There have been a lot of question marks around 4Frnt since Jason Levinthal took over early this year, many of which were answered in a recent interview. For us, the question has always been how good are the skis, so I spent some time on both the Devastator and the Vandal for this Roofbox Editor's Notes to find out.

Ski: 4FRNT Devastator

Length skied: 184cm

Shape:136-108-131

Measured weight (each ski): 2295/2296

Mount: -4cm from center

Binding: Marker Griffon 13

Days skied: 18

Reviewer height/weight: 6'2, 205lbs

Review Location(s): Alta Ski Area

Conditions skied: Spring groomers, slush, chunder, trees & 20+ inch pow days.

Top & Bottom + Profile

On Snow:

"A ski so stable and maneuverable, you'll swear it must be cheating as you can "just point 'em" on even the choppiest of days. 'The ReflectTech' gives you the "pivotable" benefit of a full-rockered ski, while providing a classic, full length effective edge for superior edge-hold. The Devastator is a true One-Ski-Quiver."

That's 4FRNT's description of the Devastator and after skiing it for 18 days, I can't really refute their claims. At 184cm, a few centimeters shorter than what I usually ride, I was skeptical about how stable they would feel on groomers & landing jumps. There were a few times where I landed backseat & washed out and probably wouldn't have done so if I had a ski that was around 189+. Otherwise, the ski felt rock solid laying trenches on the groomers at Alta as well as busting through the crud when the powder got tracked out as it usually does. The ReflectTech is "full rocker that has a matching sidecut radius" which is meant to make a ski with rocker have that smooth ride over variable terrain in addition to having maximum effective edge while turning, like a full camber ski."

The Devastator’s recommended mount position of -5.3 from center is great for ripping around but trying to do tail presses over rollers I felt myself slipping out fairly often. If you’re more of a jibby type skier, I would suggest mounting at -3 or -2 from center.

Typically, I ride stiff skis like the ON3P Kartel and had reservations about how the Devastators would accommodate my skiing style. As a softer ski, the Devastators still provided plenty of pop & rebound that made jibbing off of the natural features I encountered very enjoyable. These skis definitely reward strong, powerful skiing, but can also be a mellow cruiser ski. If you're an intermediate skier, these might be too much ski for you.

Overall, I enjoyed the shit out of the Devastators. They crush everything; spring crud, powder, groomers or anything else you throw at it. If you can only get one ski this winter and you spend the vast majority of time skiing everything your mountain has to offer, the Devastator is the ski for you.

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Ski: 4FRNT Vandal

Length skied: 179cm

Shape:126-100-122

Measured weight (each ski): 1972/1974

Mount: -2cm from center

Binding: Marker Jester 2017 (Goepper's Old Bindings lol)

Days skied: 12

Reviewer height/weight: 6'2, 205lbs

Review Location(s): Mammoth Mountain/Superpark 21, Woodward Copper Summer Camp

Conditions skied: Summer slush, sun baked groomers, chunder, wet spring snowfall

4FRNT has had an iffy relationship with the NS crowd, mainly in the park ski category where quality seemed to be judged pretty heavily several years ago. Many park rats rode the Click, STL, and TNK models in the late 2000s but most were disappointed with the edge durability & overall construction. Lately though, it seems to have turned around for the better. I was eager to hop on a pair & put them through the wringer.

Profile & Topsheet

On Snow

Originally intended for Twig to review, I took the responsibility over after he got sidelined with some knee pains. Coming in at 179, they were about 7cm shorter than I'd typically ride in the park or even all-mountain for that matter. Coming in at a 100mm waist & meant to be an all-mountain park crusher, I can say they did well in both facets of skiing but didn't stand out in any one area. Doing top to bottom runs at Mammoth during breaks from Superpark got sketchy the faster I went, partly due to the length of the ski but the main reason? The flex.

The soft flex keeps things loose in the park which is fun for Bunch bouncing, swerving around a la Wabs (but obviously not nearly as good), or hitting mid-range jumps because I'm not trying to kill myself. Outside of the park, the flex gave way to chattering at high speeds. Nothing over-the-top where I felt like I would eat shit at any moment but the poplar/birch core was not as damp as say, a bamboo core. I do believe that if I had the 186cm ski, the chatter would be far less severe than I had on the shorter ski. That being said, the core was quite snappy and responsive when popping out of nose stalls or holding out nosebutters switch & having to pop back to forward.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOlHm2FDkGT/?taken-by=cam_riley

Skiing in variable conditions is bound to happen to anyone who doesn't ski inside a snowdome and I had quite a few to throw at the Vandals during my time on them. While they lack 4FRNT's ReflectTech, I think they did a solid job of crushing crud, floating in the soft, spring swamp at Mammoth and holding edge on everything I threw at them. I did detune the edge but only under the binding, the rest of the effective edge was razor sharp which, in the scheme of things, seemed to be a pretty good idea on my end.

Comparing them to their other all-mountain freestyle offer, the Devastators, I can say that I enjoyed the Devastators far more. The Vandals were really soft having come from 3 years on ON3P Kartels, even the Devastators were pretty soft by comparison. Let it be said though, that I do not think the Vandals are a bad ski, they just aren't the ski for me. If you enjoy a softer ski that can get shit done in & out of the park, besides a pow day, this ski is for you.

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