variable” here in the Tetons. It’s the kind of snow we experience during cold high pressure systems when it’s time to go adventure skiing and exploring in the alpine. Those days typically include everything from firm windboard, to a few inches of windblown pow, to crunchy, crusty, or manky snow. In other words, a true mixed bag that requires precise ski technique and alternating between big open freeride turns, controlled jump turns, and everything in between. 

The Nevar eats that sh*t up, and confidently skis at high speeds through the stuff, taking the edge off chattery surfaces. The neoprene-infused tip visibly looks like its flopping around all day long, but the edge hold is incredible, with the ski flexing around and absorbing surface irregularities. 

Finally, hop turning in steep and committing terrain like couloirs is pleasantly predictable. The low swing weight of the ski comes around easily, and the damp core, long turn radius (shallow sidecut) and camber combine to let the skis really bite into steep, firm surfaces.

It’s also worth noting that the 4-Lock skin attachment system is one of the best innovations in years to come to backcountry skiing. It makes attaching and ripping skins a breeze, and the custom-cut Free Pro 2.0 Pomoca skins are basically half the size of an equivalent skin, making them lighter and significantly more packable. 

Comparisons

Compared to other freeride-oriented touring skis on the market, the Nevar doesn’t really stand out all too much—and maybe that’s exactly the point. While we absolutely loved Hoji’s surfy, playful reverse-cambered creations, I can understand why some folks don’t get along with them, and the Nevar will readily fill that spot. A few skis I’d compare them directly to are 4FRNT’s own Raven (hey, Nevar is Raven spelled backwards), the Faction La Machine 3, and another tester favorite, the Salomon QST 106 Echo.

Given the nearly identical construction between the Nevar and Raven, it’s no surprise they come in at similar weights and provide a similarly poppy yet damp ride feel. However, the most noticeable difference is the trade off between surfiness and edge grip. The Raven loves a relaxed stance and smooth, surfy turns. On the other hand, the Nevar prefers a more traditional approach and responds well to being driven through the front of your boot. The Nevar’s edge hold is far superior, and lends itself much better to skiing on firm snow whether in the backcountry or the resort.

Compared to the Faction La Machine 3, the Nevar wins in terms of performance on firm, choppy and variable snow, but lacks the float and slow-speed agility of the La Machines. The Factions are also significantly lighter and might be a better option for folks looking to lighten their setups by a few hundred grams, making it a better option for skiers who do a lot of walking (looking at you, ski guides).

Finally, the Salomon QST 106 Echo is perhaps the most similar ski both in terms of construction and shape. If you’re looking for a quiver-of-one daily driver touring ski, you can’t go wrong with either of these choices. The Echo wins slightly in terms of deep snow performance with a bit more float thanks to the bigger shovel, and is a more approachable ski overall, but the Nevar edges it out in terms of high speed stability on firm snow.

What type of skier is the 4FRNT Nevar best for?

There’s often talk about having the appropriate quiver of skis for where you tend to ride, especially if you’re lucky enough to ski enough days a year to be picky about conditions. I’d classify 4FRNT’s Nevar as either a quiver ski, or a quiver-killer ski, depending on where you live. 

If you’re an advanced to expert skier who lives and backcountry skis in a place with a thin or dry snowpack (like Colorado, the Eastern Sierra, or the East Coast), this would be an excellent one-ski-to-rule-them-all option. Otherwise, if you live in a place that frequently gets deep snow (think the Tetons, BC, or the PNW), consider it as a great quiver option for adventure skiing, exploring technical lines in the high alpine, or anything that requires longer walks to potentially questionable snow.